News in English 2014

[Tulintakas]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/1 ... 81060.html

Marijuana Drastically Shrinks Aggressive Form Of Brain Cancer, New Study Finds

The Huffington Post | By Carly Schwartz

Posted: 11/18/2014 9:58 pm EST Updated: 5 hours ago MARIJUANA PLANT

Over the past few years, research has revealed that marijuana can both destroy certain cancer cells and reduce the growth of others. Now, a new study in mice has found that when combined with radiation treatment, cannabis can effectively shrink one of the most aggressive types of brain tumors.

In a paper published Friday in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapies, a team of researchers from St. George's University of London outlined the "dramatic reductions" they observed in high-grade glioma masses, a deadly form of brain cancer, when treated with a combination of radiation and two different marijuana compounds, also known as cannabinoids. In many cases, those tumors shrunk to as low as one-tenth the sizes of those in the control group.

"We've shown that cannabinoids could play a role in treating one of the most aggressive cancers in adults," Dr. Wai Liu, one of the study's lead authors, wrote in an op-ed earlier this week. "The results are promising...it could provide a way of breaking through glioma and saving more lives."


In an email to The Huffington Post, Liu pointed out that while research surrounding marijuana's cancer-fighting properties is nothing new, his team is the first to document its effect on the disease when used alongside radiation. "The results showed that the final effect was superior to the sum of the parts," he said. "Hopefully, these results will support calls for formal trials in humans to test these combinations."

Liu and his colleagues examined mice that had been infected with glioma and subsequently treated with radiation alone or in combination with varying levels of two cannabis compounds: THC, the psychoactive compound associated with the "high" sensation, and CBD, which doesn't produce psychoactive side effects.

They found that the tumors were best treated by low doses of both THC and CBD that, when used in concert, made the tumors more receptive to radiation treatment. "Our data suggests a 'triple threat' approach using all three may be of value," Liu told HuffPost.

The researchers also found that together, the low doses of THC and CBD produced a similar effect to a large dose of either compound, which is noteworthy because it indicates that patients may ultimately experience fewer side effects.

THC and CBD are just two of the dozens of chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. While research surrounding the therapeutic effects of these compounds has been limited, a team of scientists from the U.K. last year found that a combination of six different purified cannabinoids can kill the cancerous cells found in individuals with leukemia.

Meanwhile, when used alone as a form of treatment, THC has been shown to reduce the size of other cancerous tumors and stop the spread of HIV, and CBD strains of marijuana have had a profound effect on children and adults who suffer from debilitating seizure disorders.

Despite these findings, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug in the United States, meaning the federal government believes it has no medicinal value. The federally-funded National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grows a limited supply of marijuana in Mississippi, which is used for federally-approved research. While critics have long accused NIDA of only funding experiments that examine the substance's negative effects, the agency has conducted a handful of studies that look at its potential benefits.

Although 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, many experts argue that the lack of federally regulated studies of cannabis limits doctors' and scientists' understanding the full medical benefits of the plant, resulting instead in a trial-and-error attitude towards treatment.

"You can find publications from the '70s and '80s that show pure cannabidiol is an anti-convulsant," Catherine Jacobson, the director of research at the Epilepsy Foundation, told HuffPost last month. "And here we are 40 years later and we still don't have any new information about this."

[BubblerBobble]

Congress Effectively Ends The Federal Ban On Medical Marijuana

Tue Dec 16, 2014

It seems the controversial $1.1T spending bill that is preventing the U.S. government from shutting down is chock full of surprises. As you may know, much to the dismay of marijuana activists and lovers of democracy everywhere, the bill smacked down Washington DCs referendum that legalized recreational marijuana in the nation's capital. What you may have missed (because those shifty politicians are doing everything under the table) is that the bill also quietly, but effectively lifted the federal ban on medical marijuana.

In the depths of the 1,603-page document is a provision that prohibits federal agents from raiding retail medical cannabis operations in states that have legalized medical cannabis. The passage represents "the first time in decades that the federal government has curtailed its oppressive prohibition of marijuana," the measure's co-author, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, told the LA Times.

Though President Obama has generally favored this approach policy-wise, the passage of the bill also ensures that the next president can't backtrack and begin busting medical cannabis operations.

The full text of the measure reads as such:

"Sec. 538. None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana. Sec. 539. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used in contravention of section 7606 (``Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research'') of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79) by the Department of Justice or the Drug Enforcement Administration."

Important to note is that this legislation is fully in light of the fact that marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug with "no medical uses" by federal standards. Seeing as how logically this does not work, this folks, must represent the beginning of the end for marijuana prohibition -- especially from the point of view of Congress.

Now that there will be little threat of backlash from the federal government, it's time to lobby your state for the legalization of medical marijuana if you live in one of the 18 states where it is outrageously outlawed. No excuses. Onwards and upwards to completely legal, recreational and medical marijuana for all!

http://www.hightimes.com/read/congress- ... -marijuana