Tag Archives: marijuana

A molecular basis of the therapeutic and psychoactive properties of cannabis (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol).

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Abstract

“All of the therapeutic properties of marihuana (analgesic, antiemetic, appetite stimulant, antiglaucoma) have been duplicated by the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) molecule or its synthetic derivatives. Today, the molecular mechanisms of action of these compounds have led to a general understanding of the pharmacological effects of marihuana and of its therapeutic properties. These mechanisms involve the specific binding of THC to the 7-transmembrane (7TM) domain G protein-linked receptor, a molecular switch which regulates signal transduction in the cell membrane. The natural ligand of the 7TM receptor is an eicosanoid, arachidonylethanolamide (AEA), generated in the membrane and derived from arachidonic acid. THC acts as a substitute ligand to the 7TM receptor site of AEA. THC would deregulate the physiological function of the 7TM receptor and of its ligand AEA. As a result, the therapeutic effects of the drug may not be separated from its adverse psychoactive and cardiovascular effects. The binding of THC to the 7TM receptor site of AEA induces allosteric changes in the receptor sites of neurotransmitter and opiates resulting in variable interactions and pharmacological responses. The pharmacokinetics of THC with its prolonged storage in fat and its slow release result in variable and delayed pharmacological response, which precludes precise dosing to achieve timely therapeutic effects. The experimental use of THC and of its synthetic analogues, agonists, and antagonists has provided novel information in the nature of molecular signaling in the cell membrane. As a result, the relationships between allosteric receptor responsiveness, molecular configuration of proteins, and physiological regulation of cellular and organ function may be further investigated.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12188105

Marijuana May Fight Lung Tumors – FoxNews

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   “…the active ingredient in marijuana may help combat lung cancer, new research suggests.

In lab and mouse studies, the compound, known as THC, cut lung tumor growth in half and helped prevent the cancer from spreading, says Anju Preet, PhD, a Harvard University researcher in Boston who tested the chemical. 

While a lot more work needs to be done, “the results suggest THC has therapeutic potential,” she tells WebMD. 

Moreover, other early research suggests the cannabis compound could help fight brain, prostate, and skin cancers as well, Preet says.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266715,00.html

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266715,00.html#ixzz2C1POR7Ap

Media Ignored Expert’s Shocking Findings That Marijuana Helps Prevent Lung Cancer: Now It’s Med-School Material

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  “You’d think it would have been very big news in the spring of 2005 when Donald Tashkin, a professor of pulmonology at UCLA’s David Geffin School of Medicine, revealed at a conference that components of marijuana smoke, although they damage cells in respiratory tissue, somehow prevent them from becoming malignant. But headlines announcing “Pot Doesn’t Cause Cancer” did not ensue. ”

“As to the highly promising implication of his own study — that something in marijuana stops damaged cells from becoming malignant — Tashkin noted that an anti-proliferative effect of THC has been observed in cell-culture systems and animal models of brain, breast, prostate, and lung cancer. THC has been shown to promote known apoptosis (damaged cells die instead of reproducing) and to counter angiogenesis (the process by which blood vessels are formed — a requirement of tumor growth). Other antioxidants in cannabis may also be involved in countering malignancy, Tashkin said.”

Read more: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/media-ignored-experts-shocking-findings-marijuana-helps-prevent-lung-cancer-now-its-med-school

Pot Smoking Not Linked to Lung Cancer – WebMD

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“People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.

While a clear increase in cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.

Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.

The findings surprised the study’s researchers, who expected to see an increase in cancer among people who smoked marijuana regularly in their youth.”

Read more: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20060523/pot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer

Marijuana Smokers Breathe Easy Says The University of Alabama

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   “As of January 10, 2012, a new study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association exonerating marijuana from the bad reputation of being as harmful to your lungs when smoked as tobacco cigarettes. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Alabama at Birmingham completed a twenty-year study between 1986 and 2006 on over 5,000 adults over the age of 21 in four American cities. Study co-author Dr. Stefan Kertesz is a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He explained that the studies measured the pulmonary obstruction in individuals with up to seven joint-years of lifetime exposure (one joint per day for seven years or one joint per week for 49 years). “What this study clarifies,” Kertesz explains in a released video, “is that the relationship to marijuana and lung function changes depending on how much a person has taken in over the course of a lifetime.”

“…findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana may not be linked with unfavorable consequences on pulmonary function.  Marijuana is designated by the U.S. government as a Schedule I drug, which declares it has no medicinal purposes.  Previous studies have shown that the drug can be used to treat multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, nausea, and pain.  It has been known to have beneficial effects on pain control, mood, appetite, and managing of other chronic symptoms.  Despite these facts, marijuana continues to be depicted as more damaging to us than it’s legal counterpart tobacco. Marijuana activists, medical patients, and recreational users alike will rejoice knowing the evidence shows otherwise.”

Read more: http://nugs.com/article/marijuana-smokers-breathe-easy-says-the-university-of-alabama.html

Study: Smoking Marijuana Not Linked with Lung Damage – TIME

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“Marijuana does not impair lung function—at least not in the doses inhaled by the majority of users, according to the largest and longest study ever to consider the issue, which was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers working on a long-term study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults or CARDIA study) tested the lung function of 5115 young adults over the course of 20 years, starting in 1985 when they were aged 18 to 30.

The study was “well conducted” and is “essentially confirmatory of the findings from several previous studies that have examined the association between marijuana smoking and lung function,” says Dr. Donald Tashkin, professor of medicine at UCLA and a leading scientist in the area. He was not associated with the new research.

“The major strengths of this study are that it included a far larger number of subjects followed for longer than any of these previous studies,” he adds.”

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/10/study-smoking-marijuana-not-linked-with-lung-damage/

Casual Marijuana Smoking Not Harmful to Lungs

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“It wouldn’t have mattered if Bill Clinton inhaled, as far as his lungs are concerned. Smoking up to a joint per day doesn’t seem to decrease lung function, according to a study published in Jan. 11 edition of Journal of the American Medical Association.

In fact, occasional marijuana use was associated with slight increases in lung airflow rates and increases in lung volume, the study found.

Far from a license to light up, the study eases the worry among some health professionals that daily use of marijuana for medical reasons could have negative, long-term implications on pulmonary health.”

Read more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=casual-marijuana-smoking&fb_action_ids=462987810404532&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Casual Pot Smoking Not Harmful: Study – NBC

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“Tokers rejoice – a new study shows occasional marijuana smoking does not harm your lungs. It also shows that smoking pot is not as bad for you as smoking cigarettes.

The UC San Francisco research shows smoking marijuana once a week does not harm lungs. The results bolsters evidence that weed doesn’t damage your health like tobacco.

The study’s conclusion was printed like this:  “Occasional and low cumulative marijuana use was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function.””

Read more: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Casual-Pot-Smoking-Not-Harmful-Study-137045308.html

Marijuana not a threat to lungs

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“Marijuana smoke does not damage lungs in the same manner as tobacco smoke, according to a study released Jan. 11. The study found that smoking marijuana on an occasional basis does not appear to significantly damage the lungs.”

“Marijuana Smoke Not as Damaging as Tobacco, Says Study (ABC News)”

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/marijuana-poses-no-threat-to-lungs-1326344236-slideshow/