cannabisnews.com: Marijuana's Benefits Explored










  Marijuana's Benefits Explored

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 CarterSource: University Daily Kansan, The (Lawrence, KS Edu)Author: Anna Faltermeier, Kansan Staff Writer Published: Wednesday, October 11, 2006Copyright: 2006 The University Daily KansanContact: editor kansan.comWebsite: http://www.kansan.com/Related Articles:Pot Helps in Fighting Alzheimer's, Study Sayshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22255.shtmlMarijuana May Stave Off Alzheimer's: Studyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22243.shtmlMarijuana's Key Ingredient May Fight Alzheimershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22241.shtml

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Comment #8 posted by charmed quark on October 12, 2006 at 04:29:48 PT
Antipsychotic drugs not worth it for Alzheimer's
I just read a review of a study by the National Institute of Mental health which just completed the first phase of a study of the effectiveness of the most common drugs used to treat Alzheimer's patients with delusions and aggression. It concluded the drugs weren't very effective and weren't worth the side effects, which include sudden death and parkinson-like symptoms.http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/15736120.htmThis is a blow for people who are trying to care for relatives in the home, as they are left with very little to deal with these symptoms.It's a shame the article didn't mention THC - "Results from a Phase II, multi-center study found dronabinol, a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana, reduces agitation in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the research concluded that reduced agitation may contribute to the relief of caregiver burden associated with the condition". Functional and cognitive improvements were noted as well. This was for late-stage patients. No significant side effects were noted. (agitation reduced in 67%, 37% had improved mental function, 69% had functional improvements.) This was presented in the May 2003 American Geriatrics Society annual meeting. Studies going back to 1997 have backed this up, as well as shown that it helps with the anorexia associated with this disease. Not to mention that it may slow the progression of Alzheimers so the patients may never develop these more severe behaviors.I bet you anything that whole cannabis, or at least a balanced blend of cannabinoids, would work even better.
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Comment #7 posted by BGreen on October 11, 2006 at 22:04:18 PT
Frank Zappa considered cigarettes "food"
Zappa and Nat King Cole paid the ultimate price for their foolishness.(All content in blue is from the Wicipedia)Nat King Cole, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer in February 1965 while still at the height of his singing career (one month before his 46th birthday.)Frank Zappa died on December 4, 1993, age 52 of prostate cancer.Both of these heavy tobacco users died of cancer at really young ages.There are some people who believed that heroin helped them musically, but they were wrong, too.(Charlie) Parker died while watching Tommy Dorsey on television in the suite at the Stanhope Hotel belonging to his friend and patroness Nica de Koenigswarter. Though the official cause of death was pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, his death was doubtlessly hastened by his drug and alcohol abuse. The 34-year-old Parker was so haggard that the coroner mistakenly estimated Parker's age to be between 50 and 60.Compare those to this long-time daily cannabis user:Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack on July 6, 1971, at age 69.The cannabis smoker got 35 years longer on this earth than the alcoholic heroin addict, and 17 to 25 years longer than the tobacco-only smokers.Even faced with these startling facts, our wonderful LEO's and law makers would rather take our cannabis and give us 35 years in prison.Well Hello, Dolly!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #6 posted by lombar on October 11, 2006 at 20:31:46 PT
BGreen
from the wiki on Nat King Cole."Nat was a heavy smoker, smoking up to three packs a day. He believed smoking kept his voice low. (He would, in fact, smoke several cigarettes in quick succession before a recording for this very purpose."I used to get bronchitis but not since I quit smoking tobacco. The data they depend upon may not be cannabis-only smokers but europeans (who mix with tobacco) and people who smoke other things...
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 11, 2006 at 20:06:15 PT

Storm Crow
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
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Comment #4 posted by BGreen on October 11, 2006 at 19:35:59 PT

Mr. Smith is "Lost In Space"
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
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Comment #2 posted by mayan on October 11, 2006 at 17:52:46 PT

They've Known All Along 
“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!
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Comment #1 posted by Sukoi on October 11, 2006 at 17:29:24 PT

This is interesting...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1411501289475377028&q=medical+cannabis&hl=en
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