cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Drug 'Fights Pain Without High'










  Cannabis Drug 'Fights Pain Without High'

Posted by CN Staff on August 21, 2002 at 12:12:19 PT
Users say cannabis relieves pain 
Source: BBC News  

Scientists have developed a cannabis-based medicine which relieves chronic pain without any of the "high" normally associated with the drug. They believe the discovery could pave the way for cannabis-based medication to become available by prescription within two years. Much of the controversy surrounding the medicinal use of cannabis has centred on fears that it would be used solely for its mood-altering effects.
However, scientists at the University of Massachusetts in the United States say their discovery should help authorities to overcome these fears. Dr Sumner Burstein and colleagues say early trials of the medication in animals and healthy patients have been promising. The medication, called ajulemic acid or CT3, has been manufactured in laboratories. It maximises the medicinal effects of tertrahydrocannabinol - the key ingredient of cannabis - without any of the mind-altering effects. 'More effective' In animal tests, this compound was found to be between 10 to 50 times more effective at reducing pain than tetrahydrocannabinol. Those tests showed that ajulemic acid was very effective at preventing the joint damage associated with arthritis and relieving the muscle stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis. The compound was tested last year in 15 healthy volunteers in France. That study reported no side effects or mood changes in those participants. A further trial on 21 patients with chronic severe pain is currently underway in Germany. Dr Bernstein said the results of each study had been promising. "The indications so far are that it is safe and effective," he said. Dr Bernstein added that the compound could replace a wide variety of current medicines used to fight pain. "We believe that the compound will replace aspirin and similar drugs in most applications primarily because of a lack of toxic side effects." Dr Bernstein acknowledged that some patients may wish to experience the mood-altering effects of cannabis by taking this compound. But speaking at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, he added: "The medical community wants efficacy without this effect." A spokeswoman for the UK's Medicinal Cannabis Research Foundation said: "We believe it would be premature to comment on the merits of ajulemic acid before more rigorous testing in patients has been carried out, but look forward to seeing the results after further study." Quote: The indications so far are that it is safe and effective. Dr Sumner BursteinSource: BBC News (UK Web) Published: Wednesday, August 21, 2002Copyright: 2002 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Contact: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/Related Articles Web Site:UK Medicinal Cannabis Projecthttp://www.medicinal-cannabis.org/WSJ Reports on Development of CT-3 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8841.shtmlSmoking Gun - Praxis M.D.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8838.shtmlResearchers To Develop Marijuana Without Highhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8835.shtml New Cannabis Won't Give A Highhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread4100.shtml

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Comment #17 posted by R-Earing on August 22, 2002 at 08:29:28 PT:
Ornish, hemp oil,heart disease
Yes, Canada has hemp oil mayonaisse.And it's tasty-but variable from one batch to another-probably cause the plant is so variable from strain to strain.It'll take some time to standardize oil crops to a consistent taste.We have all sorts of experimental,not ready for prime time hemp foods.I got a hold of some fresh hemp seed nacho "chips" and they were just terrible.It took a gallon of iced tea to flush out the bongwater and vinegar taste. -Ornishs' program is beneficial to some.One of the overlooked things is that some other people have big ,bad reactions to the carbo overload.It caused my blood sugars to go wild and I put on weight(not a good thing).I actually had much better results in terms of cholesterol,triglycerides etc by following the "atkins" type higher protein,lower carb diet.(I lost lotsa weight and my blood chemistry improved substantially)If you are lucky enough to live in the Canadian Prairies,you can sometimes buy fresh pressed hemp oil right at the farm gate.It is obscenely tasty.It has a rich green color and a beautiful nutty aroma.It seems like a shame to mix it even with good balsamic vinegar.We just pour it on fresh veggies, maybe with a little crumbled herbs.It's what it must be like for Italians buying fresh olive oil.Bliss.
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Comment #16 posted by Dan B on August 22, 2002 at 07:30:01 PT
On Medijuana
I've said this before, and I'll likely say it again: when I had a surgery three years ago, the doctor prescribed Hydrocodone for the pain. I tried it for one day, and it didn't work. Really. I was in constant discomfort. Then, I tried cannabis. After a few puffs off the ol' bong, the pain went away, and so did my Hydrocodone. I threw it in the toilet.Cannabis works.In an unrelated item (but related to FoM's post), maybe they took a long time to convict Westerfield because they wanted to be absolutely sure that they had sufficient evidence to give him the death penalty. As a matter of principle, I don't agree with the death penalty, but I have to be honest that I won't shed any tears if that's what he gets. Dan B
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Comment #15 posted by dddd on August 22, 2002 at 06:56:33 PT
....The "High"..
..is part of the healing...It's meant to be there..... I guess it's wonderful if they can make stoneless pain relief from cannaboid extractions,or synthesis...now all those people who are sick and tired of that annoying high,can finally enjoy pain relief,,that is,if they can afford to pay Merck,,or Glaxo five bucks a hit,,for a pill that finally isolates the "good",from cannabis,,,and eliminates the "bad"!
 
 
...the euphoria Marijuana provides is an integral part of its medicinal quality....grown in the earth...a plant .. an herbal gift from God to You...grow it,,and enjoy it...smoke it,,or eat it.....it's good....dddd
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Comment #14 posted by Jeaneous on August 21, 2002 at 21:35:24 PT:
No High
I will always stand up for patients to use medicinal marijuana because I know that it works. I hope their new findings really do fight pain better than the smoked kind. I crave a day with no pain and would try their new drug but I can bet that the price of it would be so high that many would still not be able to afford it. So I still see that the plant is never going to go away as it shouldn't. Nothing takes the place of smoked or edible marijuana. Now that they have more evidence that marijuana really does have medical value it should be rescheduled. Slowly the truth will come to light.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on August 21, 2002 at 17:22:00 PT
canaman
Yes I did hear that and they finally found Westerfield guilty. I wasn't sure why it was taking them so long.
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Comment #12 posted by canaman on August 21, 2002 at 17:17:22 PT
off topic FoM
Did you hear they caught another child abductor with the Amber alert system? This is good news. People working together to catch the real bad guys.
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Comment #11 posted by canaman on August 21, 2002 at 16:46:49 PT
mmmm.....hempola, tastes good.....
and good for you too.http://www.hempola.com/
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 21, 2002 at 16:33:54 PT

The GCW
I understand the $2,000,000 bill. My son's was around $1,000,000.
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on August 21, 2002 at 16:19:32 PT

hemp seed oil = GLA  &&&  insurance?
My bottle of hemp seed oil says it supplies 2.8% of Your daily requirement of gamma linolenic acid. It is implicated in a strong immune system and is available in only about 5 places on the planet including mothers milk and 3 obscure ones; black currant seed oil; borage; and primrose oil. It used to be the birds ate the hemp seeds and we ate the bird.Now the bird eats bull.... and We eat the bird and now We have cancer which seems to grow more prevelent as the plant has been persecuted. It seems if cannabis becomes Re-legalized perhaps the country with the largest rates of prohibition and cancer with turn around.If You did not nurse as a baby, You may have not ever introduced it into Your body. Our bodies already make gamma linolenic acid (GLA)but it has some extra needs when YOu torque the temple... like boozers are going to benefit from the additonal health benefits.Tastes great in salads with vinager... Also try shelled hemp seeds.Hempola. And when I go to by more, I'm 100% certain to buy the same brand.& INSURANCE? Hmmm. It's $735 min. for My family. When My son died 5 years ago of Lukhemia (don't want to spell it)the ins. paid $2,000,000.00 for his hospitization and Dr.
That's 2 Mil.How much cannabis can You grow for that?
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Comment #8 posted by p4me on August 21, 2002 at 15:04:23 PT

Mayonaise and Oprah
I am exploring the edges of cannabis thought that were promted by today's Oprah show on heart disease. Heart disease is the cause of half of all deaths and should be a big concern to anyone interested in longevity. Today's guest was Dr. Ornish, a leading authority on heart disease and has written 5 books on the subject. The books are part of the coverage of today's show that can be seen at the Oprah.com website: http://oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_2002/tows_past_20020313.jhtmlDr. Ornish was all about diet. He split the approach people should have in their diet to those that already have heart disease and those that never want it. The main difference being a call for harsh restrictions on the intake of animal fats and vegetable oils. For example a person with heart disease should not eat or at least highly restrict olives because it contains oil and vegetable oil is 100% fat. I have raised the issue of just what can a hempfood diet do for you. I am especially interested in hemp oil for salads as this is the last year I will be pushing 50. There is all kinds of claim for the hempoil, but really not much on integration into people's diets and the change it makes. There seems to be a lack of study and/or clinical trials and I have not read too many testimonials about hempfoods much less hempseed oil.My thoughts after I get past HANG THEM ALL chatter going on in my head, has to do with mayonnaise. I know on the helpful kitchen gadget shows they pour a given vegetable oil in a glass with an egg or two, turn on the miracle kitchen gadget, and then there is mayonnaise. I just lack the understanding how they can make fat-free mayonaise when oil is 100% fat. And then that brings us to hempseed oil inmayonaise. I am not being frivolous because mayonnaise is the product that has the highest degree of brand loyalty. Whatever mayonnaise you bought last time, their is a 70% chance you will buy the same brand of mayonaise next time.So, how about some of you Canadians jumping in and telling us about hempfoods up there and especially if there is a hemp-based mayo up there. Seriously. If I were joking I would have said MAYANaise. 1,2
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Comment #7 posted by karkulus on August 21, 2002 at 14:28:13 PT

Side Effects are supposed to be un-pleasent!
       IF you've ever taken powerful anti-biotics for something ,the side-effect known as "De-personalization" makes you feel like a "bad lsd trip" -type experence -just a really weird and creepy feeling ...but I guess at least your not enjoying yourself!
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Comment #6 posted by Roger Christie on August 21, 2002 at 13:50:23 PT:

 God, that's great! Show me the blessing...
Dear Friends of Cannabis,Aloha and greetings to you. The world is a beautiful and complex experience, yes? Good for scientists to discover any and everything they can, and good for us to enjoy a true mystical experience whenever we desire it through the enjoyment of cannabis. It seems that some knuckleheads want cannabis by prescription without the high that heals the spirit. Oh well... As long as we can anchor-in our connection to the plant of renown it might not matter what others do.The burning bush of Moses, the holy anointing oil of Saul and David, the plant of renown to Ezekiel, Daniel's dream tree, the new wine and baptism with fire of Jesus, the tree of life of Revelations to heal all the nations, Buddha's tree of enlightenment, the original sacrament of Hindu, Shinto and Rasta, Popeye's spinach, Jack's beanstalk, the muse of artists and writers of all time...it's all cannabis hemp to me!Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion nor prohibit the free exercise thereof.As long as we still get to choose our sacrament and religion, I'm choosing cannabis. We use it religiously and you can, too.Free online ordainment at www.ulc.org. It rocks! Enjoy the benefits of the separation of church and state today.love, Roger 
 The Hawai'i Cannabis Ministry
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Comment #5 posted by darwin on August 21, 2002 at 13:19:55 PT

BBC
P4ME is right on.I am convinced that the pharmaceutical companies are paying politicians to stall our whole movement while they pick apart everything they can selfishly learn about cannabis. Clearly they hope to have cannabinoid pills for all the different benefits of the drug before they lose more Barr like politicians. If they succeed, they can capitilize in a big way. If they don't, they will lose billions, as the public moves towards herbal remedies that they can grow for themselves. You can't patent a plant, can you?In previous medical discoveries, research groups would race each other towards the same discoveries, knowing full well that the victor gets the spoils and the loser gets nada. It seems like instead, all the researchers are racing togethor against an inevitable political sea change, to get their research to fruition. Plus, the politicians would love to have these medications as a way to kill the medpot movement. They feel that the legalization movement will crumble without having the medical users to "hide" behind.I expect to see politicians move away from the Bob Barr stance towards a middle ground stance, still funded by big Pharm, in which politicians agree there is a need for change, but will stall it at every chance they get.
IE: Anne Mclellon, Pataki and the Rockefeller laws.How do we prevent this stall tactic and speed up political change? I think we need to know as voters, who the big $$$ backers are of the politicians we vote for.Friggen' pill pushers are worse than crack dealors. 
at least the crack dealers tell you "this s*** will F*** you up".
Big Pharm sells you sunny days and bright blues skies in commercials that don't even tell you what the damn drug does! 
All this while senior citizens are "re-importing drugs from Canada" What the hell is that!? We use tons of oil shipping drugs to Canada, only to ship them right back so senior citizens can afford them, as the same drugs are twice the price if they have not left the country.I'm rambling now. Gotta go.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 21, 2002 at 13:12:41 PT

BGreen 
Exactly. The money is too much for me to afford and I take my chances and hope I can stay relatively healthy. If my husband didn't have the VA I don't know what we would do. We couldn't have afforded the tests they did. We've paid off over $15,000 of medical bills from my surgeries and I don't want to go through that again.
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on August 21, 2002 at 13:08:46 PT

We don't have insurance
My wife went to the doctor yesterday and it cost her $131 for the 20 minute office visit. I could grow 10 years or more worth of cannabis outdoors for that kind of money. That doesn't even include the prescription costs incurred.I understand the reason it costs so much, but it doesn't make it any easier to come up with the cash.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 21, 2002 at 12:48:51 PT

What if you don't have a Doctor?
I haven't been to a Doctor for 8 years almost. A Dentist but not a Doctor. I'm sure there are many people who don't have a regular Doctor. When it's made into a pill you must go to a Doctor. Nothing against Doctors ( Just love Dr. Russo ) but if you do your best not to get into the prescription revolving door what about people like that?
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on August 21, 2002 at 12:35:32 PT

It is legal if the pill companies want it legal
Make a pill that sells for $10 and make that legal if you pay your doctor to have access to the Rx pad and fight the seed tooth and nail. Like it is really hard to see what is going on. Protect the conglomerates and peril the people.Yellowtimes has an article out today at http://www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=613&mode=thread&order=0It is titled "Marijuana madness, Drug War failure" By Keiler Hook. Yellowtimes encourages the distribution of its articles and I am happy to oblige. The article in its entirety follows.---------------------
(YellowTimes.org) – On July 30, 2002, ABC presented John Stoessel's special on the drug war. The next day, former drug official Joe Weiner blasted the report. The U.S. government never comes out with anything creative or visionary about their drug policy, it only reacts. The night before Stoessel's special Asa Hutchinson, the DEA chief, was on the Donahue show. He was pretty stale in his reaction also. No one from the government admits to any thing wrong in its drug policy.General Barry McCaffrey was also on the Donahue show. He claimed that being the Drug Czar was the most fulfilling duty that he has spent as a public servant. This man is a national disgrace, and, sadly, one of the few people asked to comment on the drug war by the major networks and cable television. The drug war has failed, and continues to fail while McGaffrey insists on congratulating himself on a job well done. Do these drug warriors think the American people are stupid? General McCaffrey's opponent, Gary Johnson the governor of New Mexico, is a confessed former drug and alcohol user. And now he's a governor. He's an example of someone who has done drugs and risen to the top in spite of his drug use. President Bush is the court-appointed president of the U.S.A. and he has a history of drug use. Seems to me, drug use didn't obstruct either of these men. Prohibition does not work. Information and education work. Ask these two men. I just heard a devastating report on National Public Radio about the financial status of most of our large cities. The federal government wants the local and state government to share in the cost of the new Homeland Defense Department (please do away with that name, it brings up such fears of booted police officers kicking high in unison). The states can barely keep up with expenses as it is. Detroit police chief Jerry Oliver, during the Stoessel piece, said, "If we did not have this drug war going on, we could spend more time going after robbers and rapists and burglars and murderers. Up to three quarters of our budget somehow can be traced back to fighting this War on Drugs." I have the solution, as do many other Americans. It seems so easy: legalize illegal drugs, decriminalize marijuana, and take the profits away from the drug cartels, the terrorists, the crooked law enforcement agencies, the dishonest border guards of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and the corrupt government leaders who gain monetarily from the assets of the drug war. People who get addicted to the harder drugs belong in treatment, not jail, and the rest should be left alone. The states then could concentrate on problems like real crime, poverty, joblessness, and the environment. Just today Mr. Bush accused drug users of funding terrorism. Get real. Prohibition funds terrorism. Cocaine is worth more than three times the value of gold only because it's illegal. Mr. Bush allowed the sale of poppies by Afghanistan farmers to the European peninsula via terrorists. Did Mr. Bush fund the terrorists? By his logic, it would appear so. These same officials have seen reports since 1972 which support decriminalizing marijuana. We had an addled president who blamed "hippies" for changing how people felt about the Vietnam War, so he decided to hurt hippies. Nixon is one of the most vindictive presidents this country has ever endured. It might seem like nothing, keeping marijuana illegal, but look at what has happened. The Drug War! I believe that the government has no constitutional right to prohibit any substance that can be ingested or smoked. There is not one line in the Constitution that mentions or prohibits drug use. Since when can the government try to force behavior it thinks is "right" for people? Then let's go after cigarette companies, liquor companies, fast food companies, you get my drift. What people do in the privacy of their home is no business of the government. We are adults and we should be allowed to make informed decisions about what we do in our private lives. Historically, Americans are known for our progressive politics. We have a radical stance on personal freedoms (except the freedoms of the Native population that was here when our ancestors hit these shores, and the freedoms of the incoming slave population). I agree with the libertarian argument put forward by Deroy Murdock, a columnist with the National Review. He states that "adults should have the cognitive liberty to alter their minds in whatever way they choose, so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others or endanger them by, say, driving while stoned." A government cannot legislate by force. It does not work. If the U.S. government cannot learn from its historical/hysterical mistakes, it will continue to repeat those mistakes. Most of Europe has decriminalized drug use while the U.S. stays in the dark appearing stagnant in its failure to stop drug use. In his debate on C-Span last week, the first question that came out of Georgia Representative Bob Barr’s mouth to his opponent, Representative John Linden, concerned the legalization of medicinal marijuana in the District of Columbia? And this has what to do with the well being of the state of Georgia? Bob Barr is obsessed with making sure that sick people do not get to realize the benefits of marijuana because he, along with the DEA, suffers from a hysterical anti-intellectual philosophy that views all drugs as equally bad. So much information on the medicinal value of marijuana has been written that I'm not going to list them. The fact is, all legislators have access to such reports and I'm betting that not one reads any of these reports. On CNN recently, Wolf Blitzer had on Robert Kampia from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), and aforementioned Asa Hutchinson debating marijuana use by adults. A poll was taken while the program was aired and 83 percent of the people polled said that adults should be able to use marijuana. Asa Hutchinson just repeated his stale idea that marijuana is a dangerous drug and belongs in the same league as heroin or Cocaine. Where has this man been the last decade? In 1988, the DEA's chief law administrative judge, Francis L. Young ruled, "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known." Is there not one legislator that has read any of this readily available information? Reports are out that U.S. pilots in Afghanistan are using amphetamine during their missions. Is that why they're making so many mistakes? Have those pilots been informed and educated on the effects of speed? Is this a legal practice? From what I know about speed, it distorts reality and makes one feel very powerful, euphoric, and is highly addictive. Do we want fighter pilots to be under this kind of influence? I think Asa Hutchinson and General McCaffrey ought to spend their time investigating this government-condoned drug use and leave private citizens alone. [Keiler Hook, a journalist from the Deep South in the United States, writes pieces mostly concerning either the "War on Terror" or the "War on Drugs"; both subjects capturing her passion and her talent. Keiler is a woman, a mother, an activist, and a journalist. This article first appeared on http://www.ConnectSavannah.com.] Keiler Hook encourages your comments: KeilerHook comcast.netYellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction must identify the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated. ----------------------------
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