Yet Another Breakthrough in Medical Marijuana for Treating a Major Disease

Image: wikimedia.org

Elizabeth Renter | Natural Society

Several studies have been conducted focusing on marijuana’s potential to treat and ease symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis –  a disease that affects the central nervous system, often causing daily pain and difficulty moving, speaking, and swallowing. A new study adds even more insight into how MS patients can use marijuana, finding that cannabinoids within the vilified healing plant can help treat multiple sclerosis-like diseases by preventing inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, set out to see if the anti-inflammatory compounds in marijuana known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) could be used to treat the inflammation associated with MS.

“Our study looks at how compounds isolated from marijuana can be used to regulate inflammation to protect the nervous system and its functions,” explains Dr. Ewa Kozela. “Inflammation is part of the body’s natural immune response, but in cases like MS, it gets out of hand.”

Using immune cells isolated from paralyzed mice, the researchers used THC or CBD to determine how these compounds affected the production of inflammatory markers, specifically one called interleukin 17 (IL-17). This inflammatory marker is strongly associated with MS and is harmful to nerve cells.

“The presence of CBD or THC restrains the immune cells from triggering the production of inflammatory molecules, and limits the molecules’ ability to reach and damage the brain and spinal cord,” wrote the researchers, finding the amount of IL-17 was far fewer in mice treated with the cannabis compounds.

This isn’t the first clue that marijuana could hold treatment options for inflammatory conditions. It’s already being used, legally or otherwise, by countless people for the treatment of pain and muscle stiffness associated with inflammation.

Read: 4 Natural Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis

Likewise, it isn’t the first study looking at the marijuana-MS connection. In 2011, a study found that CBD helps treat MS symptoms in mice by preventing immune cells from attacking nerve cells in the spinal cord. Another study coming to similar conclusions found that:

“The study met its primary objective to demonstrate the superiority of CE (cannabis extract) over placebo in the treatment of muscle stiffness in MS. This was supported by results for secondary efficacy variables. Adverse events in participants treated with CE were consistent with the known side effects of cannabinoids. No new safety concerns were observed”

Mice suffering from MS-symptoms were treated with CBD and went from being partially paralyzed and immobile to walking with a limp. These mice had less inflammation in their spinal cord than those untreated.

Research on CBD is particularly exciting because it offers the benefits of cannabis without the psychoactive effects. In other words, when isolated from other compounds in the plant, it won’t get you “high”. Add to this the fact that there are few, if any, known side effects of treating with CBD and this and other studies are extremely promising.

“When used wisely, cannabis has huge potential,” Dr Kozela says. “We’re just beginning to understand how it works.”

Source: naturalsociety.com
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11 Common and Legal Activities Unhealthier Than Smoking Weed

Image: wikimedia.org

Stephano Medina | PolicyMic.com

When a recent Gallup poll revealed that a clear majority of Americans support pot legalization, it foreshadowed the victories  related ballot initiatives would have in November. Now, with a slew of states moving forward with their own ballot measures next year, marijuana legalization still faces opposition from challengers who liken pot to more destructive substances such as heroin and methamphetamines. Pointing to outdated, debunked, or circular claims that marijuana causes everything from cancer, to laziness, to high levels of incarceration (think about that last one for a minute), opponents are clinging to the notion that criminalizing pot is all that's keeping us from reefer madness.

Well, if they're really intent on keeping us safe, here are 11 activities that really should be illegal.

1. Drinking alcohol

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) attributed 41,682 deaths in 2010 to alcohol, including 15,990 from liver disease and 25,692 from accidents, violence, and people turning 21. The grand total of deaths attributed to marijuana is... well, zero. However, considering America's track record with alcohol, let's move on before conservatives get any ideas.

2. Smoking cigarettes

Although some like to claim that marijuana has "up to 10 times" as much tar as cigarettes, a 2012 national study proved that cigarettes are, actually, much worse for you. While the average recreational pot smoker will smoke two or three times a month, cigarettes smokers can average around 20 a day.

3. Taking Tylenol

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is the most lethal over-the-counter drug in America, responsible for an estimated 150 deaths each year. In fact, most cases of acute liver failure in America are caused by the drug, where the difference between the recommended dose and a lethal one can be just a few pills.

4. Smoking a hookah

A study this year out of University of California, San Francisco laid out what we all already knew: Hookah is not a safe alternative to cigarettes. While linking daily hookah use to cancer (a link that still eludes scientists when it comes to pot), researchers found the presence of toxic chemicals in the blood and urine of habitual hookah smokers.

5. Drinking energy drinks

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report linking 40 illnesses and five deaths to Monster Energy. Rockstar Energy was linked to 13 illnesses, while 5-Hour Energy was connected to 92 illnesses and 13 deaths. Although both energy drinks and pot can lead to short-term spikes in heart rate, only the former has this lethal track record.

6. Taking Viagra

The little blue pill has been linked to hundreds of deaths involving cardiovascular issues, and they don't all involve 75-year-old men with heart conditions. As Viagra grows from cute, septuagenarian commercials to a bona fide party drug, cases of abuses are expected to increase.

7. Being unemployed

The slow economic recovery has provided ample opportunity for social scientists to study the hidden health costs of long-term unemployment. One study found that laid-off workers are more likely to face "high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease." Another recent study out of Harvard showed that just eating healthy is likely to cost a family an extra $550 a year.

8. Living in certain zip codes

In America, your zip code might be a better indicator of your health than whether or not you smoke pot. For example, Detroit, a city of some 900,000 people only has five grocery stores. In the 1990s, one study tried an unusual social experiment: transplanting thousands of low-income women into more affluent neighborhoods. A decade later, the women had lower rates of diabetes and obesity.

9. Driving

According to the CDC, the chance of dying by car accident in the U.S. is one in 109 million, twice the rate of homicide and three times the chance of being fatally shot.

10. Sitting in traffic

There might be dangers to driving even if you manage to never get into an accident. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found in a 2012 study that the length of a person's daily commute is proportionally linked to blood pressure and BMI. Also, the longer your commute, the less amount of exercise you're likely to get. With the average American commuting for one hour a day, the health costs could be staggering.

11. Eating Christmas food

Be careful what you eat this season! A toxic dose of nutmeg — a common ingredient in a variety of holiday foods, from gingerbread houses to cake — is only two to three tablespoons. What's scarier is that the symptoms can take hours to materialize. But when they do, you'll be hit by hallucinations on your way to the hospital. If we don't legalize marijuana, there's no way we can keep this stuff legal with a straight face. Then again, as a baking ingredient it probably does taste better.

Source: policymic.com

Proof Marijuana is Less Harmful than Alcohol or Tobacco

A report issued by a British research foundation concludes that alcohol and tobacco use present much greater risks than the use of marijuana, AFP reported Oct. 3 2008.

The report from the Beckley Foundation said that although marijuana use can have negative effects on physical and mental health, “in terms of relative harms it is considerably less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.” The Foundation’s Global Cannabis Commission said that banning marijuana has little effect on either the supply or demand for the drug, and instead leads to user criminalization.

The research claimed only two deaths worldwide could be directly attributed to marijuana each year, while 150,000 people in Britain die from alcohol and tobacco. “Many of the harms associated with cannabis use are the result of prohibition itself,” the report stated, “particularly the social harms arising from arrest and imprisonment.”

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Man Gets Off Painkillers With Marijuana. Here's How:

John Berfelo had always been what he calls “a recreational smoker.” But after falling 8.5 metres onto concrete, he credits marijuana with not just getting him high, but saving his life.

In 2005, the then-33-year-old glazier was working on a scissor-lift when he tripped on a box of construction materials and went over the railing. He woke up in the hospital.

“My life was changed forever,” Berfelo said.

His broke his neck in four places; he shattered his left elbow. He fractured his skull. He broke teeth and he shattered an ankle. He herniated three discs. He broke his hip.

Berfelo was in the hospital for three weeks. A live-in nurse and Meals on Wheels helped him when he returned home and started recovery. He was on 32 pills a day, including muscle relaxants, antidepressants and sleeping pills.

“I was on so many pills I carried around a little box of prescription drugs,” he said.

He was “chasing pain,” Berfelo said. “I was a mess, up and down, crying my eyes out. I did pain charts and logs for over four years.”

The pain fluctuated with the amount of drugs he was taking. At the time, he was also eating pot brownies from the B.C. Compassion Club Society.

The brownies were made with pot tested by Paul Hornby, a B.C.-based medical cannabis researcher and biochemist with a doctorate in human pathology. Berfelo found that those particular brownies worked better at fighting the pain than the prescribed painkillers, and their effects lasted longer.

Read Full Article: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/gets+painkillers+with+marijuana/8585717/story.html#ixzz2Xi4R5bsi

Run From The Cure: Cannabis Cures Cancer

My name is Rick Simpson. I have been providing people with Hemp Oil medicines, at no cost, for about three years. The results have been nothing short of amazing. Throughout man’s history hemp has always been known as the most medicinal plant in the world. Even with this knowledge, hemp has always been used as a political and religious football. I want this knowledge out there for everyone to learn! Watch the documentary Run From The Cure to understand more about using cannabis as a cure for cancer and other medical problems!

The current restrictions against hemp were put in place and maintained, not because hemp is evil or harmful, but for big money to make more big money, while we suffer and die needlessly. Look at a proposal such as this; if we were allowed to grow hemp in our back yards and cure our own illnesses, what do you think the reaction of the pharmaceutical industry would be to such a plan?

Many large pharmaceutical companies that still exist today sold hemp based medicines in the 1800′s and early 1900′s. They knew then what I have recently found out. Hemp oil if produced properly is a cure-all that the pharmaceutical industry can’t patent.

To learn more about my and hemp oil, visit www.PhoenixTears.ca and watch the documentary Run From The Cure. Below the posted videos you will find more studies and research about cannabis curing cancer!

After a serious head injury in 1997, Rick Simpson sought relief from his medical condition through the use of medicinal hemp oil. When Rick discovered that the hemp oil (with its high concentration of T.H.C.) cured cancers and other illnesses, he tried to share it with as many people as he could free of charge, curing and controlling literally hundreds of people’s illnesses… but when the story went public, the long arm of the law snatched the medicine – leaving potentially thousands of people without their cancer treatments – and leaving Rick with unconsitutional charges of possessing and trafficking marijuana!

Canada is in the middle of a CANCER EPIDEMIC! Meet the people who were not allowed to testify on Rick’s behalf at the Supreme Court of Canada’s Infamous Rick Simpson Trial on September 10, 2007… INCLUDING A MAN WHO WAS CURED OF TERMINAL CANCER USING HEMP OIL!

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Marijuana Prevents HIV Study Finds

The overwhelming evidence of the curative powers of marijuana and cannabinoids leave little doubt that the pharmaceutical industry is behind marijuana prohibition laws. The amount of research now validating the truly remarkable nature of this healing plant is simply enormous. According to new findings published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers have now have now discovered that marijuana-like chemicals trigger receptors on human immune cells that can directly inhibit a type of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) found in late-stage AIDS.

The U.S. Patent 6630507 was specifically initiated when researchers found that cannabinoids had specific antioxidant properties making them useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.

The Netherlands became the world’s first country to make cannabis available as a prescription drug in pharmacies to treat cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis patients

Medical marijuana has been typically prescribed to treat pain, debilitating weight loss and appetite suppression in patients with advanced AIDS. However, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have produced the first study to reveal how the marijuana receptors found on immune cells–called cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2–can influence the spread of the virus.

Unfortunately, the scientists will use the research on the effects of these receptors to develop new drugs to benefit the pharmaceutical industry.
Marijuana researcher and activist Jason Mihaldas says the studies finally justify what the pro-marijuana community has always know. “Decades of anecdotal and empirical evidence are now being validated by the scientific community, but it’s unfortunate they are using this research for their own selfish motives–to take marijuana from its raw medically effective form to one where it will be medically ineffective with processing agents, altering what it was designed to do…heal,” proclaimed Mihaldas.

“We knew that cannabinoid drugs like marijuana can have a therapeutic effect in AIDS patients, but did not understand how they influence the spread of the virus itself,” said study author Cristina Costantino, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “We wanted to explore cannabinoid receptors as a target for pharmaceutical interventions that treat the symptoms of late-stage AIDS and prevent further progression of the disease without the undesirable side effects of medical marijuana.”

Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. CBD (Cannabidiol), one of the main constituents of the cannabis plant has been proven medically to relieve many diseases including the inhibition of cancer cell growth. Recent studies have shown it to be an effective atypical anti-psychotic in treating schizophrenia. CBD also interferes with the amount of THC your brain processes, balancing the psychotropic effect of marijuana. That is precisely why the power of raw cannabis is turning heads.

HIV infects active immune cells that carry the viral receptor CD4, which makes these cells unable to fight off the infection. In order to spread, the virus requires that “resting” immune cells be activated. In advanced AIDS, HIV mutates so it can infect these resting cells, gaining entry into the cell by using a signaling receptor called CXCR4. By treating the cells with a cannabinoid agonist that triggers CB2, Dr. Costantino and the Mount Sinai team found that CB2 blocked the signaling process, and suppressed infection in resting immune cells.

The Mount Sinai team infected healthy immune cells with HIV, then treated them with a chemical that triggers CB2 called an agonist. They found that the drug reduced the infection of the remaining cells.

“Developing a drug that triggers only CB2 as an adjunctive treatment to standard antiviral medication may help alleviate the symptoms of late-stage AIDS and prevent the virus from spreading,” said Dr. Costantino. Because HIV does not use CXCR4 to enhance immune cell infection in the early stages of infection, CB2 agonists appear to be an effective antiviral drug only in late-stage disease.

As a result of this discovery, the research team led by Benjamin Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, and Lakshmi Devi, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, plans to develop a mouse model of late-stage AIDS in order to test the efficacy of a drug that triggers CB2 in vivo.

Now that the scientific evidence is being made public, a concerted effort must be made from all nations to end marijuana-prohibition laws. Holding or possessing a plant should never be a criminal offence and the origins and source for these laws are now coming to light.

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