Being a chemist and a news junkie, I like to browse a variety of chemistry nerd sites. Sometimes I find stuff that is politically relevant, even if it's in an indirect way.
This week, the American Chemical Society's "molecule of the week" (yeah, I know, nerd alert) actually relates quite nicely to a politically relevant topic: the decriminalization of marijuana for medical use. And, coincidentally, one of our more enlightened New Mexico state senators has introduced a bill this session to do exactly that.
The compound is called anandamide. It's a neurotransmitter produced by our brains, and it has the same effect on pain that tetrahydrocannibinol does (tetrahydrocannibinol is the psychoactive compound in marijuana).
Background
For the chemists, here's what anadamide looks like:
Research: pain and anxiety relief by anandamide
Anandamide was characterized in 1992, and was named for the Sanskrit word "ananda", which means "bliss".
A variety of studies have been performed that indicate anandamide relieves pain. Examples include:
♦ Animal studies that show release of anandamide in response to pain
♦ Human studies of cannabinoid (e.g. anandamide) modulation of trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain and paroxysm)
Basically, the understanding of cannabinoids as analgesics is the reseach used to justify the decriminalization of marijuana for medical use. The following diagram sums this up:
(Graphic from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry)
New Mexico medical marijuana legislation
NM state Senator Shannon Robinson (Democrat, district 17) has introduced Senate Bill 492, which is the "Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act" (pdf):
A. The legislature finds that:
(1) recent research has shown that the use of marijuana is a medically valuable treatment for a variety of medical conditions;
(2) state law should make a distinction between medical and non-medical use of marijuana;
(3) practitioners should not be penalized for discussing marijuana as a treatment option for their patients; and
(4) seriously ill patients who engage in medical use of marijuana on their treating practitioner's advice should not be arrested and incarcerated for violation of drug laws.
I'm really excited about this legislation. Back in 2002, our former Republican governor Gary Johnson was pushing hard to overhaul New Mexico's drug laws, including the legalization of medical marijuana use, but the legislation died. I guess it was too radical for the "conventional" Republican legislators, who fought it tooth and nail.
I'll keep you updated on the fate of Sen. Robinson's bill. Hopefully, New Mexico will join the rest of the western states who have legalized marijuana for medical use.
(Cross-posted on Liberal Street Fight)