cannabisnews.com: Marijuana As Medicine 





Marijuana As Medicine 
Posted by CN Staff on October 07, 2004 at 08:33:03 PT
Editorial
Source: Health & Nutrition 
The legal status of smoking marijuana for medical purposes is cloudy, but will it someday be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, or pain?Marijuana best known and most often used as is recreational drug, but its history as a medicine goes back hundreds of years. In the 19th century, marijuana extract dissolved in alcohol was a popular home remedy. Queen Victoria may have been a user: By some accounts, her doctor prescribed it to relieve her menstrual pain.
Pot Science and Industry Marijuana for medicinal purposes has made a comeback today, thanks largely to patient advocacy groups and activists in the U.S. demanding for the legalization of marijuana for all purposes. Cancer patients and their families were the first to push for it. Many found that smoking marijuana was the only way to relieve the severe nausea from chemotherapy. Then AIDS advocacy groups swung into action, arguing that smoking marijuana was the best way for some patients to treat weight loss, muscle wasting, and loss of appetite. Partly because of these efforts, nine American states have passed laws legalizing marijuana for medical use. Meanwhile, researchers have been slowly deciphering the complicated biochemistry that underlies marijuana’s effects. It’s been almost a hundred years since scientists first isolated cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana that give people a euphoric "high." The main one is tetrahydrocannabinol, usually referred to simply as THC. In the 1980s, researchers discovered THC receptors on cells in the brain and immune system. At about the same time, they isolated endogenous cannabinoids, molecules the body produces naturally that act like THC and "switch on" some of the same receptors it does. Together, these findings showed how the human body is biologically programmed to respond to marijuana. Moreover, the cannabinoids and their receptors seem to play a role in a wide array of brain and other functions, including short-term memory, mood, muscle coordination, pain, nausea, and appetite. Marijuana may have a counterculture image, but research into the cannabinoid system is pretty straightlaced these days as researchers look for compounds to exploit these myriad effects. Taking a Toke vs. a Pill If you’re using marijuana for a medical reason, smoking may offer some advantages. The THC is rapidly absorbed, so it takes effect in minutes. Smoking also allows people to monitor the effect as they are using the drug. In addition, some experts — and many users — believe that burning the plant material may release compounds other than THC that are themselves healthful, or perhaps critical to the effectiveness of THC.Yet it’s also clear that inhaling marijuana smoke into your lungs can be harmful. Studies have shown that it’s capable of damaging lung and other respiratory system tissue, just like cigarette smoke. Research hints at connections to lung cancer. One way around the problems with smoke is to isolate the THC in marijuana and take it as a pill. The chemical has been available in this form since the mid-1980s as a perfectly legal but prescription-only drug called dronabinol. A synthetic compound similar to THC called nabilone is sold as a pill in Britain and Canada. Dronabinol was initially approved to treat nausea in cancer patients; later, treatment of weight and appetite loss in AIDS patients was added. But it isn’t used much by cancer patients these days, in part because better antinausea drugs have come along. AIDS patients use it more often, but the side effects can be a problem. Instead of experiencing a pleasant high, dronabinol can leave some people feeling upset and disoriented. Research suggests that people who’ve had some experience with marijuana are less likely to be troubled by these side effects. Lowering the dose and taking that drug before bedtime may help reduce them.Other Smokeless Alternatives Because of the drawbacks of smoked marijuana and oral THC, researchers and patients are investigating alternative delivery systems. Some people, including recreational users, in the U.S. already use vaporizers that heat marijuana rather than burn it. The inhaled vapor contains THC and presumably other compounds — good news for the "whole herb" believers — but not the harmful substances in smoke. Some companies are testing THC-based products that are sprayed in the mouth or put under the tongue, on the theory that they’ll be absorbed more efficiently than a swallowed pill. One sublingual (under-the-tongue) formulation is in Phase 3 trials as a therapy for multiple sclerosis, cancer-associated pain, and sleep disturbances. Another interesting possibility is a THC-based suppository. Looking for the Smoking Gun All of the legal wrangling about medical marijuana has been about the smoked version, but the bulk of the medical research in this area has been on THC pills and related compounds. It is easier for investigators to control dosing that way. Moreover, drug companies and other groups have an interest in paying for that kind of research.But as a result, it’s difficult to construct a case for smoking marijuana for medical purposes with the usual sources: studies in peer-reviewed journals, randomized clinical trials, and meta-analyses. Instead, advocacy groups have relied on testimonials from individual patients and appeals to the principle that patients, if even a small minority, shouldn’t be denied access to something that relieves pain and suffering. A 1999 Institute of Medicine report on medical marijuana gave it a qualified endorsement, saying that short-term (six months or less) use of smoked marijuana should be considered for patients with debilitating symptoms, such as intractable pain or nausea. The Feds vs. State Law In the American states where medical marijuana has been legalized, it remains a federal crime to purchase, prescribe, or even possess the drug. So even in states where medical use of marijuana is decriminalized for medical purposes, people have been prosecuted under federal law for possessing or using it. The U.S. Supreme Court has already reviewed two cases concerning medical marijuana. In 2001, the court ruled that claims of medical necessity couldn’t exempt on Oakland, Calif., "cannabis buyers’ cooperative" from federal drug laws. But last year it let stand a lower court decision upholding the right of doctors to recommend marijuana for medical purposes. The lower court had said that doctors have a First Amendment right to discuss marijuana with patients. Now the court has agreed to hear a third case. Federal agents seized marijuana plants grown by a California woman, Diane Monson, who smoked the drug to relieve back pain. Monson and a woman with brain cancer — who says marijuana relieved her pain and restored her appetite — sued in federal court, arguing that homegrown marijuana for personal, non-commercial use is not covered by federal drug laws. A lower court agreed with them, but the Bush administration appealed to the Supreme Court. Source: Health & Nutrition (USA & Canada)Published: October 7, 2004Copyright: 2004 Health & NutritionContact: health magnamags.com Website: http://www.healthnnutrition.co.in/default.aspRelated Articles & Web Sites:Angel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htmMedical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmIt's Not Just Pot - It's Medicine, Says Grouphttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19594.shtmlOutside View: Your Brain on Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19543.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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