cannabisnews.com: MJ Compound May Help Stop Diabetic Retinopathy





MJ Compound May Help Stop Diabetic Retinopathy
Posted by CN Staff on August 22, 2006 at 12:57:08 PT
Press Release
Source: NewsTarget Network
USA -- A compound found in marijuana won’t make you high but it may help keep your eyes healthy if you’re a diabetic, researchers say. Early studies indicate cannabidiol works as a consummate multi-tasker to protect the eye from growing a plethora of leaky blood vessels, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy, says Dr. Gregory I. Liou, molecular biologist at the Medical College of Georgia.
“We are studying the role of cannabinoid receptors in our body and trying to modulate them so we can defend against diabetic retinopathy,” Dr. Liou says. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults and affects nearly 16 million Americans. High glucose levels resulting from unmanaged diabetes set in motion a cascade ultimately causing the oxygen-deprived retina to grow more blood vessels. Ironically, the leaky surplus of vessels can ultimately destroy vision. Dr. Liou, who recently received a $300,000 grant from the American Diabetes Association, wants to intervene earlier in the process, as healthy relationships inside the retina first start to go bad. Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body and endogenous cannabinoids are produced to act on them. “Their function is very different from organ to organ but in the central nervous system, cannabinoid receptors are responsible for the neutralization process that should occur after a nerve impulse is finished,” says Dr. Liou. Nerves come together at a point of communication called a synapse. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that excites these nerves to action at their point of communication. “There are also inhibitory neurotransmitters such as GABA,” Dr. Liou says. Endogenous cannabinoids help balance the excitation and inhibition, at least until oxygen gets scarce. In the face of inadequate oxygen, or ischemia – another hallmark of diabetes – nerve endings start producing even more glutamate, setting in motion an unhealthy chain of events. Pumps that keep the right substances inside or outside of cells start to malfunction. Excess nitric oxide and superoxides are produced, which are toxic to the cells. Another irony is the heightened activity increases the retina’s need for oxygen. “We are talking about nerve cell death,” Dr. Liou says. “In the retina, if a lot of our nerve cells die, our vision is directly affected.” And that’s not all that goes wrong in the nerve-packed retina. Nearby microglial cells, which can function as cell-eating scavengers in the body, sense something is going wrong with the nerve cells, become activated and start an inflammatory process that can be fatal to nerve cells. Interestingly, the body starts producing more endogenous cannabinoids to stop glutamate release, then produces an enzyme to destroy the cannabinoids to keep them from continuing to accumulate. The same thing happens in the brain after a stroke. That’s why cannabidiol, an antioxidant, may help save the retina. Test-tube studies by others, as well as Dr. Liou’s pilot studies in diabetic animal models show cannabidiol works to interrupt essentially all these destructive points of action. “What we believe cannabidiol does is go in here as an antioxidant to neutralize the toxic superoxides. Number two, it inhibits the self-destructive system and allows the self-produced endogenous cannabinoids to stay there longer by inhibiting the enzyme that destroys them.” Cannabidiol also helps keep microglial cells from turning on nerve cells by inhibiting cannabinoid receptors on microglial cells that are at least partially responsible for their ability to destroy the cells. “Cannabinoids are trying to ease the situation on both sides. They help save the neuron and, at the same time, make sure the microglial cells don’t become activated. How good do you want a drug to be?” Dr. Liou says. His earliest studies in animal models, published in the January issue of the American Journal of Pathology, indicate it may be very good. Co-authors on the study include Dr. Azza B. El-Remessy, MCG Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Drs. Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, Nai-Tse Tsai and Ruth B. Caldwell, MCG Vascular Biology Center; and Dr. Yousuf Khalifa, MCG Department of Ophthalmology. “We are very pleased,” he says of studies in which cannabidiol is injected into diabetic rats and mice. Source: NewsTarget Network (Taiwan)Published: August 22, 2006 Copyright: 2006 NewsTarget Network Website: http://www.newstarget.com/URL: http://www.newstarget.com/020087.htmlContact: http://www.newstarget.com/feedback.htmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on August 25, 2006 at 11:09:04 PT
Paul
I am glad that you are still a free man and moving ahead. We gotta keep on truckin!
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Comment #50 posted by paulpeterson on August 25, 2006 at 11:06:58 PT
charmed quirk & greenmed
Good posts, citizens. True, this "deficiency syndrome" can be corrected, either by cannabinoid therapy or Omega 3 input (and don't forget to lose those "trans fatty acids" quick, quirk).Is there any downside to cannabinoid therapy? I don't think that is possible, based upon the survey of the research so far. Maybe the increased appetite may cause some obesity effects for people that still keep their blood-brain barrier clogged with TFA's-or don't make behavioral changes like watching closely who is following them-remember that putting a person in a small cage stops "neurogenesis" meaning that there are serious side effects from being in "therapy" if you get my drift.Maybe there are some other side effects as well-such as changes in the constituency of the immune system (might down-grade some overreactive t cell conditions, etc.).Also, people with excessive plumbing stoppages, from many years of Omega 3 & TFA poisoning, may have a brief uptake in blood pressure which could precipitate a heart attack in the first minutes after inhalation of you know what.For people with high blood pressure that might spike above the danger level, I would definately recommend a few days of fish oil therapy to reduce risk of infarct-before toasting the tube.But remember, the God's own produced balanced therapy intake system with many buffers built into the system from the get-go help to keep that from happening.And I will keep you people posted as to my current status of "regime change" in Northwest Iowa. Right now the KKK is distributing flyers in my hometown. That brought the ACLU involved because of police attempts to "identify" the leafleteers. Kind of strange, though, that the ACLU wanted nothing to do with me, but they jump into action for KKK folks that have a history of violence and mayhem?Maybe those regional headlines they got on the KKK slant might just bring them into town for other issues as well, eh?Just keep those discussions going about ECDS & Omega 3 deficiency (they go hand in hand-one of the things Omega 3 is needed to produce is the "endocannabinoids"-really!)PAUL PETERSON, still a free man and still moving ahead.
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Comment #49 posted by greenmed on August 24, 2006 at 09:32:45 PT
#48
"What I am proposing is that endocannabinoid deficiency may be either abnormally low levels of endocannabinoids, or more likely a decoupling of the system at the cellular level (specifically an over-abundance of CB1 and CB2 receptors) resulting from poor diet."I tried to outline a mechanism that would increase CB receptors, but I kept getting the result that low anandamide levels would result in decreased, rather than increased numbers of CB receptors. Both very large and very small receptor densities would decouple the endocannabinoid system, but I should correct the statement above with:"(specifically an under-expression of CB1 and CB2 receptors)"The "turnover time" for recycling proteins like CB1 and CB2 is on the order of weeks, approximately the amount of time after initial cannabis use it takes to build up sufficient numbers of CB receptors to remedy an endocannabinoid deficiency, depending on severity.The third time in as many weeks worked for me, thirty years ago. Colombian Gold it was.
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Comment #48 posted by greenmed on August 23, 2006 at 19:41:16 PT
We are a cannabinoid deficient society
The simple diagnosis for endocannabinoid deficiency is to partake of cannabis. If it has an effect, the cannabinoid system is intact, and there is no deficiency. On the other hand if a novice user gets absolutely no effect, THC is unable to interact with what is, for them, a "decoupled" cannabinoid system. If THC has no effect, anandamide stands no chance at all as it is present in such minute amounts (CB receptors were discovered *years* before anandamide, the first endocannabinoid discovered).Fortunately, endocannabinoid deficiency can be corrected with several weeks of THC therapy (even intermittent and low-dose) until typical response is obtained. A lifetime of the typical western diet with its low levels/bad ratios of Omega fatty acids is no doubt a major contributing factor. Fortunately, the treatment/therapy is like flipping a switch ... even for those who decide, after achieving the typical effects, never to partake again.What I am proposing is that endocannabinoid deficiency may be either abnormally low levels of endocannabinoids, or more likely a decoupling of the system at the cellular level (specifically an over-abundance of CB1 and CB2 receptors) resulting from poor diet.
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Comment #47 posted by whig on August 23, 2006 at 18:35:11 PT
cq 
I don't think statins are beneficial.
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Comment #46 posted by Hope on August 23, 2006 at 18:28:53 PT
Paul
I'm thankful you aren't in the hospital and drugged into a zombie. Stay free, man. Stay free. 
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Comment #45 posted by charmed quark on August 23, 2006 at 16:52:44 PT
Are we a cannabinoid deficient society
When I see all these conditions that cannabinoids help treat, I sometimes wonder what the downside is. Medicines that are this powerful have negative effects for those who don't need them. Yet the negatives for cannabinoids seem very minor compared to the beneficial effects.I wonder if it's like the statin cholesterol drugs ( Lipitor, Zocar, etc.). They have some negative efeects, but in out society, due to our diet and possibly lifestyle, the vast majority of people over a certain age can get a benefit from them. Some docotrs have said that we should add them to the water supply!Maybe something about our modern lifestyle makes most of us cannabinoid deficient, so the vast majority of us could get a benefit from regular cannabinoid exposure.
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Comment #44 posted by whig on August 23, 2006 at 16:06:03 PT
If you think conspiracy theories are ridiculous...
http://cannablog.wordpress.com/2006/08/23/dont-believe-conspiracy-theories/
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Comment #43 posted by whig on August 23, 2006 at 16:02:48 PT
Paul
That is fantastic news, and congratulations to you for standing up and defending yourself. I wonder if the police will want to apologize. Nah, I didn't think they would.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on August 23, 2006 at 16:02:34 PT
Paul
You are welcome for this forum to share what you are doing. I don't understand a lot of lawyer type things but I'm sure others might. I mind dealing within the court system so I have avoided it as much as possible. I hope everything works out for you.
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Comment #41 posted by paulpeterson on August 23, 2006 at 15:47:42 PT
whig, Hope, ekim, Fom-good news
Today I just went through a full day trial on my "interference with official acts" criminal charge in front of a totally recalcitrant judge that had tried already to block my attempt to get a rehearing on my "civil commitment" matter, now pending before the Iowa Supreme Court.Yesterday, in fact, the Iowa Supreme Court blocked my attempts to get a "TRO"-"Temporary Restraining Order" blocking the trial, because this judge had failed and refused to give me any releif in spite of multiple motions I had filed due to my lack of money for subpoenas and sure loss in light of lack of any witnesses "friendly" to my case. It looked blackn and bleak last night when I went to bed-my own sister was being forced to drive 4 hours to testify "for me" in that she witnessed about two minutes of my handcuffing by the wrong goon-but she is my total enemy about the need for political change on you know what-she was planning to answer questions posed by the goon squad-to the effect that she was going to testify that years of smoking pot had "blown my brain" and that I needed "help" and I had no business interjecting myself in police business-the Hispanic lad without a coat had NO BUSINESS LEAVING HOME WITHOUT ONE.I was the bad guy, and I am being unfair and ruthless in my attacks in the editorial pages regarding the county prosecutor-"long live the king" or something like it.She even believes the local police are helping to save us from thos vicious drug "fiends" that she so generously places me in the camp of and with-Paul, you should just take your lumps and admit that you need help and stop saying all those bad things about our leaders.Well, I filed a big Motion to Recuse the judge for bias and partiality, based upon his past rulings (one of which I have specifically appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court, recall). I had to state that since I just did an "end run" to get that other case away from him, to have him continue to be my judge on the "criminal case" would be an invitation for specific "RETALIATION" and I also had filed a "Motion in Limine" to block him from considering anything about my "mental impairment" or any evidence associated with that issue in this criminal matter.This morning was spent entirely going through all my motions filed to date. One by one, each one was denied by him, except he then allowed my "Motion in Limine". Then he did allow an order issuing a subpoena for the most important witness that is so scared of the local goons he wanted to have nothing to do with me for the past 5 months.The sheriff's office located him and he was awaiting his turn on the witness chair-but going out of town tomorrow and it was getting to 4 pm (when all judges disappear and turn into pumpkins, I understand).Things looked bad, after cross-examining police officers all afternoon as they made me look like poop for "refusing to leave the scene" after being told to leave police alone, etc. Then, at the close of the "State's" case, he revisited my "Motion to Dismiss" filed 3/16/06, and after chiding me for getting involved in police action which I shouldn't have done (even though somebody's civil rights were involved) he DISMISSED THE CHARGE-since the state hadn't proven that I made a real "threat" or had any potential to make good on such a "threat" in the first place.Case over, end of the story, now the state cannot even "appeal" the dismissal of this simple "misdemeanor", meaning also, of course, that since there is a transcript of the proceedings, I may just have proven that two cops committed perjury on the stand, but that is another story, and for another day, and which will have to wait until my friend gets elected as county prosecutor in a few months, so he can bring such charges. Now, I can relax just a bit, and await the dismissal order, which now will prove that since I did not "interfere" the first time, the previous judge that "fudged me" because, as he stated to wit: "(I) might interfere again", is REVERSIBLE ERROR, since I didn't do it the first time, dig?This also means that the last 8 months of hassle I have undergone with this prosecution just gave me a mantle of defensibility against further goon action, since they won't want to piss me off right now, I think, eh?Thanks for listening at least, and I am thankful to you folks for allowing me this forum for expressing my thoughts and frustrations, at times, at least.And I hope you have enjoyed today's installment in my own local war against vicious prosecution.And keep up the good word about the research that is just poUring in these days. PAUL PETERSON
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Comment #40 posted by Hope on August 23, 2006 at 12:16:53 PT
 "I hope that made sense to you."
It did.It's pretty obvious...to me, anyway...that evolution is part of intelligent design.
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Comment #39 posted by whig on August 23, 2006 at 12:16:11 PT
Hope
We cultivated cannabis in the time of Eden.
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Comment #38 posted by whig on August 23, 2006 at 12:12:46 PT
Hope
Trust that God put cannabis and us together here for a purpose.I believe in evolution but I believe that every organism has free will and that will is part of God's consciousness. I believe that as each creature chooses a mate, it determines the characteristics of the next generation, and evolution proceeds by a series of intelligent choices made by mating pairs who are within God's consciousness.I get so annoyed at the stupid debate between the Intelligent Design and Evolutionists. Both are right but unwilling to consider the other's perspective, and both are wrong because they don't understand that the other's perspective is right. I hope that made sense to you.It's not that cannabis evolves the same way as animals, plants in nature reproduce by fundamentally more random processes, fertilization by pollen drifting in the wind. But it works this way too: animals pollinate plants they like. That is how selections are made between generations of plants. Bees who prefer a certain flower will cause there to be more of those flowers. Intelligent evolution of the flower, according to bee intelligence, which is part of God's consciousness.We've cultivated cannabis like bees cultivate honey. It was made for us because we found it to be good for food, it is our flower. It could be, but need not be, our single plant. It provides complete nutrition, along with all of its other wonderful effects.Cannabis was made for us, it is the tree of life.
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on August 23, 2006 at 10:27:52 PT
Nah...that couldn't be right...
We're far from single plant consumers. 
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on August 23, 2006 at 10:26:49 PT
Dankhank...comment 34
Maybe people are supposed to be the organism that cannabis was made for.Trim it. Watch it grow. Trim it. Watch it grow.Grow. Grow. Grow.
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Comment #35 posted by Hope on August 23, 2006 at 10:24:23 PT
Kaptin ...comment 26
"Perhaps a belwether of things to come?"I sure hope so...but whichever and whatever...a career politician ought to take a good, searching look at what might have brought the Murkowski down. 
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Comment #34 posted by Dankhank on August 23, 2006 at 10:04:09 PT
Where from?
In 1994 while at my brother's house, I read my brother's Masters thesis in Microbiology.It was about organisms that appeared to only live and reproduce in the presence of a single plant. They would "eat" the plant and any other same plant found until all were gone, falling into dormancy until lunch again reappeared.He told me that there must be an organism for Cannabis, too, but he didn't mention that in the thesis.I hope I didn't let the cat out of the bag, now ... 
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Comment #33 posted by Toker00 on August 23, 2006 at 09:39:55 PT
That's right, Mayan.
For the last two years, I have talked to the guys at work about the War on Some Drugs. It made telling them about 9-11 Truth much easier. You can't connect Cannabists to terror, but you can connect the Prohibians to terror. As a matter of fact, you could probably lay a drug war map over a map of the war on terror, and it would match perfectly. WE are at war with Pharma-Fascism, AND Oil-Fascism, the War on Drugs, and the War on Terror, the rest of the world only has to deal with the Oil-Fascism. In fighting BOTH, we have a clear picture on how to END both. Guess it's up to us, as usual.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on August 23, 2006 at 09:28:29 PT
Max Flowers
I have St. John's Wort and Valarian Root sitting right next to me at the computer. I pay $10.99 for a 100 capsules of SJW and $13.99 for 100 capsules of VR. I can afford these prices and they work just fine. I have been taking herbs since 94 with no ill effects. I hope they leave it alone.
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Comment #31 posted by Max Flowers on August 23, 2006 at 09:22:23 PT
Wayne (#16)
Maybe you haven't heard of the Codex Alimentarius... there are forces out there trying very hard to make every natural substance from St. John's Wort to spearmint (or should I say from Acidophilus to Zinc) regulated so that we can't get any of them without a prescription and "FDA/UN (!!) approval." I'm talking about every one of the hundreds of health supplements that we have gotten used to being available over the counter. They want to take control of them and make us pay lots more for them and jump through all kinds of hoops to get them. And what's even scarier is that this would not be just an American thing---they want to do this worldwide, Europe included.See http://www.thepowerhour.com/news/codex_info.htm
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on August 23, 2006 at 07:50:11 PT
Paul
Thanks for mentioning it isn't synthetic. It just isn't the whole plant. That's what I mean.
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Comment #29 posted by mayan on August 23, 2006 at 07:42:14 PT
Murkowski
Maybe folks are coming to realize that the same folks who prohibit cannabis in all of it's forms are largely the same folks who either did 9/11 or support the subsequent "war on terror" (war OF terror) in an effort to engage us in perpetual war. Who benefits? Cannabis is a path to sustainability. If we lived sustainably we wouldn't need Middle East oil would we? We wouldn't need war. It's all relative.Exposing 9/11 - Lists & Links:
http://www.commoncapital.net/downloads/lists&links-preview-7-17-0.html
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Comment #28 posted by paul armentano on August 23, 2006 at 07:36:31 PT
Cannabinoids and Diabetes
We're talking about far more than just retinopathy. Please see my lit review below.Best,
Paul ArmentanoA search of the scientific literature reveals no clinical investigations of cannabis for the treatment of diabetes, but does identify a small number of preclinical studies indicating that cannabinoids may modify the disease’s progression and provide symptomatic relief to those suffering from it.[1-2] Most recently, a study published in the journal Autoimmunity reported that injections of 5 mg per day of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD significantly reduced the prevalence of diabetes in mice from an incidence of 86 percent in non-treated controls to an incidence of only 30 percent.[3] In a separate experiment, investigators reported that control mice all developed diabetes at a median of 17 weeks (range 15-20 weeks) while a majority (60 percent) of CBD-treated mice remained diabetes-free at 26 weeks.[4] Investigators also found that CBD significantly lowered plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (proteins), INF-gamma and TNF-alpha, and significantly reduced the severity of insulitis (an infiltration of white blood cells resulting in swelling) compared to non-treated controls. “Our results indicate that CBD can inhibit and delay destructive insulitis and inflammatory … cytokine production in … mice resulting in decreased incidence of diabetes,” authors concluded.Separate preclinical trials have demonstrated cannabinoids to possess additional beneficial effects in animal models of diabetes. Writing in the March 2006 issue of the American Journal of Pathology, researchers at the Medical College of Virginia reported that rats treated with CBD for periods of one to four weeks experienced significant protection from diabetic retinopathy.[5] This condition, which is characterized by retinal oxygen deprivation and a breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier, is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults.Cannabinoids have also been shown to alleviate neuropathic pain associated with the disease. A pair of studies published in the journal Neuroscience Letters in 2004 reported that mice administered a cannabis receptor agonist experienced a reduction in diabetic related tactile allodynia (pain resulting from non-injurious stimulus to the skin) compared to non-treated controls.[6-7] The findings suggest that “cannabinoids have a potential beneficial effect on experimental diabetic neuropathic pain,” investigators concluded. Finally, a 2001 trial demonstrated that delta-9-THC could moderate an animal model of the disease by reducing artificially-elevated glucose levels and insulitis in mice compared to non-treated controls.[8] With incidents of diabetes steadily increasing in both the adult and juvenile population, it would appear that further cannabinoid research is warranted in the treatment of this indication.REFERENCES[1] Croxford and Yamamura. 2005. Cannabinoids and the immune system: Potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Journal of Neuroimmunology 166: 3-18.
 [2] Lu et al. 2006. The cannabinergic system as a target for anti-inflammatory therapies. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 13: 1401-1426. 
 [3] Weiss et al. 2006. Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice. Autoimmunity 39: 143-151.
 [4] Ibid[5] El-Remessy et al. 2006. Neuroprotective and blood-retinal barrier preserving effects of cannabidiol in experimental diabetes. American Journal of Pathology 168: 235-244.
 [6] Dogrul et al. 2004. Cannabinoids block tactile allodynia in diabetic mice without attenuation of its antinociceptive effect. Neuroscience Letters 368: 82-86.
 [7] Ulugol et al. 2004. The effect of WIN 55,212-2, a cannabinoid agonist, on tactile allodynia in diabetic rats. Neuroscience Letters 71: 167-170.
 [8] Li et al. 2001. Examiniation of the immunosuppressive effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in streptozotocin-induced autoimmune diabetes. International Immunopharmacology 4: 699-712.
 
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Comment #27 posted by paul armentano on August 23, 2006 at 07:33:54 PT
This is actually old news...
Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoid Staves Blindness Associated With Diabetes, Study SaysMarch 2, 2006 - Augusta, GA, USAAugusta, GA: Administration of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) prevents retinal cell death in the diabetic retina, and may one day prevent blindness in diabetic patients, according to preclinical data published in the current issue of the American Journal of Pathology.....BTW, cannabidiol (CBD) is a natural, non-psychoactive cannabinoid, not a synthetic.
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6825
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Comment #26 posted by kaptinemo on August 23, 2006 at 06:44:00 PT:
Fearful beat me to it
Arch prohib Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski loses his party standing: http://tinyurl.com/oozd4And you can't help but think a large part of that came from ticking off all those civil libertarians up there who think he was buggo about cannabis, and wasted who-knows-how much of the taxpayer's money in his 'childrens's crusade' to override the State constitution regarding privacy and the herb.Frankie got too big for his britches, and has been hauled in by elements of his own party. Perhaps a belwether of things to come? I keep saying that we as cannabists constitute the single largest voting bloc in America due to crossing every demographic there is. A few weeks back I posted a link to something that was happening out in Fresno, regarding a bait-and-switch maneuever to covertly switch the political party registrations of signatories to a (curiously anonymous i.e. not mentioning either NORML or MPP as sponsors) pro-cannabis legalization from whatever it was to Republican. I mentioned at that site and here that it would seem that Republicans in Fresno have made the realization about our true potential. Let's see if the Dems, who had a major chance in 2002 and again in 2004 to avail themselves of that power, will let that opportunity slip through their fingers again.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on August 23, 2006 at 06:02:46 PT
greenmed 
Yes I agree. Many herbs must be used wisely because of side effects that could develop. Not Cannabis though.
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Comment #24 posted by fearfull on August 23, 2006 at 05:58:18 PT
off topic, but good news
Alaska dumps Gov....finallyhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060823/ap_on_el_ge/primary_elections
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Comment #23 posted by greenmed on August 22, 2006 at 22:27:42 PT
FoM and Wayne
Cannabis has far less toxicity (none?) than some herbal products available otc.Cannabis prohibition is not about safety.Cannabis should be treated the same as any other natural herb, and probably would be if not for the culture war waged against its users for the past 70+ years. Why, it's legal even to grow opium poppies in the front yard!
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on August 22, 2006 at 22:06:08 PT
Hope
I wondered if it has been tried so far. It sure sounds like it could have been.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 22:04:39 PT
Contact lense solution
I'd hate to think Mark Souder might have been fooling around the Bausch & Lomb factory and just thinking he'd like to prove a point about how "safe" he thinks fusarium is.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 21:59:49 PT
That was in response to BGreen's
post about the cancer drug.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 21:58:57 PT
$100,000 a year!
That's just sickening. 
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on August 22, 2006 at 21:47:58 PT
 Data On Lens Solution Infection
Where Did the Fungus Come From?August 22, 2006Excerpt: The complete report, published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides further details of the link between a rare type of eye infection and the contact lens solution.Fusarium is a fungus found in soil and plants. Beginning in March 2006, the CDC began to receive multiple reports of corneal infections caused by this fungus among contact lens wearers.URL: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/22/health/webmd/main1926095.shtml***Drug Warriors Push Eye-Eating Fungushttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21892.shtml
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on August 22, 2006 at 21:43:51 PT
Wayne
They don't need FDA approval because they are a natural substance.That's right. Isn't it ironic?
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Comment #16 posted by Wayne on August 22, 2006 at 21:25:55 PT
Re: greenmed
"Perhaps some day CBD gel caps will be in the vitamin aisle along with vitamins C and E, all potent antioxidants."You know this has always puzzled me, and what you just said brings up a very interesting question. Why do they say that medical marijuana needs FDA approval? It occurs in nature. If you look at all those bottles of St. John's Wort, Echinacea, and all those other herbal supplements, their values aren't established by the FDA either. Do they even have FDA approval, or do they not need it because they are a natural substance? And if the latter is true, why would marijuana not be the same way? After all, I don't need FDA approval to grow tea leaves or chamomile on my patio and drink them. Why does a natural substance need FDA approval? There has got to be an easy answer to this...
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Comment #15 posted by greenmed on August 22, 2006 at 20:35:27 PT
amazing plant
The usefulness of the other cannabinoids, besides just THC, increases the evidence for preferring whole cannabis over synthetic or isolated THC in a wide variety of medical disorders.If the California hemp billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/22/thread22072.shtmlis signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, and high-CBD varieties are (permitted to be) grown, there are good uses for the low-THC flowering tops, as discussed here:http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/indust/PHARMAfiber.htmlCBD extract would be a good choice (for some medical indications) for those uncomfortable with THC in whole cannabis for reasons of intolerance of its psychotropic effects. Perhaps some day CBD gel caps will be in the vitamin aisle along with vitamins C and E, all potent antioxidants.
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Comment #14 posted by BGreen on August 22, 2006 at 20:00:47 PT
I don't know, Hope
Doc told me that the result of the laser invasion is a "tunnel vision" because your peripheral vision is destroyed.The eye injection drug I was thinking of is this $100,000 per year ripoff:A Cancer Drug Shows Promise, at a Price That Many Can't Payhttp://tinyurl.com/hobfgI'd choose a needle over the destruction of my eye tissue and vision any day.I choose a joint over the other two options.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 19:35:41 PT
Whew!
I don't have diabetes...but that's a relief to hear anyway.
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Comment #12 posted by BGreen on August 22, 2006 at 19:09:17 PT
I was wrong
That was for another disorder.Actually, this is what they do:The abnormal growth of tiny blood vessels and the associated complication of bleeding is one of the most common problems treated by vitreo-retinal surgeons. Laser surgery called pan retinal photocoagulation (PRP) is usually the treatment of choice for this problem.With PRP, the surgeon uses laser to destroy oxygen-deprived retinal tissue outside of the patient’s central vision. While this creates blind spots in the peripheral vision, PRP prevents the continued growth of the fragile vessels and seals the leaking ones. The goal of the treatment is to arrest the progression of the disease.http://www.stlukeseye.com/Conditions/DiabeticRetinopathy.aspWhat he actually said was that they use a laser to burn little holes in your peripheral vision, therefore destroying part of your vision to save another.Cannabis destroys nothing while working better than the current laser approach.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 19:03:44 PT
EEEK!
A needle in the eyeball!Grimace!!!!
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Comment #10 posted by BGreen on August 22, 2006 at 19:01:32 PT
The current treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy
My eye doctor told me that the current treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy is a direct injection of a drug into the eyeballs using a syringe.OMG, ouch!Give me a cannabis joint ANY day over a needle to the eyeball.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #9 posted by freewillks on August 22, 2006 at 18:47:32 PT
A Doobie a day keeps big Pharma away.
All these different compounds That help fight or prevent a list of human illness from A to Z. But Cannabis has no medical value....BS. And the beat goes on and on.
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 18:36:49 PT
It must have been like this
to be present when it was proven that the Earth really isn't flat.
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on August 22, 2006 at 18:33:50 PT
Cannabis...
Isn't it amazing wonderful?
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Comment #6 posted by mayan on August 22, 2006 at 18:27:52 PT
The Miracle Plant
I love it! This plant is exposing the true motives of the fascists better than Sherlock Holmes ever could!THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Under Fire! U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Targeted For Suggesting New Independent 9/11 Investigation:
http://www.lonestaricon.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=426&z=54Was George Bush Sr.'s Carlyle Group Involved In 9/11?
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/August2006/220806Carlyle.htmCategory: 9/11 - Demopedia:
http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/Category:9/119/11 Blogger's New Site:
http://www.911blogger.com/v2/
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on August 22, 2006 at 18:03:46 PT
The list is growing with no end in SIGHT.
The list is growing, of things cannabis (kaneh bosm) helps heal, with no end in SIGHT.“But whoever has the world’s goods, and SEES his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (see 1 John 3:17).
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Comment #4 posted by Toker00 on August 22, 2006 at 15:05:05 PT
Ultimate compliment
"How good do you want a drug to be?" Dr. Liou says.But, there are folks out there who own, or own stock in, Pharmaceutical Companies that obviously believe most drugs must have some sort of awful side affect/affects to be "effective". They must also be profitable at all costs Human. Big profit. Don't want those drugs to be TOO good. Healing is a hindrance to Treatment Profit. Can't lose that bottom line. In some cases the drug must do more harm than the disease, to TREAT the disease. Then, they'll need to Treat you for the Treatment they gave you. Healing would take ALL the profit out of that. So, therefore, Cannabis doesn't qualify as a Pharmaceutical Drug, it's TOO GOOD. And they certainly don't want the general population to have access to it. If it's too good for them, they'll be damned if the people can have it.Toke.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 22, 2006 at 13:42:18 PT
Sam
I never really thought about Euphoria associated with Cannabis but feeling better then they did before they smoked or ate a little cannabis I do understand. Our government sells mood elevators by prescription. I think Cannabis is a natural inexpensive, if it was allowed to be grown, mood elevator.
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Comment #2 posted by sam adams on August 22, 2006 at 13:25:39 PT
question
FOM that's an excellent question.However, I, for one, am concerned that people going blind from diabetes might experience a marijuana "high".  We don't people that are suffering already to experience any temporary euphoria. It could be devastating. They might smile, or enjoy their remaining days a little more, when the Almighty has decided that their fate is suffer painfully until He calls them to meet the Angels.They must accept the suffering and blindness without question, or else my politician friends will have them thrown in jail. 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 22, 2006 at 12:58:29 PT
A Compound
If a synthetic compound can help how much more can the whole plant help at a fraction of the cost for people who don't have any health insurance.
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