Announcements

1. Corrections to web pages containing ‘typographical’ errors.
2. Introduction of the ASNet Discussion Forum and RSS feeds.
3. Participation in the AdSense program.
4. Thanks to Sea Monkey and b2evolution.

The transfer of the ASNet website to another platform by the hosting service introduced a number of errors into various web pages throughout the site. A “bit” here, a “byte” there led to toggling bold print, centering lines, or dropping some HTML code into the middle of the text. Many of these problems were undetected and unreported—some just took a long time to correct because of a lack of staff. Still others are awaiting their ‘fix’ some time in the future when resources permit. (For example, numerous corrections have been made to the individual chapters of the online book on Assessing Drug Reinforcement; additional corrections and enhancements are planned.) If you have difficulty accessing a page or if you find typographical errors, problems should be reported to webmaster@AddictionScience.net for correction.

The most significant recent addition to the Addiction Science Network is the ASNet Discussion Forum. But if you’re reading this ASNet Update, you’re already well aware of the Forum. The Discussion Forum has two purposes—to educate by ‘discussing’ various terms, concepts, and other issues in drug addiction and to open some topics for general discussion and comments. Postings that specifically seek opinion are easily identified by the question or questions bold printed near the end of the posting. Commentary is always welcomed, but it is especially appreciated on these ‘open questions.’ Also, remember that RSS feeds from the ASNet Discussion Forum Announcements will take the place of the old ASNet Updates e-mail notification by the end of the year. Both the Firefox and the Sea Monkey browsers have RSS readers built into their applications as does the latest version of Microsoft’s Outlook.

AdSense is being added to most web pages. The revenue generated by participation in this program is very small even when people do click on the advertisements. The primary purpose of incorporating AdSense into the ASNet website (and into the Discussion Forum in the future) is to provide real-time data on Internet traffic for the corresponding pages. No information is collected regarding individual visitors—only information regarding the number of visitors to a page. This helps to direct limited ASNet resources to where they will have the most impact: working to improve the impact of pages with little traffic but important content, and working to further enhance the impact of already popular pages. Please note that the Addiction Science Network does not accept advertisements nor does it collect any fees from any of these ‘sponsors’ directly—the content of the AdSense displays are controlled by Google and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any kind.

Finally, near the bottom of the AddictionScience.net home page there are acknowledgements of open source software, specifically the Sea Monkey and b2evolution programs that are used to develop this website and to provide the Discussion Forum, respectively. A link to the popular Firefox Internet browser is also included as is a link to the OpenSource.org consortium. These are unpaid, unsolicited ‘advertisements’ for these non-profit projects that provide free software for the Internet and thereby help keep the costs low at the ASNet—free is good, free is appreciated, and free is gratefully acknowledged.

Below is an example of the Google AdSense Advertisements that may appear in some postings. Clicking on these links take you to websites not affiliated with the ASNet.

A new category for commentary on the ASNet Discussion Forum is being introduced to address drug use other than addictive drug use. Specifically, this category includes the use of psychoactive substances to which the individual hasn’t developed an addiction. In some cases this will involve the use of substances to which addiction is unlikely; in other cases this will involve early-stage use of an addictive substance before an addiction has actually developed.

It is not the intent of the ASNet to encourage illicit substance use by openly discussing this topic. However, it is rather obvious that people do use illicit substances, often in a “recreational” fashion, and that such substance use will continue despite relentless government efforts for social control. It is also possible that the regulations regarding some substances that are now illicit should be relaxed and individuals should be permitted to use these substances freely or under somewhat restricted circumstances.

Before posting or commenting in this category please read the materials recommended below to learn how addiction is defined on this discussion forum, the important difference between drug abuse and addiction, and the relationship of drug dependence to addiction and to drug abuse. Misunderstanding fundamental concepts and breakdown in simple semantics contribute much to the confusion regarding the discussion of these issues.

Addiction science should withhold moral judgments regarding the use of licit or illicit psychoactive substances. Science should provide the unbiased data from which others can make rational decisions regarding their own personal use and regarding the development of formal drug-regulation policies. Within this context, the forum ‘owner’ will occasionally offer comments relevant to the science of addiction or to psychopharmacology in general, but the moral issues regarding psychoactive substance use is left for debate elsewhere (or at least confined to a single, specific ‘thread’ and not interwoven through the pages of the other topics). The topics of interest here include:

• what substances are being used “recreationally” and how they’re being used,
• the desired and undesired psychotropic effects of these substances,
• the perception of relative risk for various substances and for their methods of use, and
• the identification of safer practices for using unsafe substances.

(This latter topic is related to the ASNet harm-reduction initiative and comments may be incorporated into the ASNet webpage listing “safer practices for using unsafe substances.”)

Recommended Readings on the ASNet
A Primer on Drug Addiction
The Nature of Addiction
Distinguishing Drug Abuse from Drug Addiction
Distinguishing Drug Dependence from Drug Addiction
Biological Basis of Addiction
Hard and Soft Drugs
Drug Classification

Link: http://AddictionScience.net/ASNmarijuana.htm

The scientific evidence overwhelmingly favors the medical use of marijuana. After ‘sitting on the fence’ for over a decade (i.e., since the beginning of the ASNet), it’s past time to ‘come out of the closet’ (there’s a pun in there somewhere ) and endorse the medical use of marijuana. The evidence has been compelling for a long time; in fact, several Presidential Committees spanning several decades have uniformly concluded that there is substantial evidence for medicinal effects from marijuana, and heightened interest in the past decade has prompted considerable study both empirical and theoretical. The overwhelming conclusion remains the same as purported over three decades ago with added emphasis on decriminalizing small quantities of marijuana for personal use.

ASNet drug-regulation policy recommendations and interpretations of extant scientific evidence are generally concordant with the major themes adopted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and by the mainstream medical community except for two prominent issues: the “nicotine addiction” hypothesis” and “medical marijuana.” ASNet strongly disagrees with the assertion that nicotine is a highly addictive substance comparable to cocaine and heroin and that marijuana is similarly addictive. It further advocates the use of marijuana medicinally for appropriate cases and objects to the continued stigmatization and repressive regulation of tobacco products for use by adults. These two discordant positions are not intended to undermine the staunch support ASNet expresses for most NIDA research and policy recommendations: ASNet remains concordant with NIDA on most other issues and continues to respect the many friends and colleagues working for NIDA’s intramural program and those supported by NIDA’s extramural grant program.

The primary reason for remaining silent on these two issues of discordance with the prevailing government opinion is that both positions seem to discredit each other. That is, the pejorative assertions that “not surprisingly ASNet advocates marijuana use because they encourage tobacco smoking too” or “naturally ASNet disagrees with the idea of nicotine addiction because they also recommend marijuana use.” Of course, both statements are false distortions of our actual position. ASNet simply disagrees with the opinion that nicotine is highly addictive like cocaine and heroin and further disagrees with the opinion that marijuana is similarly highly addictive while advocating medicinal use of marijuana. Nonetheless, adopting both of these positions seems mutually discrediting; therefore ASNet has retained a low profile on the “nicotine addiction” issue and has not previously advocated the use of medical marijuana. With this current policy statement, ASNet now ‘steps forward’ and explicitly supports the medical use of marijuana.

We respect the decision displayed by many of our fellow scientists either working for various government agencies or supported by government grants who find it politically inconvenient to similarly ‘come out of the closet.’ Yes, there are many scientists who concur with the ASNet on both of these topics but fear repercussions should they express their opinions publically. And while we refuse to redefine “integrity” to meet the currently popular usage of this term, we do respect their decision to protect and further their careers. (“Integrity” is traditionally defined as “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, incorruptibility [Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary].”) After all, it’s only tantamount to the Nazi book burning and not really persecuting any specific group of people; or is it?

The ASNet specifically:

(1.) endorses the medicinal use of marijuana for compassionate use including non-terminal but chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and other conditions involving neuropathic pain unresponsiveness to conventional medications,

(2.) firmly disagrees with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other government agencies that purport marijuana to be a highly addictive substance similar to cocaine and heroin (in fact, we consider this assertion to be particularly irresponsible and call upon these government agencies to soften their rhetoric regarding marijuana and to recognize its actual status as a ‘soft drug’),

(3.) supports the decriminalization of marijuana and applauds progressive state legislative bodies such as that seen in our home state of New York who have already de facto decriminalized marijuana, and

(4.) while not advocating the recreational use of marijuana presently withholds opinion on this popular activity.

However, ASNet does not endorse the legalization of marijuana for the reasons outlined in Bozarth (2009).

For more information, check our webpage on medical marijuana.

[Note: The comments regarding the “nicotine addiction” hypothesis were included in the current policy statement only because this view is a matter of public record (e.g., 1994 FDA testimony transcribed in the Federal Record) that could be used to undermine the current advocacy of medical marijuana through ad hominid attack (e.g., “of course they don’t think marijuana is addictive, they don’t think nicotine is addictive either”). That’s right! But ASNet is not currently prepared to debate this second topic further than the public comments already posted on the subject. We feel that opening one ‘can of worms’ at a time is sufficient controversy and distraction from our overall mission. ]