URL: hMPp://www.newson6.com/story/24560650/new-bill-pushes-to-legalize-marijuana-in-oklahoma




New Bill Pushes To Legalize Marijuana in Oklahoma



OKLAHOMA CITY - A state lawmaker is not giving up her fight to legalize marijuana in Oklahoma. She's been at it for seven years, but so far, she has yet to see success. Still, she's vowing to keep trying.
Sen. Connie Johnson has consistently proposed legislation to legalize marijuana in Oklahoma, but opposition comes quickly and the bills don't go far.

"This is straight up a health issue. We have criminalized it in Oklahoma," said Johnson.

Twenty states across the country have legalized marijuana in some form. So far though, Colorado and Washington are the only two to legalize the drug for recreational use.

"Colorado being our next door neighbor is significant," said Johnson.

Johnson has been fighting to loosen laws on marijuana use. She believes the fight to make it a reality in Oklahoma is stronger now, more than ever.

"And the fact that when I first took up the banner on this issue, it was because I listened to the people who said to me, we need this, we need this in Oklahoma," said Johnson. "There are people suffering."

"For us to continue to spend money, locking up non-violent people, and we've got 49 people serving life without parole for marijuana," said Johnson.

"Less than one percent are in for possession, and if you look at those, most of those are in there because you have multiple offenses," said Mark Woodward, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

OBN believes legalization will create greater accessibility and a regulatory nightmare.

"It also opens it up to a lot of criminal elements who take advantage of these opportunities to sell bulk quantities," Woodward said.

"I'm looking for the happy medium," said Johnson. "What can we do to help our veterans, to help our children."

Johnson's bill would make it legal for people 21 and older to buy up to one ounce of marijuana. Last year her the bill was voted down 2 to 5.

url: hMPp://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24422197/pete-carroll-nfl-should-explore-medical-marijuana-if-it-helps-players




Pete Carroll: NFL should explore medical marijuana if it helps players



ERSEY CITY, N.J. -- There are only two states in the country where recreational marijuana use is legal and the NFL teams from those two states are playing in Super Bowl XLVIII. So it probably shouldn't come as any surprise that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was asked about marijuana on Monday.

Carroll wasn't asked about recreational marijuana use though, he was asked his thoughts on the use of medicinal marijuana in the NFL.

"We have to continue to explore and compete to find ways that are going to make our game a better game and take care of our players in the best way possible," Carroll said."The fact that it's in the world of medicine is obviously something [that Commissioner Roger Goodell] realizes and him making the expression that we need to follow the information and the research absolutely I'm in support of. Regardless of what other stigmas may be involved, I think we have to do this because the world of medicine is trying to do the exact same thing and figure it out and they're coming to some conclusions."

Carroll echoed the comments of Goodell, who said on Jan. 23 that the NFL might consider medicinal marijuana if it there's evidence that it helps treat concussions, "We will obviously follow signs," Goodell said. "We will follow medicine and if they determine this could be a proper usage in any context, we will consider that. Our medical experts are not saying that right now."

If the NFL's medical experts ever do get on board with medicinal marijuana, Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson doesn't seem like someone who would mind.

"I think anything that can make our job a little easier without sacrificing our health at the same time is good for the league, it's good for players," Robinson said. "I'm all for alternative forms of recovery and all those types of things -- hyperbaric chambers, o-zoning, whatever it may be. So, I'm all for it. Whatever can help the player, I'm for."

Medicinal marijuana is legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia, the NFL would probably need it to be legal in any state where it has a team before the league would make a move on allowing marijuana use for medicinal purposes.

Topics: NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks, NFL

url: hMPp://www.newschannel5.com/story/24560592/medical-marijuana-supporters-lobby-republicans




Medical Marijuana Supporters Lobby Tennessee Republicans



NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It faces long odds, but supporters of medical marijuana in Tennessee believe their chances are better than ever this year of getting some kind of vote on a bill which has been proposed for years.

Supporters of medical marijuana spent Monday lobbying Republican lawmakers. Without Republican support the bill will go nowhere again.

Representative Sherry Jones, D-Nashville, has sponsored the bill for six years now. Her brother suffered from Crohns Disease, and she used him as inspiration for the bill. She said he would have benefited from the relief medical marijuana would have provided.

Jones said the bill won't even start moving through committees for consideration for a while because she and other Democratic sponsors are still digging for support.

Jones held a press conference Monday with other lawmakers who plan to sign on as sponsors.

A large group of medical marijuana supporters, including those with diseases that could be treated with marijuana, spoke during the press conference then met with Republican lawmakers.

Many are so serious about medical marijuana and its potential benefits for their loved ones, like Toni Corbin, they are willing to leave Tennessee altogether.

Corbin's son Wallace was in a motorcycle crash in 2009. He is now paralyzed and suffers from seizures and extreme pain.

Wallace is on at least 20 different medications under his pain management program through TennCare.

With medical marijuana, Corbin said that list would go down to eight medications and he'd have more relief.

"If I gave him marijuana to relieve (his symptoms) without their permission they'd kick him out because (TennCare) tests him every month," Corbin said. "They have us over a barrel."

Republican Speaker of the House Beth Harwell said this year will likely be an educational year for other Republicans.

"I don't think perhaps this is the year," she said. "But I do think this is the year to start the process of education and citizen's involvement."

Tennessee had a medical marijuana program from 1980 to 1989 as a part of a federal study.

Sure have seen allot of talk lately in Texas and Oklahoma. Very interesting,,but i dont have allot hope with these Bible Thumpen boneheads here in Texas.

url: hMPp://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/01/super-bowl-billboards-advocating-marijuana/




These 5 pro-marijuana billboards will surround the Super Bowl



The freeways surrounding MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. are about to be plastered with five billboards advocating the use of marijuana, and, in some cases, attacking football just miles from the game’s biggest stage.

Washington and Colorado are the only two states to have legalized marijuana, so the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization based in Washington D.C., decided this year’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos would be an opportune time to get their message out.

“Hopefully it’s going to inspire people to talk to one another about marijuana and particularly its relative harms compared to alcohol and football,” said Mason Tvert, the director of communications at MPP.

This isn’t the first time MPP has tried to steal the NFL’s stage. The group posted a billboard outside of Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium in September telling the league to “Stop Driving Players to Drink,” and, as a football leaned against a foaming beer glass advised: “A safer choice is now legal here.”

“I think a lot of people will be shocked at just how many people are getting in trouble for using a less harmful substance than alcohol,” Tvert said. “When you’re sitting in a full stadium and you think about the idea of everyone in there being arrested 10 times over, it really gets you thinking about just how many people that is.”

Tvert is in New York City this week and says he is heading to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s office Wednesday to drop off a petition calling on the NFL to stop punishing players for using marijuana. He said that, as of Monday afternoon, the petition has over 12,000 signatures.

Medical experts are torn when it comes to this drug. In a USA TODAY article from last week, Stuart Gitlow, Director of the Annenberg Physician Training Program in Addictive Disease at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said there’s no benefit.

“It’s simply that people want the freedom to be stoned,” he said. “That’s all it is. And there’s a great deal of risk.”

Donald Abrams, chief of oncology at San Francisco General Hospital, argues from the other side.

“In my 37 years as a physician, the number of patients I’ve admitted to the hospital with complications from marijuana use is zero,” he said. “The number I’ve admitted due to alcohol use is profound.”

As far as using marijuana for medical reasons, last week Goodell didn’t waver from his message about use in the NFL.

“I’m not a medical expert,” he said. “We will obviously follow signs. We will follow medicine and if they determine this could be a proper usage in any context, we will consider that. Our medical experts are not saying that right now.”

url: hMPp://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/marijuana-contests-joining-denver-county-fair-22228146




Marijuana Contests Join County Fair in Colorado



Pot at the county fair? Why not?

Colorado's Denver County is adding cannabis-themed contests to its 2014 summer fair. It's the first time pot plants will stand alongside tomato plants and homemade jam in competition for a blue ribbon.

There won't actually be any marijuana at the fairgrounds. The judging will be done off-site, with photos showing the winning entries. And a live joint-rolling contest will be done with oregano, not pot.

But county fair organizers say the marijuana categories will add a fun twist on Denver's already-quirky county fair, which includes a drag queen pageant and a contest for dioramas made with Peeps candies.

"We thought it was time for us to take that leap and represent one of the things Denver has going on," said Tracy Weil, the fair's marketing and creative director.

The nine marijuana categories include live plants and clones, plus contests for marijuana-infused brownies and savory foods. Homemade bongs, homemade roach clips and clothing and fabric made with hemp round out the categories.

Judges will look only at plant quality, not the potency or quality of the drugs they produce. Other contests — patterned after Amsterdam's famed Cannabis Cup — already gauge drug quality and flavor.

Top prize is $20, plus of course a blue ribbon. The fair already has a green ribbon — awarded for using environmentally conscious methods.

The entries will be shown in a "Pot Pavilion" open only to people over 21. Alongside the pot entrants will be 24 categories of homemade beer, four categories for homemade wine and one category for "spirits and liqueurs."

Prizes will also be given for speedy joint-rolling, though fair organizers insist there won't be any marijuana consumption on-site. Competitors in the live Doritos-eating contest will have to acquire their munchies elsewhere.

Even the photographs of the winning plants will be viewable only by adults 21. Organizers don't want 4-H competitors in the popular rabbit and goat contests wandering by a pot display.

"We have a lot of families and kids at the fair, of course, and we wanted to be respectful of that," Weil said.

Denver's fair is far from traditional, though. Denver County didn't have a county fair until 2011. Organizers wanted an urban, hip element alongside traditional fair favorites like a Ferris wheel and cotton candy.

There's a speed text-messaging contest, and the highlight staple of a Western fair, a rodeo, has been replaced with a bicycle rodeo and a troupe of performing pigs. About 20,000 people attended last year.

The marijuana contests aren't likely to spread to other fairs in Colorado. Officials in Routt County, in western Colorado, voted last year to expressly ban marijuana from its county fair.

And Colorado State Fair organizers have expressed no interest in marijuana competition.

California holds an Emerald Cup at the fairgrounds in Sonoma County, Calif., where guests with medical clearance are able to sample the drug. That contest is held at the fairgrounds but isn't a part of the county fair.

url: hMPp://rt.com/business/marijuana-related-business-boom-246/




Marijuana - the new dot-com bubble?



Legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use in 20 US states has seen a boom in cannabis-oriented businesses. Experts say the market can jump to $10.2 billion by 2018, warning of a possible repetition of the dotcom bubble of the late 1990s.

The legal pot industry in the US might be making its first steps, but anyone trying to capitalize on its growth may find the "virgin" market overheating.

Gone are the days when a few entrepreneurs were helping pot legalization enthusiasts raise money for their projects. The marijuana market is now swarming with investors ready to risk money buying into cannabis industry companies.

It is already developing its own advertisement, insurance, logistics and security services. After Colorado marijuana shops got $1 million on the first day of legal sales, the question of profitability appears to be settled.

The legal marijuana market is expected to grow from $1.4 billion in 2013 to $2.3 billion in 2014, predicts ArcView Market Research. It forecasts the legal marijuana market reaching $10.2 billion by 2018.

When the Wall Street Journal publishes articles discussing fantastic pot shop revenues, companies like Seattle-based Privateer Holdings, which pioneered the financial market for cannabis industry in 2010, are feeling the growing competitiveness within the industry.

Though the federal Controlled Substances Act still lists marijuana as a prohibited Schedule I drug, President Barack Obama has practically blessed the cannabis industry, saying that smoking marijuana is “not very different from the cigarettes” and “no more dangerous than alcohol”, and US authorities are likely to treat the industry like any other legal business.

Last week the Obama administration announced that marijuana-related businesses should have access to the US banking system despite the fact that marijuana still remains illegal under federal law. This might help US authorities get better control of the money flowing into the newborn industry which is currently operating solely on a cash basis.

It is unlikely that once legalized the pot industry could be reversed, as further legalization of marijuana in the US directly correlates with the results of future elections.

The web is full of articles proclaiming “marijuana industry boom” and interviews with those harvesting first millions from the initial cannabis market surge.

Yet even the pot market "sharks" warn that this business is much more complicated than it appears. No one can predict when the period of enthusiastic pot start-ups would end, giving way to big business with really big money, just like it happened with the dot-com bubble in the 1990s, which exploded to clear the turf for transnational corporations like Amazon, Google and Facebook.

url: hMPp://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-md-medical-marijuana-20140118,0,7483776.story




Medical marijuana still beyond reach in Maryland



Barry Considine still has to buy marijuana illegally, as he has since he first asked around a biker bar for it to help treat his post-polio syndrome. Ken Kopper still fears another possession arrest for using it to ease chronic pain resulting from a couple of car accidents.

And Gail Rand still can only watch from afar as a boy in Colorado who has the same form of epilepsy as her 4-year-old son has become seizure-free after regularly ingesting an oil derived from marijuana.

"There's a plant out there that can help my son, and he can't get it," said Rand, whose son Logan has an average of 10 seizures a day. "I'm not willing to give up. Something has to help my child."

Patients hoping to legally use medical marijuana in Maryland had appeared closer than ever last year, when state legislators approved its distribution through medical centers conducting research on the drug. But regulations have not yet been approved for the program and no hospitals have come forth to participate, leaving patients in the same position they were in before the law was passed.

"The reality is: It's not working, it's not going to work," said Del. Dan K. Morhaim, the Baltimore County Democrat who sponsored the medical marijuana bill last year.

Morhaim said that even last year, it was clear medical centers were tepid at best about committing to the program. And after discussing the issue with several institutions over the past year, he sees no sign that they're warming to the idea.

"I was hoping that they would change their minds," he said. "It's clear that they won't."

Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland and Sinai Hospital say they're still evaluating their positions or waiting to see the state's regulations before making a final decision.

"Johns Hopkins is open to a conversation with the state about how a medical marijuana program could be implemented, but right now, it would be premature to commit to administering or participating in such a program," Kim Hoppe, a Hopkins spokeswoman said.

Another potential participant, MedStar Health, "is not considering participating in the medical marijuana program in Maryland," said spokeswoman Ann C. Nickels. She declined to elaborate.

Some powerful lawmakers suggest in private that the state push public universities to embrace their role in helping the state's sick get medical marijuana. Others plan to marshal support to rewrite the law, expanding access to the drug beyond research centers.

Morhaim, the General Assembly's only physician, expects to introduce a bill this week allowing physicians affiliated with a hospital or university to recommend marijuana to patients — a plan that would bypass academic centers and greatly increase the number of doctors who can beome involved, he said.

Those who support medical marijuana have had an uphill battle in Maryland — in the past, Gov. Martin O'Malley has opposed measures that he said would put the state in violation of federal law. But advocates find hope in something O'Malley said at the Annapolis summit on the opening day of the legislative session — in response to a question from Rand, who had noted the "limitations" of the current law and that her son still had no access to a drug that might ease his epilepsy.

"Our hope is if there's something that's made this too cumbersome to move it forward in the context of medical marijuana, we can fix that this legislative session," O'Malley said. "If we need to fix it … we can take advantage of these next 90 days and do that."

Rand, who lives in Annapolis, is particularly interested in gaining access to a strain of marijuana known as "Charlotte's Web," which is cultivated in Colorado and used by a number of children suffering from epilepsy. It is low in THC, which produces the marijuana high, and some parents and doctors say an oil extracted from it has greatly reduced or even stopped epileptic seizures in children.

"These kids are not getting high," Rand said. "They aren't smoking a joint."

Logan's seizures can sometimes be violent, causing him to fall and injure himself as he did recently, requiring a trip to the emergency room for stitches, Rand said. Doctors have tried various anti-seizure medications, often powerful and with side effects, but only one has proved even moderately effective, she said.

According to published research, there is anecdotal evidence that marijuana can successfully reduce seizures, but more studies need to be done on the issue.

Given that research facilities in Maryland appear reluctant to participate in the state's medical marijuana program, Rand hopes lawmakers will consider other ways to get the drug to patients. "I'd like to be able to get it from a dispensary," said Rand, referring to the way other states handle medical marijuana.

For now, members of Maryland's Medical Marijuana Commission continue to work on regulations that will determine how the program would be implemented and run. A draft is expected in the coming weeks, but commission members, appointed five months ago by O'Malley, declined to discuss their proposal.

Hospitals and state research centers rely heavily on federal funds, making them wary of participating in a program to distribute a drug that remains illegal under federal law. Proponents say research into marijuana's efficacy can face multiple challenges — especially because the federal government controls the supply of marijuana that can be used in such studies.

"The hospitals don't want to take it because they're afraid that the federal funding that they receive will be taken away," said Del. Joseph Vallario, a Prince George's Democrat. He chairs a committee that has killed other bills to loosen pot laws, but he considers himself an unwavering supporter of medical marijuana.

The Obama administration has indicated that it will not prosecute federal marijuana crimes if state laws have legalized the drug's use, but that has not entirely allayed such fears.

"The federal government still has regulations about this stuff, and the hospitals have to weigh all those things to see whether they'd fall into the criteria of what they could do," said commission member Col. Harry Robshaw, chief of the Cheverly Police Department.

Eric E. Sterling, president of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, a private nonprofit educational organization that focuses on criminal justice issues and "failed global drug policy," said that wariness might not be warranted. The federal government has never sued a state to block a medical marijuana program since California adopted its program in 1996, he said.

Still, Carroll County State's Attorney Dario J. Broccolino, also on the commission, understands that it's uncharted territory for the state, and hospitals have a right to take a wait-and-see stance. "I can understand their timidity because it's the great unknown. They're not going to commit to anything until all the regulations are published."

As a result, those the Maryland law was intended to help remain stymied.

"For the day-to-day life of a patient in Maryland, nothing has changed with this law," said Michael Liszewski, policy director for Americans for Safe Access, a group that advocates for medical marijuana.

Advocates knew the passage of Maryland's law was not going to make the drug immediately available — legislative aides estimated setting up the program would take until fiscal 2016. And while the advocates would have preferred a more expansive measure, Liszewski said it was clear they would have to settle for something less than ideal.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have a medical marijuana program, but Maryland is among a minority that do not allow dispensaries and the only one that ties it to research activities, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A medical marijuana user in Maryland can still be arrested for possession, but showing medical necessity can be used as a defense in court to avoid conviction.

Medical marijuana proponents take heart in polls that show increasing support for their cause — a Goucher College poll in November found 90 percent of Marylanders back medical marijuana. There is a greater comfort level with the drug, with some who now use it medicinally having once used it recreationally.

Considine, 60, takes "several tokes" in the morning and later in the day for the muscular weakness and fatigue that comes with post-polio syndrome.

"My condition is all about conserving energy," said the Halethorpe resident.

Stricken with polio before he was 2, Considine was able to live a largely normal life, working first in restaurants and later in land title companies until 1998, when he developed post-polio syndrome.

He had used pot recreationally as a younger man, less so after he married and had two children who are now in their 20s. Having retired, he starts his day with coffee and "three tokes," which help the pain and spasms of his afflicted muscles.

The former chef still cooks his family's meals, a once simple task that saps his strength. "My back and legs are shot when I'm done," Considine said, and smoking more pot later in the day helps him get the sleep that his doctor says is the best medicine for his condition.

He would smoke more, but the cost is prohibitive so he limits himself to about $75 to $150 worth of marijuana a month.

In Annapolis, the debate has broadened this session and includes two other pot proposals. One would legalize marijuana, regulate it and tax it like alcohol; it is considered unlikely to pass this year. A second would decriminalize the possession of small amounts.

Advocates for medical usage say that while they have no problem with legalization of the drug for any purpose, such a measure alone wouldn't address all their needs. For example, if marijuana were subject to an excise tax, like alcohol, those who use it for medical purposes would have to pay the same as those using it recreationally.

Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat who is pushing to make marijuana possession a civil offense without jail time, said the other proposals still don't resolve the problems with Maryland's medical marijuana system.

"The fix on medical marijuana is making sure that patients can actually get it," Zirkin said.

"Of course, you don't want someone who has cancer thrown into jail. The problem with our medical marijuana program is that patients can't get it, and you shouldn't be sending them or their family members to drug dealers to go get it."

Kopper, 42, of Catonsville fears being arrested again for possession of the marijuana used to treat lingering back, joint and muscular pain stemming from a couple of car accidents — including one in which a fully loaded cement truck rear-ended him.

A 2003 state law allows those arrested for marijuana possession to claim medical necessity for the drug, and he has used a letter from a doctor in court. Having such a letter, though, doesn't prevent him from being arrested or tried again.

"I cried for two hours straight," he said of being given probation before judgment for one incident. "It could definitely have gone another way."
Kopper said using marijuana keeps him from having to use more powerful and addictive drugs such as opiates to manage his pain.

Tyler Kutner, 20, also has a doctor's letter but has not had to use it. Still, Kutner, who uses marijuana to treat the muscle spasticity that comes with cerebral palsy, said Maryland's current laws don't protect medicinal users.

As "patients, as people who are buying off the street, that leaves us very vulnerable," said Kutner, a freelance writer who lives in College Park.
Kutner uses pot and practices yoga to help loosen muscles. With marijuana back on the General Assembly's to-do list, and with one candidate for governor, Del. Heather Mizeur, supporting the drug's legalization, Kutner said, "we're going to be lucky if we can squeak anything through that has a shred of resemblance to what we want to see."

Some medical marijuana advocates fear their cause will get lost as the focus turns toward legalization or decriminalization.

But Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat leading the charge to legalize pot, said that regardless of what happens on that front, "we need to fix the medical marijuana law. Decriminalization leaves the drug dealers in control of the market."

Similarly, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who supports legalization, says the state needs to get its medical marijuana program right first.
Morhaim's preference is to focus on medical, rather than recreational, users. The discussion on legalization and decriminalization — as well as civil rights, drug cartels and unfairly incarcerating people — should wait.

"In this war on drugs," Morhaim said, "we have to get the sick and dying off the battlefield."

url: hMPp://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/11/22/scientists-discover-that-cannabis-may-reduce-brain-damage-caused-by-alcohol/




Scientists Discover That Cannabis May Reduce Brain Damage Caused By Alcohol



Chemicals within cannabis have powerful antioxidant properties, and scientists believe this can protect the brain from damage. Too much alcohol can lead to permanent brain damage, among other things. A recent study from the University of Kentucky and the University of Maryland concluded that a chemical in marijuana called cannabidiol (CBD) could be used to prevent alcohol-induced brain damage. The study was published in September of 2013 in the journal Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. (1)

The study outlines how excessive alcohol consumption results in neuro-degeneration as well as behavioral and cognitive impairments that are hypothesized to contribute to the chronic and relapsing nature of alcoholism. As a result they aimed to study the transdermal delivery of cannabidiol (CBD) for the treatment of alcohol-induced neuro-degeneration. At the conclusion of the study, results demonstrated the feasibility of using CBD transdermal delivery systems for the treatment of alcohol-induced neurodegeneration.(1)

Just like THC, CBD is another chemical found in marijuana, the difference is that it doesn’t get you ‘high.’ Both chemicals are strong antioxidants.

These results justify further preclinical development of transdermal CBD for the treatment of alcohol-induced neurodegeneration. It has been suggested that the neuroprotective effects of CBD observed during binge alcohol induced neurodegeneration are due to its high antioxidant capacity. (1)
The authors note that CBD acts as a stronger antioxidant than many well-known antioxidants. This new study was done on rat models, using both a skin patch and regular needle injection. Both methods produced similar magnitudes of neuroprotection, approximately 50 percent. Further studies need to be done here before human trials can begin. It’s surprising that human trials have yet to begin, it seems they should have began ages ago. Year after year we have credible published studies showing the clear link between cannabis and a healthy body environment.

The potential health benefits of cannabis are overwhelming, and potentially very threatening to the pharmaceutical industry. It is a shame that despite all of the evidence supporting the medicinal properties of this plant, it still has a negative connotation within the mainstream. Nobody can deny it’s medicinal benefits, and given the tremendous amount of information and research to support it, it seems pretty clear that this plant is a natural miracle.

Things seem to be changing, however. Last week, a European based pharmaceutical company called GW pharmaceuticals announced that they are set to commence its first ever phase of clinical trials for the treatment of brain cancer. You can read more about that here. A couple of months ago, I wrote an article presenting 20 medical studies that prove cannabis can cure cancer; I’ve presented them in this article (see below). If we want to stay on the topic of brain damage, dozens of studies have shown the potential benefits of cannabis on damaged brain tissue. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation revealed that cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis. (2) The list goes on and on, and it seems to be never-ending, especially when it comes to cannabis and the brain. If you would like to know more there is plenty of information that’s readily available.

Contrary to popular belief, smoking the Cannabis is not the most effective way in treating disease within the body as therapeutic levels cannot be reached through smoking. Creating oil from the plant or eating the plant is the best way to go about getting the necessary ingredients which are the Cannabinoids. Also, when Cannabis is heated and burnt it changes the chemical structure and acidity of the THC. This changes its ability to be therapeutic and anytime you burn something and inhale it, you create oxidation within the body which aids in free-radical production.

Humanity does not need to wait for a pharmaceutical company, or the medical industry to ‘OK’ its use for medicinal purposes. We constantly look towards these corporations for methods, approval and availability. This is something we can take into our own hands, the information is out there and if it’s something you feel can be of benefit you are free to try it. For medicinal use, it should be non-GMO, grown without pesticides and completely natural. In the hands of a pharmaceutical company, or future pill form, it might be hard to trust.

Below are links to more studies with regards to cancer and cannabis. (20 out of many more)

Brain Cancer
1. A study published in the British Journal of Cancer, conducted by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Complutense University in Madrid, this study determined that Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids inhibit tumour growth. They were responsible for the first clinical study aimed at assessing cannabinoid antitumoral action. Cannabinoid delivery was safe and was achieved with zero psychoactive effects. THC was found to decrease tumour cells in two out of the nine patients.

2. A study published in The Journal of Neuroscience examined the biochemical events in both acute neuronal damage and in slowly progressive, neurodegenerative diseases. They conducted a magnetic resonance imaging study that looked at THC (the main active compound in marijuana) and found that it reduced neuronal injury in rats. The results of this study provide evidence that the cannabinoid system can serve to protect the brain against neurodegeneration.

3. A study published in The Journal of Pharmacology And Experimental Therapeutics already acknowledged the fact that cannabinoids have been shown to possess antitumor properties. This study examined the effect of cannabidiol (CBD, non psychoactive cannabinoid compound) on human glioma cell lines. The addition of cannabidiol led to a dramatic drop in the viability of glioma cells. Glioma is the word used to describe brain tumour. The study concluded that cannabidiol was able to produce a significant antitumor activity.

4. A study published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics outlines how brain tumours are highly resistant to current anticancer treatments, which makes it crucial to find new therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the poor prognosis of patients suffering from this disease. This study also demonstrated the reversal of tumour activity in Glioblastoma multiforme.

Breast Cancer
5. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine, conducted by the California Pacific Medical Centre determined that cannabidiol (CBD) inhibits human breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. They also demonstrated that CBD significantly reduces tumour mass.

6. A study published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics determined that THC as well as cannabidiol dramatically reduced breast cancer cell growth. They confirmed the potency and effectiveness of these compounds.

7. A study published in the Journal Molecular Cancer showed that THC reduced tumour growth and tumour numbers. They determined that cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell proliferation, induce cancer cell apoptosis and impair tumour angiogenesis (all good things). This study provides strong evidence for the use of cannabinoid based therapies for the management of breast cancer.

8. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) determined that cannabinoids inhibit human breast cancer cell proliferation.

Lung Cancer
9. A study published in the journal Oncogene, by Harvard Medical Schools Experimental Medicine Department determined that THC inhibits epithelial growth factor induced lung cancer cell migration and more. They go on to state that THC should be explored as novel therapeutic molecules in controlling the growth and metastasis of certain lung cancers.

10. A study published by the US National Library of Medicine by the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology, from the Department of General Surgery in Germany determined that cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell invasion. Effects were confirmed in primary tumour cells from a lung cancer patient. Overall, data indicated that cannabinoids decrease cancer cell invasiveness.

11. A study published by the US National Library of Medicine, conducted by Harvard Medical School investigated the role of cannabinoid receptors in lung cancer cells. They determined its effectiveness and suggested that it should be used for treatment against lung cancer cells.

Prostate Cancer
12. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine illustrates a decrease in prostatic cancer cells by acting through cannabinoid receptors.

13. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine outlined multiple studies proving the effectiveness of cannabis on prostate cancer.

14. Another study published by the US National Library of Medicine determined that clinical testing of CBD against prostate carcinoma is a must. That cannabinoid receptor activation induces prostate carcinoma cell apoptosis. They determined that cannabidiol significantly inhibited cell viability.

Blood Cancer
15. A study published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology recently showed that cannabinoids induce growth inhibition and apoptosis in matle cell lymphoma. The study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Society, The Swedish Research Council and the Cancer Society in Stockholm.

16. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer also determined and illustrated that cannabinoids exert antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in various types of cancer and in mantle cell lymphoma.

17. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine conducted by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology by Virginia Commonwealth University determined that cannabinoids induce apoptosis in leukemia cells.

Oral Cancer
18. A study published by the US National Library of Medicine results show cannabinoids are potent inhibitors of cellular respiration and are toxic to highly malignant oral Tumours.

Liver Cancer
19. A study published by the US National Library of Medicine determined that that THC reduces the viability of human HCC cell lines (Human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line) and reduced the growth.

Pancreatic Cancer
20. A study published in The American Journal of Cancer determined that cannabinoid receptors are expressed in human pancreatic tumor cell lines and tumour biopsies at much higher levels than in normal pancreatic tissue. Results showed that cannabinoid administration induced apoptosis. They also reduced the growth of tumour cells, and inhibited the spreading of pancreatic tumour cells.