cannabisnews.com: Why Medicinal Cannabis for Idaho? Why Medicinal Cannabis for Idaho? Posted by CN Staff on September 30, 2004 at 07:27:32 PT By Tim Teater, Special To The Arbiter Source: Arbiter Online A flood of emerging research and an avalanche of anecdotal evidence, and is showing medicinal cannabis’ efficacy in the treatment of many diseases and conditions such as “wasting syndrome” secondary to AIDS, and cancer therapy, severe nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy, and narcotic pain therapy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and other neurological and neuromuscular diseases as well as spinal cord injury, neuropathic and other pain, Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, glaucoma, anorexia and recurrent migraines and menstrual pain. In addition, research reveals that cannabinoids (the active compounds in cannabis) are neuroprotective, slowing the advance of neuromuscular diseases. Major studies published between 2001 and 2003 show cannabinoids have a significant effect in fighting cancer cells. Cannabinoids appear to arrest many kinds of cancer growths such as brain, breast, leukemias, and melanoma, through promotion of programmed cell death that is lost in tumors, and by arresting increased blood vessel production that feed tumors.Cannabis is one of the safest medications known. There is essentially no known toxic dose and it is not addictive. Numerous health-related organizations have endorsed immediate patient access. A few of these organizations are: The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the America Public Health Association, the California Medical Association, the Institute of Medicine, the Lymphoma Foundation, the New England Journal of Medicine, the American Medical Student Association, the American Preventive Medical Association, the Society of Addiction Medicine, and many more.The American Medical Association has recognized the potential benefits of medicinal cannabis in calling for “… adequate and well-controlled studies of smoked marijuana can be conducted in patients who have serious conditions for which preclinical, anecdotal, or controlled evidence suggests possible efficacy in including AIDS wasting syndrome, sever acute or delayed emesis induced by chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, dystonia, and neuropathic pain.”Reliable polling has shown more than 70 percent support of the American public for access to medicinal cannabis.A federal (OMB) study revealed that in states with medicinal cannabis laws there are no significant diversion to the black market or increased law enforcement problems related to cannabis.The federal government distributes cannabis under its “Compassionate Use Program. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have all passed medicinal cannabis statutes. Movements to provide for patient access are currently active in many other states including Idaho.Patients in Idaho deserve the same access to medicinal cannabis as millions of Americans now enjoy in other states. Medicinal cannabis has the potential to save and prolong the lives of Idahoans as well as significantly improve the quality of life for many sick and suffering patients. Besides good, compassionate medicine, this issue is at the heart of individual liberty and states’ rights. There is every reason to allow this safe effective and compassionate modality and no legitimate reason not to do so. Call or write your legislators and legislative delegation and sign a petition currently circulating around Idaho.Source: Arbiter Online (ID)Author: Tim Teater, Special To The ArbiterPublished: September 30, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Arbiter Online Contact: letters arbiteronline.comWebsite: http://www.arbiteronline.com/Medical Marijuana Information Links http://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #22 posted by goneposthole on September 30, 2004 at 18:43:07 PT cat hemp farmers Good thing cats can't grow hemp. It would be a losing battle for the birds. [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by kaptinemo on September 30, 2004 at 18:16:38 PT: Yessir, lotsa pointless peckers running loose (Sorry, couldn't pass that up. I needed a good laugh today.)Yep, E_J has them pegged, all right. Pointless peckers. Lil' Dutch Boys with every appendage jammed in a collapsing dike. King Canutes in business suits. The very pictures of futility. But so long as it pays good and has perks like arresting your former schoolmates for laughing at you for being such an insufferable dweeb back then, there'll be plenty of sociopathic volunteers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2004 at 11:48:06 PT This is pretty incredible The entire Drug War could be modeled as a cannabinoid-impaired bird pecking at the same old dry useless hole.It will never work! There is no worm in that hole! But I guess if you're a DEA agent with kids in college, you get paid as long as the bird keeps pecking, so let the stupid bird keep pecking until you retire, right? [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Hope on September 30, 2004 at 11:44:54 PT Dr. Russo "virtually all animals examined even down to the Hydra have cannabinoid receptors, except for insects". That is stunning information. Amazing. Thank you! [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on September 30, 2004 at 11:39:21 PT Bugs Oh I'm glad to know that because I don't have any guilt in squashing them! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 30, 2004 at 11:36:10 PT EJ/Hope EJ, yes this is exactly analogous to PTSD. As I have said previously, forgetting is just as important as remembering to avoid the chaos of a mind overwhelmed by unfiltered messages.Hope, virtually all animals examined even down to the Hydra have cannabinoid receptors, except for insects. That's why bugs have no sense of humor! [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by Hope on September 30, 2004 at 11:31:02 PT imagination I remember a time when I couldn't for the life of me perceive a way to arrange a group of portraits on a wall. I struggled and struggled but could not come up with a plan. This went on for months. A minor roadblock that was a true irritant for me personally.Along came a friend at the time who shared a few tokes with me...Viola! I was able to see it. Problem solved, and beautifully and uniquely so, I might add. The Creator is smarter than the antis believe. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2004 at 11:22:57 PT And what about Cheesus Christ? The cheese was moved all over the place by Imperial Rome and the Annointed Ones found it again when others lost it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 30, 2004 at 11:22:04 PT Related News Article from News-Medical.net Researchers Have Identified the Mechanism by Which Marijuana May Affect Learning and Memory News-Medical in Medical Research News Published: Wednesday, 29-Sep-2004 Marijuana use has long been known to cause problems with learning and memory. Now, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified the mechanism by which marijuana may affect activity in the hippocampus, the portion of the brain responsible for learning and memory. They reported their findings in the September 16 issue of the journal Neuron. The active chemical in marijuana, THC, is also present in marijuana-like molecules called endocannabinoids that occur naturally in our brains, explains Dr. Pablo Castillo, associate professor of neuroscience at Einstein. These naturally occurring endocannabinoids are neurotransmitters that send signals between neurons in the brain, permitting the intake and storage of information that is critical for effective learning and memory. This communication process between neurons is referred to as synaptic plasticity. (Synapses are the gaps between nerve cells into which one nerve cell secretes a neurotransmitter that stimulates the adjacent nerve cell; and synaptic plasticity refers to the ability of these impulses to pass between neurons.)But Dr. Castillo notes that when cannabinoids are introduced from outside the body through marijuana use, they serve to short circuit the internal system and impair synaptic plasticity in particular, thereby interfering with the way neurons signal one another, gather information, and store it.“When a person smokes marijuana, an outside signal triggered by the THC is received in the brain,” he says. “But at the same time, the brain’s naturally occurring cannabinoids are also sending messages via neuronal synapses. These conflicting cannabinoid-triggered signals create confusion, interfering with normal brain function, synaptic plasticity and, ultimately, with the ability to learn.”The researchers were surprised to find that endocannabinoid signaling could be confined to a local region of neurons. "Edocannabinoids did not operate in as diffuse a manner as we had imagined,” says Dr. Castillo. “Instead, they're released into specific synapses in the hippocampus, where endocannabinoid signaling plays a complex and important role in the storage of memories.Through further study of the internal system, Dr. Castillo and his colleagues hope to gain understanding of how activation of the endogenous system occurs. “By learning how the naturally occurring cannabinoid system is activated,” says Dr. Castillo, “we can begin to develop a strategy for understanding the effects that the cannabinoids from marijuana smoking have on it. Only then can we think about developing agents for blocking their adverse effects.” http://www.aecom.yu.edu http://www.news-medical.net/?id=5175 [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2004 at 11:21:04 PT Dr. Russo this is like PTSD " They returned again and again to the hole where the first worm had been hidden. They frantically tugged on nearby knots to look for worms. But they couldn't seem to erase the memory of the first feeding hole and comprehend that the worm had been moved. "People afflicted by post traumatic stress return over and over again to the same traumatic memory and it is like franticially tugging on the hole to try to make something else come out. It is like not being able to erase a memory.This research I think builds a case that PTSD is caused by some kind of stress-induced damage to the CB1 system. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Hope on September 30, 2004 at 11:20:23 PT "Cannabists find the cheese" That's so cool, EJohnson.I'm sensing the threads of a beautifully woven tapestry, today. So many fibers and threads that interconnect and overlap to form some sort of real life tapestry. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2004 at 11:16:18 PT This proves the link between pot and jazz improv If the sax player starts a new riff, the trombone player has to be able to come into it right away.It's not all rehearsed meticulously in advance like traditional European classical music, whose mnemonic rigidity is measured in centuries. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Hope on September 30, 2004 at 11:10:21 PT Rimonabant I'm no scientist, but I feel very strongly that the scientists are missing something here. Something very important.My weight has always required watching. When I used cannabis it had an effect on my appetite that I didn't expect. I didn't crave Twinkies. I wanted broccoli and water. My activity levels doubled at least. I was more fluid and aware of my body. It seemed to let me rise above being overwhelmed or nearly overwhelmed by all the tasks before me, whatever they were. Instead of lack of motiviation, I experienced a feeling of hope and a "just do it" attitude. When I smoked, I could find a place to start...which is key to overcoming overwhelming odds. I found that I could "imagine" success...and the first step of a long journey was infinitely easier to take.Thankfully, the lessons I learned "under the influence" stuck with me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2004 at 11:09:28 PT This is why society needs cannabists Cannabists find the cheese when God moves it yet again. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on September 30, 2004 at 11:07:28 PT This has enormous social ramifications in humans "But improved memory can be a liability for cannabinoid-free birds, Cornell University researchers have discovered: When their food is moved, birds without benefit of cannabinoids have trouble imagining where else the food might be. "Does anyone remember that career counseling book titled "Who Moved My Cheese?" about how people can deal with uncertainies in their career path caused by forces they cannot control?http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399144463/"Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Who Moved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature of cheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are "littlepeople," mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It's not just sustenance to them; it's their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they've found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out." [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on September 30, 2004 at 10:36:28 PT "mnemonic rigidity" Maybe that's why antis are so "stiff necked" about the realities of the cannabis issue.Dr. Russo, do all creatures with a brain have cannaboid receptors? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 30, 2004 at 10:32:46 PT Question Since I don't really understand the article are we as smart as a bird or bird brained! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hope on September 30, 2004 at 10:29:31 PT drslider, "This is your bird on drugs" I love it.Nothing is intefering with your natural cannaboid supply and receptors! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 30, 2004 at 10:18:05 PT Avian Memory This study on avian memory as affected by cannabinoid antagonists points out an important caveat concerning such drugs, such as Rimonabant: if someone moves your diet pills, you may not be able to imagine where else they could be. I'd call that "mnemonic rigidity." That is not necessarily a good thing at all, especially if your job requires creative thought. If you use the term, remember you heard it here first! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by dr slider on September 30, 2004 at 10:02:29 PT: this is your bird on drugs "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." These birds sound like drug warriors. "Maybe if we peck this hole with a gold plated titanium reenforced superbeak we'll get the worm. No? How about we rape and torture any bird that looks at any other hole, then we're sure to get the worm. No? Perhaps we could surround the hole with electrified wire, cover the ground with depleted uranium, and lock up any bird that is not in line behind us, then finally we'll get the worm. No????????? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 30, 2004 at 09:42:56 PT Press Release: Cannabinoids and Memory Who moved my worm? Bird-food study by Cornell biologists shows role of brain's cannabinoid chemicals in dealing with changeFOR RELEASE: Sept. 29, 2004 Contact: Roger SegelkenOffice: 607-255-9736E-Mail: hrs2 cornell.eduITHACA, N.Y. --Some birds' already-amazing memories -- for the thousands of different spots where they cached their food -- can be further improved by blocking natural brain chemicals called cannabinoids, which resemble the active ingredient THC in marijuana. But improved memory can be a liability for cannabinoid-free birds, Cornell University researchers have discovered: When their food is moved, birds without benefit of cannabinoids have trouble imagining where else the food might be. The discovery is reported in the British journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences (Vol. 271, No. 1552, Oct. 7, 2004) under the title, "Cannabinoid Inhibition Improves Memory in Food-storing Birds." Timothy J. DeVoogd, the Cornell professor of psychology and of neurobiology and behavior who led the study, comments: "Since marijuana is known to impair formation of new memories in people, perhaps an anti-cannabinoid drug like the one we used in this research might improve the retention of a new memory in people, just as it does in birds. However, this research suggests that enhanced memory retention might come with a cost -- the loss of the ability to change the memory. Perhaps the reason cannabinoid sensitivity exists in the brain is to provide a balance in memory, between accuracy and flexibility." The Cornell biologists' study focused on food storage by black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapilla ) and examined the function of a cannabinoid receptor called CB1-R in the bird's hippocampus, the same area of the brain used by humans for storing memories. CB1-R receptors react to changing levels of so-called endogenous cannabinoids, the natural hormones such as anadamide, circulating inside animals' bodies. Cannabinoids were named for cannabis plants where the hormones were first identified. Since then, studies in other laboratories have suggested a variety of roles for the body's endogenous cannabinoid system -- ranging from pain control, reproduction, vision and immune function to learning, memory formation and retention. In the Cornell study, endogenous cannabinoids were blocked from reaching the birds' CB1-R receptors with a cannabinoid-antagonist drug called SR141716A. For chickadees treated with anti-cannabinoid drugs and for "control" birds receiving a placebo treatment that allowed endogenous cannabinoids to reach their brain receptors, the assigned task was a simpler form of a food-storage exercise wild birds perform thousands of times each season -- remembering where bits of food were hidden. First the chickadees were allowed to find a mealworm that scientists had placed in one of 19 identical feeding holes. Then the lights went out and the birds returned to their nests. Seventy-two hours later, when the birds were released to visit the feeders, knotted string had been stuffed in all 19 feeding holes to conceal the worm. Birds that had learned while on cannabinoid blockers were more successful at finding the hidden worm on the first try, while birds with endogenous cannabinoids reaching their brain receptors made more errors -- they pulled out several knotted strings before finding the food cache. Then the scientists changed the game plan. They placed a worm in a different feeding hole, allowed all the birds to find the new location, and repeated the exercise. This time it was the cannabinoid-blocked birds that made more mistakes. They returned again and again to the hole where the first worm had been hidden. They frantically tugged on nearby knots to look for worms. But they couldn't seem to erase the memory of the first feeding hole and comprehend that the worm had been moved. However, birds with free-flowing cannabinoids took the change in stride. They wasted little time searching for worms in the first location and easily moved on to the next site. They were better able to do what food-storing birds outside the laboratory do naturally -- "extinguish the previous memory trace and avoid revisiting emptied cache sites," as the biologists explained in their Proceedings report. Cannabinoid signaling was allowing the control birds to overcome the source of errors made by the cannabinoid-blocked birds, the so-called proactive interference in which an old memory interferes with a new one, such that the birds cannot shift attention to new sites. "It may be that both states of cannabinoid exposure, which we manipulated separately in our experiments, normally alternate in the same birds with such prodigious memories for food-storage sites," DeVoogd said. "Perhaps the endogenous cannabinoid system switches on and off, briefly reducing exposure to the chemical to help memories form, then increasing cannabinoid levels when the memory is no longer needed." Also conducting the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, were Alexander Z. Rankin, a Cornell undergraduate who is now in medical school at Loyola University; Michelle L. Tomaszycki, , a research associate at Cornell; and Michael W. Shiflett, who is now a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Sept04/Cannabinoid_memory.hrs.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 30, 2004 at 08:49:49 PT Important News from NEJM I don't have a subscription so this is the best I can do. Maybe an article will be written that I can post soon.***Volume 351:1380-1383 September 30, 2004 Number 14 Medical Marijuana, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and the Controlled Substances ActRobert Steinbrook, M.D. The Controlled Substances Act is a 1970 law designed to prevent drug abuse and trafficking and to control the authorized distribution of narcotics, barbiturates, and other scheduled drugs. Nearly 35 years after its passage, the act is at the center of heated legal controversies about the medical use of marijuana and physician-assisted suicide. Cases related to both of these issues test the power of Attorney General John Ashcroft, the conservative former senator from Missouri, who is a long-standing opponent of both activities. (Figure) States license physicians and regulate the practice of medicine; the federal government enforces drug laws . . . . http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/351/14/1380 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment