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| Marijuana's Benefits Explored |
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Posted by CN Staff on October 11, 2006 at 14:43:25 PT By Anna Faltermeier Source: Daily Kansan 
USA -- The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, may be the most effective drug for treating the declining effects of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study done by the Scripps Research Institute.Bill Smith, public health educator at the KU Wellness Resource Center, said the study’s results seemed promising. Smith said it’s not a cure, but at least a good treatment could come out of it. The study, which appeared in the Oct. 2 issue of Molecular Pharmaceutics, isolated a synthetic form of the active ingredient in marijuana, a compound called THC. The study found that THC “competitively inhibited” the formation of harmful plaques in the brain. THC stopped the plaque build up of AChE, the enzyme that speeds up the formation of harmful plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. THC was more effective than the two leading drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, donepezil and tacrine. It almost completely reduced AChE from forming harmful plaques, whereas donepezil and tacrine did so only 22 percent and 7 percent of the time. Perhaps to the dismay of supporters to legalize the drug, Smith said this didn’t mean students should go out and smoke marijuana. “Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years for a variety of things, and it does have some uses, but there are also negatives,” Smith said. He said long-term problems related to marijuana use could include symptoms of chronic bronchitis, difficulty sustaining and shifting attention and difficulty registering, processing and using information. Short-term problems related to marijuana use could include memory and learning problems, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety and panic attacks. According to the Alzheimer’s Association Web site, about 4.5 million American’s have Alzheimer’s. It’s estimated this number will more than double by 2050. The average cost of care for an Alzheimer’s patient is $174,000. Laura Green, executive director of Drug Policy Forum of Kansas, said she thought the study was just another in a long line of studies that show the beneficial properties of marijuana. “It shows what a lot of people have known for a long time, including the U.S. government, that marijuana has properties that are beneficial to people’s health,” Green said. Green said marijuana was legal for medicinal purposes in 11 states. In Kansas there is no protection for any use of marijuana. Some people are hopeful that new treatments will come out of this study. “I think what this study is showing is that if you can isolate the good effects of it, then that’s a healthier way to do it,” Smith said. Note: Active ingredient, THC, shown to prevent formation of harmful plaque in the brain THC was more effective than the two leading drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, donepezil and tacrine. It almost completely reduced AChE from forming harmful plaques, whereas donepezil and tacrine did so only 22 percent and 7 percent of the time. Edited by Jacky Carter Source: University Daily Kansan, The (Lawrence, KS Edu) Related Articles: Pot Helps in Fighting Alzheimer's, Study Says Marijuana May Stave Off Alzheimer's: Study Marijuana's Key Ingredient May Fight Alzheimers Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 11, 2006 at 20:06:15 PT |
| Because the url was too long I replaced the link with the tiny url and will remove your post because it made the page where we have to scroll sideways. I hope you understand. "Some Alzheimer's Drugs Very Risky": http://tinyurl.com/qekjg [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by BGreen on October 11, 2006 at 19:35:59 PT |
| If chronic bronchitis was a common occurrence in cannabis smokers then I would have seen at least one person in my lifetime suffering from it. I have NEVER seen any kind of deleterious effects from cannabis in any of the people in my profession of music, but I've seen alcohol destroy the creative and physical abilities of many great artists. None of the singers I've worked with smoked tobacco because of how it would destroye their voice, but the great majority of those singers still smoked cannabis. The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Storm Crow on October 11, 2006 at 19:00:44 PT |
| "Some Alzheimer's Drugs Very Risky"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061012/ap_on_he_me/alzheimer_s_aggression;_ylt=Alc2bRo6AMq3JYtBtB1jFF.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3czJjNGZoBHNlYwM3NTE- [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by mayan on October 11, 2006 at 17:52:46 PT |
| “It shows what a lot of people have known for a long time, including the U.S. government, that marijuana has properties that are beneficial to people’s health,” Green said. That is why the U.S. government banned it. They wouldn't want people to be able to grow their own medicine! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Sukoi on October 11, 2006 at 17:29:24 PT |
| http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1411501289475377028&q=medical+cannabis&hl=en [ Post Comment ] |
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