Tag Archives: marijuana

Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer – Scientific American

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“…Scientists were therefore surprised to learn that a study of more than 2,000 people found no increase in the risk of developing lung cancer for marijuana smokers.

“We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use–more than 500 to 1,000 uses–would increase the risk of cancer from several years to decades after exposure to marijuana,” explains physician Donald Tashkin of the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead researcher on the project. But looking at residents of Los Angeles County, the scientists found that even those who smoked more than 20,000 joints in their life did not have an increased risk of lung cancer.

The study does not reveal how marijuana avoids causing cancer. Tashkin speculates that perhaps the THC chemical in marijuana smoke prompts aging cells to die before becoming cancerous. Tashkin and his colleagues presented the findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.”

More: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=large-study-finds-no-link

Marijuana Smoking Not Linked To Cancer or Lung Damage, Researchers Say

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 “Donald Tashkin’s is a tale cannabis pushers like to repeat. The physician and professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine set out to prove — via a study funded by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse — that marijuana is bad for you. Instead, a long-term study found no solid link between marijuana use and lung cancer, in sharp contrast to tobacco terrible effects on health.” 

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“Similar findings were repeated all over the world. In a collection and review of studies on marijuana’s effect on the lungs, published in the June issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, Tashkin concludes that compared to tobacco smoking, heavy marijuana use has “relatively small and far lower” risks.

This despite an average joint marijuana having four times the tar of a typical American Spirit. How can this be?

It’s worth remembering that this is not a new development — Tashkin’s long-term study was published in 2006. And well before that — as in the 19th Century, when cannabis tinctures and other marijuana medicines were sold in pharmacies — doctors were prescribing marijuana as a treatment for asthma patients.”

More: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/06/marijuana_cancer_annals_of_the_american_thoracic_society.php

Breathe Easy: A Marijuana Study Finds No Lung Cancer Links

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“Donald Tashkin‘s is a tale cannabis pushers like to repeat. The physician and professor at UCLA‘s David Geffen School of Medicine set out to prove — via a study funded by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse — that marijuana is bad for you. Instead, a long-term study found no solid link between marijuana use and lung cancer.

Similar findings were repeated all over the world. In a review of studies on marijuana’s effect on the lungs, published in the June issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, Tashkin concludes that compared to tobacco smoking, heavy marijuana use has “relatively small and far lower” risks.”

More: http://www.sfweekly.com/2013-06-19/news/ucla-medical-marijuana-cancer/full/

How marijuana could help cure obesity-related diseases

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“A British company says that two compounds found in marijuana leaves could treat patients whose weight puts them at high risk for heart disease and stroke.”

The leaves of the marijuana plant contain two compounds that increase the amount of energy the body burns, according to a new study.
 
“According to a new British study, marijuana leaves (not the buds that Willie Nelson loves so dearly) contain two compounds that boost the metabolism of mice, leading to lower levels of fat and cholesterol in the body — the latest addition to a growing body of evidence that marijuana may be useful in countering ailments related to obesity. One study in March found that a brain chemical similar in structure to an active compound in cannibis could help people shed weight, while another study last September concluded that pot smokers were less likely to be obese than non-potheads, though for reasons that remain unclear. The researchers at Britain’s GW Pharmaceuticals who are responsible for the latest weed development are already testing the two compounds on humans.
Here, a guide to their findings:”
 

Acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol blocks gastric hemorrhages induced by the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac sodium in mice.

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“Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are among the most widely used analgesics in the world, cause gastrointestinal inflammation that is potentially life-threatening.

Although inhibitors of endocannabinoid catabolic enzymes protect against gastropathy in fasted NSAID-treated mice, the gastroprotective effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, have yet to be investigated…

 These data indicate that the phytocannabinoid Δ9-THC protects against diclofenac-induced gastric inflammatory tissue damage at doses insufficient to cause common cannabinoid side effects.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23769745

Synthetic Compounds From Marijuana Appear to Fight HIV

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“Synthetic anti-inflammatory compounds derived from the active ingredient of marijuana appear to show potential as anti-HIV agents, Wired.co.uk reports. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, researchers from Temple University School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Center for Substance Abuse Research (CSAR) studied synthetic derivations of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, a key chemical compound in marijuana, in cultures of HIV-infected cells.

Cannabinoids, which are the primary active compounds in marijuana, bind to proteins called CB2 receptors on the surface of macrophage immune cells. The CB2 site may play a role in reducing inflammation in the central nervous system, which is a major concern for people living with HIV, even those whose virus is fully suppressed thanks to antiretrovirals (ARVs). It is the CB1 receptors, mostly found in neurons in the brain, however, that cause marijuana’s psychoactive effects. So synthetic THC that has been developed to bind only to CB2 receptors should not make people stoned.

It is believed that macrophage cells, which are found throughout the body, are a major component of the HIV reservoir and are probably the first cells infected after sexual transmission of the virus.

Using a non-clinical cell model, the investigators treated HIV-infected macrophages with one of three different synthetic compounds that bind to CB2. By periodically measuring the activity of the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which HIV needs to replicate itself, the investigators concluded after a seven-day period that all three compounds fought HIV replication.

The findings suggest that these “CB2 agonists” could be a potential addition to ARV therapy, and also that the human immune system could be prompted to fight the virus using similar mechanisms.”

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/pot_CB2_1667_23905.shtml

Marijuana and its CD4 Receptors: A New HIV Treatment Strategy?

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“Drugs that target one of the two cellular receptors stimulated by the active ingredient in marijuana may prove to be effective at blocking a form of HIV that has been linked to faster disease progression during late stages of the infection.

Though the PLoS One research report highlighting these findings—published March 20 by a team of scientists at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York—stops short of concluding that marijuana is one of nature’s best antiretrovirals, the authors suggest that further study of cannabinoids is needed to ultimately discover drugs with both antiviral and symptom-reducing properties.

Marijuana—purchased legally or illegally and either smoked or ingested—along with its synthetic counterpart Marinol (dronabinol) are used by many people living with HIV to manage various symptoms of illness, including pain, depression and weight loss.

The numerous effects of marijuana are the result of chemical interactions between the drug’s active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and two receptors on a variety of cells in the body: cannabinoid receptor 1 (CR1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CR2)…

Using a cannabinoid receptor agonist—a THC-like compound—her team found that activation of CR2 inhibited CXCR4-tropic HIV infection. It did this, not by altering the number of CXCR4 receptors on CD4 cells—this is a therapeutic approach being explored by others—but rather by blocking the receptor’s “signaling process” and interaction with HIV. 

According to the PLoS One report, activation of CR2 blocked the ability of CXCR4-tropic virus to infect other cells by 30 to 60 percent. “This inhibition is pronounced in resting cells,” the researchers explain, “which are a target of CXCR4-tropic HIV.”

“Developing a drug that triggers only [CR2] 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 in an accompanying news announcement.”

More: http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_marijuana_cannabinoids_1667_22119.shtml#.Ub8Pcix9Dhs.twitter

Turned-Off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns on Colorectal Tumor Growth – MDAnderson

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“Researchers find CB1 suppresses tumors, a new potential path for treatment, prevention.”

 “New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said.

 “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More:  http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2008/turned-off-cannabinoid-receptor-turns-on-colorectal-tumor-growth.html

Turned-off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns On Colorectal Tumor Growth – CB1 Suppresses Tumors, A New Potential Path For Treatment, Prevention

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“New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

CB1 is well-established for relieving pain and nausea, elevating mood and stimulating appetite by serving as a docking station for the cannabinoid group of signaling molecules. It now may serve as a new path for cancer prevention or treatment.

“Potential application of cannabinoids as anti-tumor drugs is an exciting prospect, because cannabinoid agonists are being evaluated now to treat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” DuBois said. “Turning CB1 back on and then treating with a cannabinoid agonist could provide a new approach to colorectal cancer treatment or prevention.”

Cannabinoids are a group of ligands that serve a variety of cell-signaling roles. Some are produced by the body internally (endocannabinoids). External cannabinoids include manmade versions and those present in plants, most famously the active ingredient in marijuana (THC).”

More: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/117055.php

Marijuana Rivals Mainstream Drugs For HIV/AIDS Symptoms – MedicalNewsToday

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“Those in the United States living with HIV/AIDS are more likely to use marijuana than those in Kenya, South Africa or Puerto Rica to alleviate their symptoms, according to a new study published in Clinical Nursing Research, published by SAGE. Those who did use marijuana rate it as effective as prescribed or over the counter (OTC) medicines for the majority of common symptoms, once again raising the issue that therapeutic marijuana use merits further study and consideration among policy makers.”

More: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/151972.php