Can Jamaica make up for lost ground in cannabis research following decriminalisation?

by Zadie Neufville

Following the partial decriminalisation of cannabis earlier this year, Jamaican scientists are harnessing more than 40 years of research in a bid to cash in on the lucrative global medical marijuana market.

Marijuana researchers on the Caribbean island of Jamaica are planning
to develop new pharmaceutical products following the partial decriminalisation of cannabis.
(AP/David McFadden)

As of April 2015, the possession of two ounces of marijuana, or less, is no longer an arrestable offence in Jamaica and the establishment of a Cannabis Licensing Authority is paving the way for the development of a set of rules and regulations to govern this burgeoning pharmaceutical industry, estimated to be worth US$100 billion worldwide.

As a result, marijuana researchers on the island are hoping to develop new pharmaceutical products, almost four decades after several new medicines were developed and subsequently launched on the international market.

“We are not talking about smoking ganja (cannabis), we are looking to produce medicines that will help people,” Courtney Betty, Attorney at Law and head of Timeless Herbal Care Limited (THC), told Equal Times from his base in Canada.

Since 1972, Jamaican scientists at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Pharmacology have studied the properties of cannabis, developing a number of pioneering products, including: Canasol, and later Cantivert, to treat glaucoma; Asmasol for asthma; and Canavert for motion sickness.

The products are successfully used in the Caribbean, Europe and Asia but remain illegal in the US because their active ingredient comes from cannabis sativa, one of three varieties of the cannabis plant.

“We (Jamaicans) were the pioneers in research of cannabis for commercial medical purposes in the 1970s, releasing Canasol in 1987,” said Dr Henry Lowe who owns several patents for medicinal products derived from cannabis and other local plants. His company, Medicanja, has already established state-of-the-art research facilities at UWI and will release several products next year, reviving the Cannabis Research Institute he and colleagues started in 2001.

Long overdue
It has been a long, slow walk to decriminalisation in Jamaica. Not long before researchers began exploring the beneficial properties of sensi weed, Jamaica’s most exalted strain of cannabis, the signing of the 1961 UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs criminalised the possession of ganja, which has been used as traditional medicine for generations in Jamaica.

A National Commission on Ganja was convened in September 2000. It noted evidence of the “therapeutic properties” of cannabis and concluded that “there is no doubt that ganja can have harmful effects, these do not warrant the criminalisation of thousands of Jamaicans for using it in ways and with beliefs that are deeply rooted in the culture of the people”.

The reforms, passed by parliament on 6 February 2015 on the birthday of the late reggae superstar Bob Marley, and ratified on 15 April 2015, were “long overdue” according to the country’s Justice Minister Mark Golding.

Subsequently, both UWI and the University of Technology (UTECH) have started their own cannabis projects. UWI has established Jamaica’s first legal cannabis plot, growing specific strains of the plant in a bid to identify DNA profiles of cannabis, to determine how various strains react with the human body and to identify best practises for growing cannabis, as well as to develop products in the treatment of various illnesses and diseases.

UTECH will collaborate with the Colorado-based US firm Ganja Labs [editor’s note: In January 2014, Colorado became the first place in the world to fully regulate the legal, recreational use of marijuana for adults] to research and experiment on new marijuana-based pharmaceuticals at a laboratory and greenhouse at their main campus in the capital city, Kingston.

With the new law allowing households to grow up to five plants, ordinary Jamaicans are looking to cash in, too.
No longer will small amounts mean jail and a criminal record. And Rastafarians can freely use ganja for sacramental purposes for the first time since the founding of their movement in the 1930s.

For investors like Betty, a Jamaican-Canadian, the new law could “transform” the economy of this debt-ridden island, bringing prosperity to its 2.7 million-strong population: “Jamaica provides unlimited access to raw materials at a very good cost, and the knowledge. We believe this is a significant industry that has tremendous economic impact,” he said.

In September, Betty announced a US$100 million investment in Jamaica to develop medicinal cannabis products for the international market, some of which will hit the market this year.

Given its more than 40 years headstart, Jamaica could quickly exceed the earnings made by the state of Colorado, Betty told Equal Times. In 2014, Colorado earned US$700 million in marijuana sales from which the government took US$76 million in taxes and fees.

Lowe, who continues to seek new investors for Medicanja (which will announce its latest patents for nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals in November) noted that Jamaica could become the international hub for cannabis research.

“Jamaica is ahead of the world. This opens opportunity in the areas of healthcare, and the production of high quality products for a variety of complaints,” he said.

Ireland to 'decriminalise' small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis, for personal use

Minister also announced intention to implement 'injection rooms' in Dublin for addicts

• Rose Troup Buchanan

Many drug users pick up additional infections and medical problems as a result of using unclean needles Getty

Ireland will move towards decriminalising substances including heroin, cocaine and cannabis as part of a “radical cultural shift”, the country's drugs minister has said.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, the chief of Ireland’s National Drugs Strategy, told a lecture at the London School of Economics on Monday that drug users will be able to inject in specially designated rooms in Dublin from next year.

 

The minister said attitudes to drugs needed to move away from shaming addicts to helping them and emphasised there was a difference between legalisation and decriminalisation. 

 

It would remain a crime to profit – from either the sale or distribution of illegal drugs – but drug takers would no longer be criminalised for their addictions.

 

“I am firmly of the view that there needs to be a cultural shift in how we regard substance misuse if we are to break this cycle and make a serious attempt to tackle drug and alcohol addiction,” said Mr Ó Ríordáin. 

 

However, while Mr O Ríordáin told The Irish Times that there was a “strong consensus that drugs across the board should be decriminalised,” he said it would be for Ireland’s next government to discuss. 

 

His comments follow a leaked report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, appearing to call for a worldwide decriminalisation on 19 October. 

 

The report was reportedly withdrawn after at least one nation put pressure on the international body to bury the findings of Dr Monica Beg, chief of the HIV/AIDs section of the UNODC in Vienna. 

Two Floridians get free marijuana for life -- from the feds

TAMPA (FOX 13) - You know the federal government bans marijuana, and that a medical marijuana referendum in Florida failed last year. But you may not know that the U.S. government still provides marijuana to people in Florida.It all started in with a man named Bob Randall, who successfully argued for medical marijuana in court and received it as part of a legal settlement.

In 1978, the United States started the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program. It provides medicinal marijuana to people with serious health problems for life.

Two Floridians get free marijuana for life -- from the feds

While the George H.W. Bush administration closed enrollment in 1992, people in this program are still receiving monthly shipments.

The FDA would not say how many people who joined this program are still living. We found records leading to four, including two people in Florida: Irvin Rosenfeld and Elvy Musikka."The United States federal government has been supplying me 10 marijuana cigarettes per day for almost 33 years, and in the same vein arresting people for possessing marijuana they give me for medical use," said Rosenfeld, who began receiving medical cannabis under this program in 1982.

The marijuana is grown in a secured facility at the University of Mississippi.Rosenfeld uses it to treat a rare bone tumor disorder.  Musikka uses it to treat glaucoma, and has for the past 27 years.They both receive a tin of marijuana each month, and are instructed to use 10 marijuana cigarettes a day. They both say it works for them and that they've been stopped by law enforcement officers who are unaware of their legal right to use and possess it.

They also say that many federal lawmakers are unaware of the Compassionate IND.

"They're always surprised -- didn't know the government ever supplied anybody," added Mussika.

Marijuana abuse leads to irritability and promotes addiction

By Tim Sandle    

A study suggests regular marijuana use is associated with reduced dopamine responses in brain, leading to anxiety and restlessness, a lower feeling of reward; and, over time, addiction.

Marijuana use has increased across the U.S. following legalization in several states for medical use and similar moves, in a smaller number of states, for recreational use. 

 

For example, usage rates in Colorado have reportedly increased substantially following legalization. Wider use and considered recommendations on medical grounds does not make marijuana "safe" and the issues about the physiological impact of the drug on the body, together with the issue of addiction, remain contested subjects between scientists. 

 

However this issue is resolved in the future it remains that the effects of marijuana abuse in the human brain are not well understood. A relatively new study has raised concerns about the impact of marijuana use on dopamine. Marijuana, as with some other drugs, stimulates brain dopamine levels. 

 

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps transmit chemical signals to the brain associated with the brain's reward and pleasure centers. The chemical also plays a role in controlling movement. Within the brain there are five receptors designed to detect the chemical. Dopamine is also used artificially in some medications, to raise the heart rate and increase blood pressure. 

 

Dopamine signalling is considered to be tied to the rewarding effects of drugs and to be involved with consequential addiction. The processes involved have been supported by brain imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Earlier studies have shown people with low dopamine activity appear to be more prone to addiction. 

 

Building on this, a Harvard University researcher has found dopamine signaling adaptation to occur with marijuana abusers. The effect of this is greater addiction (in a similar way to nicotine), increased stress responses and irritability. These latter two responses of increased anxiety and restlessness were bound up with the feeling of becoming "high" and were linked to same brain regions. 

 

There were also some concerns about the effects on heart rhythms. The research further indicates that with the feeling of becoming "high," although this effect continues unabated with long-term marijuana use the feelings of "reward" associated with the activity become repressed and "relaxation" associated with the psycho-stimulative effects of the drug are quickly replaced with irritability and enhanced craving for further doses of cannabis. 

 

Here is thought that the diminished dopamine response explain why heavy users need to consume even more excessive amounts of marijuana, searching for the same levels of euphoria they experienced during earlier periods of use. The research, by Bertha Madras, is published in the journal PNAS and is titled "Dopamine challenge reveals neuroadaptive changes in marijuana abusers." 

 

This research built on earlier work by Nora Volkow (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) and colleagues which has also been reported to PNAS ("Decreased dopamine brain reactivity in marijuana abusers is associated with negative emotionality and addiction severity.")

How a President Bernie Sanders Could End the Federal Marijuana Ban

The Democratic 2016 contender has urged an end to US opposition to the substance – and were he to win the White House, he could take executive action.

By Scott Keyes

 

 

When Vermont senator Bernie Sanders called for an end to federal marijuana prohibition last week before an audience of college students, he went further than any major national presidential candidate before him.
“It’s the first time a presidential candidate has made such a forthright statement on legalization,” said Michael Collins, deputy director at Drug Policy Action. “[It’s a] a fairly big nail in the coffin of prohibition.”

But that’s not the only reason his declaration was significant. While many proposals from Sanders and other candidates may not actually come to fruition under any US president because they rely on the cooperation of Congress, ending federal prohibition is something a President Sanders could achieve.

That’s because a process exists that requires only the executive branch of government.

Even though public backing for legalizing marijuana is at an all-time high – a recent Gallup poll found 58% of Americans now in favor – only a handful of lawmakers in Congress currently support legalization or leaving the matter to states.

During his remarks at a student town hall at George Mason University Wednesday night, Sanders said: “In my view, the time is long overdue for us to remove the federal prohibition on marijuana. States should have the right to regulate marijuana the same way that state and local laws now govern the sale of alcohol and tobacco.

“Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use,” Sanders said to loud applause. “That is wrong. That has got to change.”

Right now, the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I drug, a classification under the Controlled Substances Act reserved for substances like heroin with high potential for abuse and no accepted medical uses. “That is absurd,” Sanders said of the classification.

To ease this designation, marijuana could either be “rescheduled” to Schedule II through V, all of which would allow at least some more discretion to prescribe and regulate the substance. It could also be removed from the Schedule altogether.

These actions could be achieved by Congress. But they could also be achieved through the attorney general and several executive agencies.

“In a nutshell, administrative rescheduling begins when an actor – the secretary of Health and Human Services or an outside interested party – files a petition with the attorney general or he initiates the process himself,” John Hudak, a Brookings Institute fellow in Governance Studies, and research assistant Grace Wallack wrote earlier this year.

After this petition has been filed, it is considered by the Food and Drug Administration, but could also be examined by the Drug Enforcement Administration. After receiving one or both reviews, the attorney general can recommend rescheduling marijuana or removing it entirely from the federal government’s control. If she decides such a move is warranted, the federal rule-making process is initiated, in which public input is sought and the president makes a final determination on whether to execute the proposal.

Removing marijuana from the Schedule wouldn’t legalize marijuana on a national level, but removing the federal prohibition and officially kicking the matter to states would “be a huge boost to the movement”, Collins said.

Other Democratic presidential contenders, as well as nearly half the epublican field, have said they are willing to let states that have chosen to legalize marijuana, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC, continue to do so.

Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley has also called to move marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug, which would ease some restrictions.

But only Sanders seems to be advocating taking marijuana off the Schedule entirely, although campaign staff did not respond to a Guardian request to clarify his position.

Ending the at least nominal federal prohibition on marijuana may sound similar to the positions of some other candidates, but Collins explained why it’s so important for the legalization movement.

“Marijuana businesses are governed by state law, but banks are governed by state and federal law,” he said. “They are not comfortable taking marijuana money right now because of that.” If pot were no longer illegal on a federal level, though, banks would be free to work with marijuana businesses on everything from deposits to loans. Such a policy shift would also allow currently blocked research into potential health benefits of marijuana to proceed, and potentially allow doctors to prescribe marijuana.

Sanders alluded to this banking problem in his remarks, saying, “Recognized businesses in states that have legalized marijuana should be fully able to use the banking system without fear of federal prosecution.”

Marijuana Legalization and the Case for Liberty

The Case for Cannabis Legalization

Written by Geoffrey Pike

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It is amazing how fast times can change. Ten years ago, most Americans would not have imagined that marijuana would be legalized in several states. The majority of Americans would have been against the idea.

In fact, it was almost impossible to get an initiative passed in most states just to legalize medical marijuana with permission from a doctor.

There are varying reasons why people support legalization, just as there are varying reasons why some people oppose it. For me, it is a liberty issue. I believe people should be able to put whatever they want into their own body, so long as they are not harming others. If you don’t own your own body, then who does?
But while I see it as an issue of liberty and morality, there is no question that legalization has its other benefits. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that keeping marijuana illegal has its consequences.

We first must distinguish between advocating something versus opposing the illegality of something. I don’t think anyone should eat 10 Twinkies per day. You will feel bloated and it will be very detrimental to your health over the long term. But while I don’t support anyone’s decision to eat 10 Twinkies per day, I also don’t think it should be illegal.

If someone is going to sit inside every day and get high on marijuana, I don’t advocate that at all. I also don’t advocate that someone sit inside all day and drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes or play video games. But this is about whether or not it should be against the law. It is a question of whether the police should bust down your door and arrest you for doing a peaceful activity.

Some people oppose legalizing all drugs because they can be quite harmful. But how can they use this argument against marijuana, especially when comparing it to other things? Alcohol is far more dangerous and deadly than marijuana. Cigarettes are more harmful. Even eating sugar is more destructive to your health.

If there were examples of people dying of overdosing on cannabis, the opponents of legalization would be showcasing them often. But I have never heard of a substantiated case where someone died directly from consuming a form of cannabis.

If anything, the health benefits of marijuana actually outweigh any potential harm. Many sick people who have used marijuana say that it is the only drug that helps relieve nausea and does not cause significant side effects.

State Laws
From a constitutional standpoint, the federal war on drugs should not exist. The 9th and 10th Amendments say that those powers not enumerated in the Constitution are to be left to the states or the people. Since there are no provisions granting Congress the power to criminalize (or even regulate) drugs, it should be none of the business of the federal government.

Therefore, it should be up to the states to determine what drugs are and aren’t legal. This is the way it is supposed to work. It is decentralization. It also gives us a better idea of what works and what doesn’t, as states choose different routes. We don’t need a one-size-fits-all policy for 320 million people.

It is slightly encouraging that the federal government has at least restrained itself in not going after Colorado and Washington – at least yet. It is getting to the point where if more states legalize, or at least partially legalize, the use of marijuana, it will be more and more difficult – politically speaking – to stop the states.

Right now, there are 23 states, plus the District of Columbia, where marijuana is legalized in some form – mostly for medical use. Along with the District of Columbia, there are 4 states where recreational use is legal or at least somewhat permitted. The four states are Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. When taking everything into consideration, Colorado is probably the state closest to full legalization.

Some people support legalization or partial legalization because it will mean that state governments can regulate it and tax it. This means increased tax collections for state governments.

This would be one of the few downsides of marijuana legalization from my point of view. I don’t want the government to have even more money to spend. Even state governments already have way too much money to spend.

So when you are talking about reasons for legalizing marijuana, this is one of the differences between a modern-day liberal and a libertarian. The libertarian wants legalization for liberty and property rights. The liberal wants legalization to get high on drugs and to increase government revenue to spend on welfare programs.

Still, if increased tax collections get more politicians on board with the idea, then maybe the idea isn’t all bad. Some of the other state legislatures are looking at how much extra money Colorado is bringing in and they want a piece of the action.

The Time Has Come
We have to consider all of the bad consequences of locking people up for smoking a joint. The illegality drives up prices and it brings in the drug gangs. A lot of the violent crime in our society is a direct result of the drug war.

This was evident during alcohol prohibition. The crime rate skyrocketed. The bootleggers wanted alcohol to stay illegal because it was so profitable. After Prohibition was repealed, the violent crime went way down, even in the midst of the Great Depression.

You don’t see the major beer companies having shootouts in back alleys. You don’t see SWAT teams breaking down doors in the middle of the night because a group of guys are drinking beer or taking shots of tequila. You don’t see people robbing banks so that they can get their latest fix of Budweiser or Jack Daniels. It is possible, but not likely.

Even in states that have “legalized” marijuana, it is still not completely legal. It is basically legal to consume certain amounts. Federal law is still also causing problems in terms of companies not being able to use the banking system.

Still, the U.S. has made significant strides over the last several years and I fully expect it to continue.
Marijuana is derived from a plant – cannabis. It is ridiculous that you cannot grow a certain type of plant in your backyard. Cannabis can be used for any number of things. It isn’t just for smoking. One of the more ridiculous – and protectionist – things done by the government is making hemp cultivation and use illegal in many circumstances.

Therefore, we do not just want marijuana to be legalized. We want cannabis – the entire plant – to be legalized. After all, recreational drug use is just one of the many uses for cannabis. Hemp itself is used in products for oil, wax, food, clothing, paper, rope, and many other products.

We should hope for continued steps in the right direction. Ultimately, cannabis should be fully legalized, whether it is to grow it, sell it, or consume it.

As we move in this direction, we will get a small piece of liberty back. In addition, it may also present us with some unique investment opportunities as legitimate companies get into the cannabis business.

6 surprising health benefits of hemp seeds

It's not just for stoners. Hemp is known to reduce the effects of eczema and even lower the risk of heart attack

Larry Schwartz, 

 

 (Credit: Shutterstock/JGade)

Among the many benefits of the legalization of marijuana would be eliminating any lingering confusion about the legality of its close relation (read, basically the same plant), hemp. While the possession of industrial hemp, also known by its botanical moniker, Cannabis sativa, has never been illegal, the growing of industrial hemp was illegal until the recent passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. The hemp that is mostly illegal, with the exception, at this writing, of four states and the District of Columbia, the kind of hemp you smoke, put in brownies, and usually have a good ol’ time after imbibing, contains a high concentration (three percent or more) of THC, the ingredient that induces the familiar Rocky Mountain high. Industrial hemp, on the other hand, has a very low concentration of THC (under three percent) and consuming it in any form won’t give you a buzz.

That doesn’t make it worthless though. Turns out, just as actor Woody Harrelson says, hemp is a surprisingly valuable commodity

In the 17th and 18th centuries in America, hemp was so valuable it was actually illegal not to grow it. You could even pay your taxes with hemp. Until the 1820s, with the invention of the cotton gin, more than three-quarters of the fabrics, textiles, ropes, sails, clothing, canvas, etc. in America were made from hemp. (In fact, the word canvas is derived from the Dutch word meaning cannabis.) In the 1930s, hemp was known as the billion-dollar crop, and during World War II, American farmers were actively encouraged to grow hemp to aid the war effort.

A government film called Hemp for Victory extolled hemp’s value as a strong fabric for sails, ropes and clothing. A campaign against hemp had begun, however, even before the war.

The Dupont family led an anti-hemp campaign to boost sales of its synthetic nylon fibers. Andrew Mellon, one of the wealthiest men in America and Secretary of the Treasury under Coolidge and Hoover, had extensive holdings in Dupont and conspired with his nephew-in-law, Harry Anslinger, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, to brand hemp a danger to society.

They renamed hemp its ominous-sounding Mexican slang word, marihuana, and emphasized its power to destroy the American way of life. Another wealthy magnate, Randolph Hearst, who had heavy investments in timber to produce paper for his newspaper empire, also pitched in to discredit hemp, since it was a cheap substitute for paper pulp made from trees. The growing emergence of the drug war against all things marijuana-related, which began with hysterical films like Reefer Madness in 1936 and the passage of the Marihuana Tax Law of 1937, further stigmatized industrial hemp. Eventually, despite the incredible usefulness of the plant, hemp was bundled with its stoner cousin and production was banned outright in 1958.

Today, thanks to the 2014 Farm Bill and to activists like Harrelson, along with the potential positive environmental impact of using hemp, rather than cutting down trees or using synthetic oil-based products, hemp is making a comeback.

Hemp thrives without the use of pesticides (cotton, on the other hand, is grown using a huge amount of pesticides), enhances the health of the soil and even kills weeds. More than 30 countries have legalized the production of hemp and the U.S. seems well on its way to joining them (24 and counting have relaxed hemp production laws). The potential earth-friendly uses for hemp are seemingly endless: paper, fabrics, paints, oils, lubricants, and gasoline, among others.

Besides the usefulness of the plant fibers, hemp seeds themselves have some incredible health benefits. Sharon Palmer, author of The Plant Powered Diet, told Care2.com that hemp is the next “it” food.
Here are six health benefits of hemp seeds that don’t involve psychedelic music or the munchies.

1. Hemp seeds may reduce your chances of a heart attack.
Hemp seeds contain a healthy dose of an amino acid called arginine. The consumption of arginine increases the amount of nitric oxide in the blood, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels, which in turn leads to lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease. One study of 13,000 people found that increased arginine in the blood was associated with lower amounts of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker linked to heart disease. The high amount of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in hemp seeds is also thought to be beneficial to the health of the heart.

2. Hemp seeds are nutritious.
Walk into any health food store or Trader Joe’s and you’ll find chia seeds and flaxseeds. These seeds have been extolled as nutritious powerhouses, with protein comprising up to 18% of their caloric value. Well, hemp seeds are 25% protein, and in addition are high in heart-healthy essential fatty acids. Technically, hemp seeds are nuts, with a mild, pleasantly nutty flavor. They are also referred to as hemp hearts. Hemp seeds can be eaten raw or roasted, are also high in vitamin E and several minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. In China, hemp seeds have been consumed for food and used as medicine for thousands of years.

3. Hemp seeds are an excellent source of complete plant-based protein.

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As noted above, hemp seeds are 25% protein. Even better, they are a complete protein, i.e. they contain all the essential amino acids (essential amino acids are not made by the body and must be obtained through the diet). Not all plant sources contain the full regimen of amino acids. Ounce for ounce, hemp seeds are as good as beef or lamb as a protein source. Three tablespoons of hemp seeds provide 11 grams of complete protein.

4. Hemp seeds may reduce the effects of skin diseases like eczema.
Hemp seeds have an optimal balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (3:1). Fatty acids are thought to affect the body’s immune responses. The symptoms of some skin diseases (itchiness, redness, rash) like eczema are essentially immune responses, and hemp seeds, by improving the level of fatty acids in the body, may lessen the unpleasant symptoms of these skin ailments.

5. Hemp seeds are good for the digestion.
Un-hulled hemp seeds are an excellent source of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gelatinous medium in the digestive system, favorable for healthy gut bacteria to flourish, and may also help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol. Insoluble fiber helps waste to pass through and out of the system.

6. Hemp seeds may help with PMS and menopause.
Studies have shown that gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) can be effective in reducing the symptoms of PMS. It is thought that PMS symptoms are the result of a hormone called prolactin. Hemp seeds are high in GLA, which produces prostaglandin E1, which reduces the symptoms caused by prolactin. Some studies have shown another high-GLA plant product, primrose oil, reduces menopause symptoms. It is believed that hemp seeds may afford the same benefits.