cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Aids Therapy





Marijuana Aids Therapy
Posted by CN Staff on September 12, 2006 at 20:14:08 PT
By Rick Weiss
Source: Washington Post
Washington, DC -- Marijuana can improve the effectiveness of drug therapy for hepatitis C, a potentially deadly viral infection that affects more than 3 million Americans, a study has found. The work adds to a growing literature supporting the notion that in some circumstances pot can offer medical benefits.Treatment for hepatitis C involves months of therapy with two powerful drugs, interferon and ribavirin, that have severe side effects, including extreme fatigue, nausea, muscle aches, loss of appetite and depression. Because of those side effects, many patients do not finish treatment and the virus ends up destroying their livers.
Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco and at an Oakland substance abuse center tracked the progress of 71 hepatitis C patients taking the difficult therapy. Tests and interviews indicated that 22 smoked marijuana every day or two during the treatment period while 49 rarely or never did.At the end of the six-month treatment, 19 (86 percent) of those who used marijuana had successfully completed the therapy -- meaning they took at least 80 percent of their doses over at least 80 percent of the period. Only 29 (59 percent) of the nonsmokers achieved that goal.Similarly, 54 percent of the marijuana users achieved a "sustained virological response," the gold standard goal of therapy, meaning they had no sign of the virus in their bodies six months after the treatment was over. That compared with only 18 percent of those who did not smoke pot.While it is possible that the marijuana had a specific, positive biomedical effect, it is more likely that it helped patients by reducing depression, improving appetite and offering psychological benefits that helped the patients tolerate the treatment's side effects, the team reports in the current issue of the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.Source: Washington Post (DC)Author:  Rick WeissPublished: Saturday, August 12, 2006; A03Copyright: 2006 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by whig on September 25, 2006 at 12:23:05 PT
Stan White
Amen.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on September 25, 2006 at 06:55:38 PT
The GCW
Thank you for all you do. You are a remarkable person to me. 
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Comment #16 posted by The GCW on September 25, 2006 at 04:30:02 PT
US DC: PUB LTE: Maligned Marijuana
US DC: PUB LTE: Maligned MarijuanaPubdate: Wed, 20 Sep 2006Source: Washington Post (DC)MALIGNED MARIJUANA It seems as if every week medical researchers, universities and journals report more benefits and therapies available from cannabis/marijuana ["Marijuana Aids Therapy," Vital Evidence, Sept. 13] with fewer side effects. How much longer can the Drug Enforcement Administration's reefer madness keep cannabis away from American citizens? Stan White Dillon, Colo. 
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Comment #15 posted by mayan on September 13, 2006 at 17:36:20 PT
whig
I have read some reviews but haven't watched it yet. It sounds as though it is aimed at a more mainstream audience, which is a good and necessary thing at this point in the game. If it can get average folks to question the countless anomalies of the official 9/11 account then maybe they will realize that nobody or no government could be so incompetent even if they tried to be. From what I've read that movie could be the straw that breaks the fascists backs as it will enable any fence sitters to connect the dots and realize that there was indeed gov't complicity. 
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 16:20:23 PT
Whig
I am not sure if it is allowed but I think Google still accepts full length movies. YouTube has a size restriction but I haven't uploaded anything for a long time so things might have changed. It's a good idea. I don't know if they need to make money with it though. If so that would wipe out any profit. 
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Comment #13 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 16:17:16 PT
FoM
I wish films like Waiting to Inhale would be put on Youtube or made available for download in some form, because even people who cannot afford to buy a DVD (assuming they have a DVD player) or go to a movie theater (assuming one will be showing it nearby) should see this information.
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Comment #12 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 16:13:50 PT
mayan
Have you seen and do you have an opinion on the movie, 9/11 Press for the Truth. Some people on the progressive blogosphere are promoting that now, but they tend to not talk about 9/11 truth generally so I'm not sure where this film is likely to be coming from.http://www.911pressfortruth.com/storyI think it's a good thing that people are talking and every perspective is fine no matter how skeptical as long as it is honest and doesn't prejudge or conceal the facts.
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Comment #11 posted by ekim on September 13, 2006 at 11:33:02 PT
this caught my eye
Andrea Barthwell, former deputy drug czar and current PR consultant to GW Pharmaceuticalsthis event should prove interesting as former drug cop turns consultant----one wonders how many humans have had familys and selves destroyed --now to hear that oh ya there is Medical Value in that Cannabis Plant -- will she say Sorry or just GIVE ME THE MONEY.Kal MI -- the Apjohn LLC is in charge of sheperding Sativexthur the phase three trials in the US. Odd thing no one in Kalamazoo has been able to ge any info as to where and who is being used in these trials. ----wonder where DR Russo has been 
http://www.leap.cc.events
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 11:14:20 PT
Ekim
I am not going but I bought the movie and it is very good. I have shared it with a couple of people and they thought it was very good too.http://www.waitingtoinhale.org/
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on September 13, 2006 at 11:08:24 PT
anyone going to this event---------
 Waiting to Inhale - DC Screening and Debate 
http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm
Come to the world premiere of the 55-minute version of this award-winning documentary on medical marijuana, and stay for a debate featuring Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of DPA, and Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. They will take on David Murray, special assistant to the White House drug czar, and Andrea Barthwell, former deputy drug czar and current PR consultant to GW Pharmaceuticals.September 13, 2006
Washington, DC
http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm
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Comment #8 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 10:39:46 PT
Multiple sclerosis
I have heard anecdotal reports of people who were confined practically to a wheelchair and who have become functional again through consumption of large amounts of cannabis. This is something I've been looking for, and I don't have anyone who I can quote directly on this yet, but my friends who are well connected with the patients' and other groups out here have said they know people who it has helped to that degree.I really want to make a blog post out of this but I'm not sure I have enough to go on yet.
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Comment #7 posted by whig on September 13, 2006 at 10:30:37 PT
Paul Armentano
I posted your press release and linked the disease indications to the appropriate Wikipedia entries so that people who don't know what those illnesses all are can find out how people are suffering from things that cannabis can help.http://tinyurl.com/gajk6
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 13, 2006 at 08:39:03 PT
Paul Armentano
Thank you!
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Comment #5 posted by paul armentano on September 13, 2006 at 08:13:41 PT
FROM THE REPORT'S INTRODUCTION
Despite continued political debates regarding the recreational use of cannabis, clinical investigations of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids are now more prevalent than at any time in history. A search of the PubMed website quantifies this dramatic upturn. For example, a key word search using the terms “cannabis, cannabinoids, THC, and marijuana” for the year 1982 yields only 231 published articles on the subject (down from the previous decade’s high of 419 articles in 1972.) However, this annual total has been rising almost every year since then, with more than 800 journal articles published in 2002, and nearly 700 articles published during the first half of 2006.While much of the renewed interest in cannabinoid therapeutics is a result of the discovery of the endocannabinoid regulatory system, at least some of this increased attention is due to the growing body of testimonials from medicinal cannabis patients. Nevertheless, despite this influx of anecdotal reports, much of the modern investigation of cannabinoids remains limited to preclinical (animal) studies of individual cannabinoids (e.g. THC or cannabidiol) and/or synthetic cannabinoid agonists (e.g., dronabinol or WIN 55,212-2) rather than clinical trial investigations of whole smoked cannabis. Predictably, because of the US government’s strong public policy stance against any use of cannabis, the bulk of this modern research is taking place outside the United States.While the initial clinical investigations of cannabis in the 1960s and 1970s primarily assessed the potential therapeutic use of cannabinoids to provide symptomatic relief (e.g.,the alleviation of chemotherapy-induce nausea), investigators today are now exploring the potential role of cannabis and cannabinoids to moderate the progression of various life-threatening diseases — in particular, autoimmune disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease.) Investigators are also beginning to study the anti-cancer activities of cannabinoids, as a growing number of recently published studies indicate the ability of cannabinoids to reduce the proliferation of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (program cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago.The following report is a comprehensive summary of the most recently published research (2000-2006) on the therapeutic use cannabis and cannabinoids for 15 separate clinical indications: Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, dystonia,fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, gliomas,hepatitis C, hypertension, incontinence,osteoporosis, pruritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, and Tourette's syndrome. In some of these cases, modern science is now affirming longtime anecdotal reports of medicinal cannabis users (e.g., the use of cannabis to alleviate GI disorders). In other cases, this research is highlighting entirely new potential clinical utilities for cannabinoids (e.g., the use of cannabinoids to modify the progression of diabetes.)Readers familiar with the medical efficacy of cannabinoids will note that modern research highlighting more established therapeutic uses for cannabinoids, such as in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and chronic pain, are not included in this report. This is not because additional clinical investigations of cannabinoids for these established indications are not taking place. Rather, it is because research in these areas is already fairly well vetted in both the public and scientific arena. (e.g., Synthetic THC is already available by prescriptionin the US and Europe as an anti-emetic agent and appetite stimulant; natural cannabis extracts are available in Canada as an analgesic for MS-associated neuropathic pain.) It is NORML’s hope that the modern science supporting the potential therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids for the emerging indications addressed here will become equally well established among both the medicinal cannabis community and the public.Paul Armentano
Senior Policy Analyst
NORML | NORML Foundation
Washington, DC
September 13, 2006
 
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002
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Comment #4 posted by paul armentano on September 13, 2006 at 08:11:44 PT
COMPREHENSIVE NORML MEDI-POT REPORT NOW ONLINE
Please take a moment today to check out NORML's new report: "Emerging Clinical Applications For Cannabis & Cannabinoids: A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature, 2000 – 2006." This report reviews over 120+ recently published studies on the medical use of cannabis and cannabinoids for 15 specific disease indications, and argues that cannabinoids may moderate the progression of various life-threatening diseases, rather than simply provide symptomatic relief. The 34 page report (which includes more than 150 citations to source material) is available online in both HTML and PDF formats at: http://www.norml.org//index.cfm?Group_ID=7002.The report will also be discussed on today's NORML podcast (with Mitch Earleywine) at:http://www.normlaudiostash.com.I've included both a press release about the report, as well as an excerpt from the report's Introduction below.Best Regards,
Paul Armentano
Senior Policy Analyst****************************************************************************NEW REPORT SUMMARIZES THE ROLE OF CANNABIS IN MODERATING DISEASE PROGRESSIONReview Of 120+ Recent Scientific Trials Reveals That In US, Politics Trumps Science 
 
Washington, DC: Recently published clinical and preclinical research on the therapeutic use of cannabis indicates that cannabinoids may curb the progression of various life-threatening diseases — in particular, autoimmune disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease) – according to a comprehensive new report published today by the NORML Foundation.
 
The NORML Foundation report summarizes over 120 recently published trials assessing the therapeutic utility of cannabinoids for the treatment of fifteen specific disease indications: Alzheimer's Disease | Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | Diabetes Mellitus
| Dystonia | Fibromyalgia | Gastrointestinal Disorders | Gliomas | Hepatitis C | Hypertension | Incontinence | Osteoporosis | Pruritis | Rheumatoid | Arthritis | Sleep Apnea | Tourette's Syndrome 
“Despite continued political debates regarding the recreational use of cannabis, clinical investigations of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids are now more prevalent than at any time in history,” states the report’s author, NORML Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano. “In some of these cases, modern science is now affirming longtime anecdotal reports of medicinal cannabis users. In other cases, this research is highlighting entirely new potential clinical utilities for cannabinoids.” 
Whereas initial clinical investigations into the therapeutic use of cannabis focused primarily on whether cannabinoids might provide symptomatic relief, investigators today are exploring the potential role of cannabinoids to inhibit the progression of several life-threatening diseases – including cancer, Armentano says.
 
 
“Arguably, this latter trend represents far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago,” he concludes. “Unfortunately, because of the US government’s strong public policy stance against any use of marijuana, the bulk of this modern research is taking place outside the United States and continues to go unrecognized in North America. Nevertheless, the emerging body of clinical and preclinical work published over the past six years makes it clear that the US government’s stance against the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids is based on politics, not science.” 
Full text of the report, “Emerging Clinical Applications For Cannabis & Cannabinoids: A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature, 2000 – 2006,” is available online in HTML and PDF formats at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002. 
 
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Foundation Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500 or via e-mail at: paul norml.org. 
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on September 13, 2006 at 06:55:34 PT
FoM
The work adds to a growing literature supporting the notion that in some circumstances pot can offer medical benefits.It is great news! Cannabis could benefit millions of people. The masses are talking to each other and learning more new things about this miracle plant every day! The federal government knew the day would come when millions of us would not ask, but demand to have our cannabis. That's one reason why the corporate duopoly has tried to insulate itself from us but the fascists can't hide. There are way too many of us and the day in which their dwindling numbers will be forced to listen is quickly drawing near. Their war OF terror was devised to neutralize us but it's now backfiring on them bigtime. The two parties will either listen to us or watch us form a parallel government (no Diebold machines!) like the people are doing in Mexico. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Conspiracy Types Lecture Regular Folks at Ground Zero: 
http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/powerplays/archives/002835.phpGround Zero Protest With Alex Jones - Part 1 (video):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5318381050582557158Ground Zero Protest With Alex Jones - Part 2 (video):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2058900307247947089UNH trustees refuse group's demands to review prof's teaching:
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=UNH+trustees+refuse+group%27s+demands+to+review+prof%27s+teaching&articleId=e19c9e6c-7e3a-4caa-a631-2a5a7eafabd1VIDEO: The Debate: Loose Change Vs. Popular Mechanics:
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/september2006/120906debate.htmAP 9/11 Report Features Alex jones (video):
http://www.infowars.com/articles/sept11/video_ap_bush_gz_visit_alex.htmVIDEO: Professor Steven Jones On Thermite: 
http://www.infowars.com/articles/sept11/steven_jones_on_thermite.htmControlled Demolition Expert On Dutch TV Says WTC 7 Was Imploded (video):
http://www.infowars.com/articles/sept11/controlled_demolition_expert_and_wtc_7.htm
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Comment #2 posted by TroutMask on September 13, 2006 at 06:04:21 PT
Huge News
Is there a pill that provides these results????If not, this is way gigantic huge since there would be no "existing, legal medication" providing these astounding results.-TM
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 12, 2006 at 20:17:05 PT
Hepatitis C
This is very good news I think.
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