Uruguay Begins Debate Over Legalizing Production of Marijuana

If approved, the bill, unveiled in June 2012 as part of a series of measures to combat rising violence, will head to the Senate for passage.

"The regulation is not meant to promote consumption, consumption already exists," lawmaker Sebastian Sabini, who helped draft the legislation, said at the beginning of the session.

President Jose Mujica has backed the bill.

"What we would be doing is regulating a legal activity in our country. The other option encourages users to go to the black market, go to an area where drugs are being sold, and come into contact with substances that are more dangerous, harmful to health and cause more physical dependence," Sabini said.

Under current law, possession of marijuana for personal use is permitted in Uruguay, although it is up to judges to determine what quantity is considered appropriate for personal use.

Sabini stressed that the drug business "finances organized crime and illicit activities such as trafficking in persons, arms sales and money laundering."

"It does not mean we have to stop fighting drug trafficking, it means that drug trafficking must be fought in meaningful ways; not by fighting the user who has 40 grams in his pocket," Sabini told the legislature.

The bill specifies that the government would assume control and regulation of the importation, planting, cultivation, harvesting, production, acquisition, storage, marketing and distribution of marijuana and its derivatives.

Those using the drug would be able to cultivate up to six plants, gain access to the drug as part of a marijuana-growing club or purchase up to 40 grams per month at a dispensary.

The bill will be voted on after a long negotiating process within the president's left-leaning Frente Amplio (FA) party, which has a small parliamentary majority. The measure is rejected by all opposition parties.

Source-AFP

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Scientists Find New Way to Improve Antibiotic Production

Scientists Dr Emma Sherwood and Professor Mervyn Bibb from the John Innes Centre were able to use their discovery of how the antibiotic is naturally produced to markedly increase the level of production.

"We have shown for the first time that an antibiotic with clinical potential can act as signalling molecule to trigger its own synthesis," said Professor Bibb.

The antibiotic called planosporicin is produced by a soil bacterium called Planomonospora alba. When nutrients become limited, a small amount of the antibiotic is produced. The antibiotic is then able to trigger a mechanism which coordinates its own production throughout the bacterial population resulting in high levels.

"A frequent stumbling block in developing a natural product for commercialisation is being able to provide enough material for clinical trials," said Professor Bibb.

"Our work shows with the right understanding it is possible to increase productivity very dramatically in a targeted and knowledge-based manner."

With knowledge of this signalling mechanism in hand, the scientists were able to increase production by overexpressing two positively acting regulatory genes and deleting one that acts negatively. Planosporicin is similar to the antibiotic NAI-107 that is about to enter clinical trials for Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections. The knowledge gained from this study is being used to increase NAI-107 production.

Commercial manufacturers of antibiotics may be able to use the results to reduce production times and therefore reduce costs. Bacteria often have to be grown for days and sometimes weeks before they start to make effective amounts of an antibiotic. Sherwood and Bibb were able to trigger production essentially from the beginning of growth.

Source-Eurekalert

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