Scientists: "marijuana is good for health"

[carpflounder]

Yep, the cats out of the bag, the data is in, cannabis is good for the health...have a look.

Cannabis and the Brain:

by Paul Armentano
Senior Policy Analyst
University of Harvard
School of Medicine

• Cannabinoids & Neurogenesis
• Cannabis & Neuroprotection
• Cannabinoids & Glioma
• Cannabinoids & Neurodegeneration
• Cannabis & Cognition

Preclinical data recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation demonstrating that cannabinoids may spur brain cell growth has reignited the international debate regarding the impact of marijuana on the brain. However, unlike previous pseudo-scientific campaigns that attempted to link pot smoking with a litany of cognitive abnormalities, modern research suggests what many cannabis enthusiasts have speculated all along: ganja is good for you.

Cannabinoids & Neurogenesis

"Study turns pot wisdom on its head," pronounced the Globe and Mail in October. News wires throughout North America and the world touted similar headlines -- all of which were met with a monumental silence from federal officials and law enforcement. Why all the fuss? Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon found that the administration of synthetic cannabinoids in rats stimulated the proliferation of newborn neurons (nerve cells) in the hippocampus region of the brain and significantly reduced measures of anxiety and depression-like behavior. The results shocked researchers -- who noted that almost all other so-called "drugs of abuse," including alcohol and tobacco, decrease neurogenesis in adults -- and left the "pot kills brain cells" crowd with a platter of long-overdue egg on their faces.

While it would be premature to extrapolate the study's findings to humans, at a minimum, the data reinforce the notion that cannabinoids are unusually non-toxic to the brain and that even long-term use of marijuana likely represents little risk to brain function. The findings also offer further evidence that cannabinoids can play a role in the alleviation of depression and anxiety, and that cannabis-based medicines may one day offer a safer alternative to conventional anti-depressant pharmaceuticals such as Paxil and Prozac.

(Reference: Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic and depressant-like effects. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2005)

Cannabis & Neuroprotection

Not only has modern science refuted the notion that marijuana is neurotoxic, recent scientific discoveries have indicated that cannabinoids are, in fact, neuroprotective, particularly against alcohol-induced brain damage. In a recent preclinical study -- the irony of which is obvious to anyone who reads it -- researchers at the US National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) reported that the administration of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) reduced ethanol-induced cell death in the brain by up to 60 percent. "This study provides the first demonstration of CBD as an in vivo neuroprotectant ... in preventing binge ethanol-induced brain injury," the study's authors wrote in the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Alcohol poisoning is linked to hundreds of preventable deaths each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while cannabis cannot cause death by overdose.

Of course, many US neurologists have known about cannabis' neuroprotective prowess for years. NIMH scientists in 1998 first touted the ability of natural cannabinoids to stave off the brain-damaging effects of stroke and acute head trauma. Similar findings were then replicated by investigators in the Netherlands and Italy and, most recently, by a Japanese research in 2005. However, attempts to measure the potential neuroprotective effects of synthetic cannabinoid-derived medications in humans have so far been inconclusive.

(References: Comparison of cannabidiol, antioxidants and diuretics in reversing binge ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2005 | Cannabidiol prevents cerebral infarction. Stroke. 2005 | Post-ischemic treatment with cannabidiol prevents electroencephalographic flattening, hyperlocomotion and neuronal injury in gerbils. Neuroscience Letters. 2003 | Neuroprotection by Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active compound in marijuana, against ouabain-induced in vivo excitotoxicity. Journal of Neuroscience. 2001 | Cannabidiol and Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol are neuroprotective antioxidants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 1998)

Cannabinoids & Glioma

Of all cancers, few are as aggressive and deadly as glioma. Glioma tumors quickly invade healthy brain tissue and are typically unresponsive to surgery and standard medical treatments. One agent they do respond to is cannabis.

Writing in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurooncology, investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the synthetic cannabis receptor agonist, WIN-55,212-2. Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than the synthetic alternative. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme typically die within three months without therapy.

Previous research conducted in Italy has also demonstrated the capacity of CBD to inhibit the growth of glioma cells both in vitro (e.g., a petri dish) and in animals in a dose dependent manner. As a result, a Spanish research team is currently investigating whether the intracranial administration of cannabinoids can prolong the lives of patients diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.

Most recently, a scientific analysis in the October issue of the journal Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry noted that, in addition to THC and CBD's brain cancer-fighting ability, studies have also shown cannabinoids to halt the progression of lung carcinoma, leukemia, skin carcinoma, colectoral cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.

(References: Cannabinoids selectively inhibit proliferation and induce cell death of cultured human glioblastoma multiforme cells. Journal of Neurooncology. 2005 | Cannabinoids and cancer. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry. 2005 | Anti-tumor effects of cannabidiol, a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, on human glioma cell lines. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2003)

Cannabinoids & Neurodegeneration

Emerging evidence also indicates that cannabinoids may play a role in slowing the progression of certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease). Recent animal studies have shown cannabinoids to delay disease progression and inhibit neurodegeneration in mouse models of ALS, Parkinson's, and MS. As a result, the Journal of Neurological Sciences recently pronounced, "There is accumulating evidence ... to support the hypothesis that the cannabinoid system can limit the neurodegenerative processes that drive progressive disease," and patient trials investigating whether the use of oral THC and cannabis extracts may slow the progression of MS are now underway in the United Kingdom.

(References: Cannabinoids and neuroprotection in CNS inflammatory disease. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2005. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: delayed disease progression in mice by treatment with a cannabinoid. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disorders. 2004 | Cannabinoids inhibit neurodegeneration in models of multiple sclerosis. Brain. 2003)

Cannabis & Cognition

But what about claims of cannabis' damaging effect of cognition? A review of the scientific literature indicates that rumors regarding the "stoner stupid" stereotype are unfounded. According to clinical trial data published this past spring in the American Journal of Addictions, cannabis use -- including heavy, long-term use of the drug -- has, at most, only a negligible impact on cognition and memory. Researchers at Harvard Medical School performed magnetic resonance imaging on the brains of 22 long-term cannabis users (reporting a mean of 20,100 lifetime episodes of smoking) and 26 controls (subjects with no history of cannabis use). Imaging displayed "no significant differences" between heavy cannabis smokers compared to controls, the study found.

Previous trials tell a similar tale. An October 2004 study published in the journal Psychological Medicine examining the potential long-term residual effects of cannabis on cognition in monozygotic male twins reported "an absence of marked long-term residual effects of marijuana use on cognitive abilities." A 2003 meta-analysis published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society also "failed to reveal a substantial, systematic effect of long-term, regular cannabis consumption on the neurocognitive functioning of users who were not acutely intoxicated," and a 2002 clinical trial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal determined, "Marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence."

[carpflounder]

Finally, a 2001 study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry found that long-term cannabis smokers who abstained from the drug for one week "showed virtually no significant differences from control subjects (those who had smoked marijuana less than 50 times in their lives) on a battery of 10 neuropsychological tests." Investigators further added, "Former heavy users, who had consumed little or no cannabis in the three months before testing, [also] showed no significant differences from control subjects on any of these tests on any of the testing days."

[clynn]

I just know that when I'm stoned I think a lot and can't really talk very well. I mean, I can talk - but my mind trails off and I forget what it was I was talking about.

So I'm not necessarily as "connected" to the people I'm with if I'm stoned. Or connected to what is around me.

Doesn't mean I think it is overly harmful or even a bad thing. In fact, I think for people who might be prone to mood swings, etc. it could be a good thing.
A calming effect. Better than chemically prescribed mood drugs, anti depressants. That and a little art therapy can go a long way.

But I'm aware of what the effect it has on me is. And I'm probably more fun to be around when I'm NOT stoned than when I'm stoned.

Now, that is me. Everyone has different experiences with it. I think when I first smoked dope the effect was more to make me giggle and laugh and stuff and now it is more of a dulling effect. Every once in a while, depending on my state of mind...I might even feel parranoid when having smoked pot. So I have to be careful about that too. Keep it in check, you know.

So I enjoy some puffs now and then for sure. But if I was to do it everyday or every night, then I wouldn't be connecting to people very well.

I also wouldn't get any housework done! Or exercise.

Then again I don't get any housework done anyhow. ha ha. but I do exercise.

[Late_vamp]

well ,i had already read marijuana facts before .
but from personnal experience ... it made me lose alot of my memory ... not things like my past , but things that happened while i was consumming , ex : i smoked weed for 5 y of my life ... after the 3rd year . I started to forget what i was thinking about and in class (ex math ) i used to forget what i was counting ... maybe it was the chemicals they put in the weed nowadays ... its not the way it was in the 70's ...

[carpflounder]

LV, I notice the same thing when I am high: memory difficulty/ difficulty with focusing. But when I am not high my mental faculties are just as good as always.

I always new that this was the case..so I have the proof now. I think it is interesting how the doctors found that even "heavy cannabis" use is not anywhere near on par as harmful as light tobacco and alchohol use.

[RSK]

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1KhZZD5lKg&search=ali%20g%20weed[/url]

[Only-virgins]

depressant-like effects

Hahahahahahaha! yea, thats probably because your too stoned to be depressed lol.

[RSK]

the debate weather marijuana is harmless or not is irrelavent...

...i just want to point out the fact, that even though it may be harmless, when STONED, it is NOT safe to drive...



...it doesn't matter what you think about the effects of marijuana,

because the bottom line, is that it's illegal. ILLEGAL. Against the Law.

[Late_vamp]

well , for the 1st year i used to smoke occasionally ... about once every two weeks

then the 2nd year i upgrated to once or twice everyday ... i used to smoke at lunch time and at night sometimes ... i was always high in school and i had a big reputation of it .

the 3rd year was the heaviest in my drug history ... i used to smoke at LEAST 5 times per day ... im not talking a hit .. i mean an actual full-on buzz that was worth 20 $ each time i smoked ... thank god i knew alot of ppl that used to invite me and i used to sell weed for my bro or else i would have had to pay 100 $ per day .

this used to be my smoking schedual
7:20 wake up
7:40 smoking weed
8 school starts
12:15 lunch time
12:30 smoking weed lunch time happy hour everyday
2:30 school finished
2:45 i was smoking a couple of grams again
6 usually dinner was done ready at that time
either i smoke before or after dinner ... usually before
11:30 - 12:30 depending i used to smoke again
1:30 - 2:30 go to sleep

rince repeat

and during weekends it was total party crazy time ... especially at parties . I saw bricks of weed before my eyes ... i smoked alot ... a whole lot ... im surprised i was able to handle all of it and not end up in the hospital

by the end of the 3rd year , my health started to deteriorate ... not really but mentally yes
i was already forgetting things occasionally ... but now it was hardcore all the time ... i used to come home hungry ... go upstairs and think "oh yea , theres food downstairs " ... when i got there 10 secs after ... i forgot why i was there and just went " ahh well , i ll just go watch some TV (back when i used to ) until hungry striked me again ... " oh right , food ..."

so by the 4th year i decided to start to slow down on the drugs ... having done speed and shrooms and other rare drugs i started to cool down on the partying ... considering i was still very young also . So i slowed down to 5 times per day to 3 times , then slowly 2 times , then 1 ... and so on ... until i was barely smoking from time to time ... by the 5th year i smoke barely a dozen times ... you could say once per month but weed had lost its touch for be back then ... now its been nearly 2 years since iv done it ... and somehow ... sometimes i kind of feel like it ... because i remeber the super relaxing effect it had sometimes on me ... i miss that peacefullness it used to provide sometimes ... but i dont want to go back to it at the same time . My memory took about a good year to start to heal ... now its back to normal ...actually last time i smoked it was about 9 months ago ... but it was so slight that i dont think i got high , so as long as i dont get high but inhale it , it doesnt count in my book .

[carpflounder]

...it doesn't matter what you think about the effects of marijuana,

because the bottom line, is that it's illegal. ILLEGAL. Against the Law.

...On the contrary

it is not illegal for me according to Health and Safety Code 11362.5 . I have a doctors recommendation..

.....how does that MC Hammer song go "DA NA NA NA Can't Touch Me..DA NA NA NA Can't Touch Me."

[carpflounder]

because your too stoned to be depressed lol.

Well that works for me.

[Converse]

I got offered Hash cake at the weekend, I declinded. How cool am I?! (Sarcasm).

[carpflounder]

Ahhh, ya shouldn't have declined. Just take it and mail it me.
I can't wait to go to amsterdam I hear they have really bomb "space cakes" there. Hash cakes x like 10.

[Converse]

Yup, I've never been. Loads of my mates have been though. I'm borring I'm not into smoking weed, I just wanna check out the Porn Museum and the Anna Frank buliding they have there, lol.

[clynn]

I'm boring. I'm not into porn.