cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Plugs Into Eye Cells, U.S. Study Finds Marijuana Plugs Into Eye Cells, U.S. Study Finds Posted by FoM on December 06, 1999 at 18:24:14 PT Breaking News Source: Reuters Marijuana and hashish may affect vision by plugging into tailor-made receptors in the eye, researchers said on Monday.They said they found the receptors -- which are chemical doorways into cells -- in animals ranging from chicks to salamanders to monkeys. This suggests that chemicals similar to the cannabinoids in hashish and marijuana, known to occur naturally in the human body, are ancient and highly important in eye function, the researchers said."The fact that this system is so highly conserved in species separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution suggests that it's important," Alex Straiker of the University of California, San Diego, who led the research, said in a statement."Nature likes to tinker, so any time you see something this consistent, it raises eyebrows."Working with colleagues at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego and the University of Washington in Seattle, Straiker found cannabinoid receptors known as CB1 receptors in the retinal cells of rhesus monkeys, chicks, salamanders, goldfish, mice and rats.They also occurred in both the rods and cones, which are the eye structures that respond to light, the researchers wrote in a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."We understand very little about how the retina works. By demonstrating that this receptor system is present, we add another piece to the puzzle, opening one more window into how the eye works," Straiker said."It also suggests that marijuana affects vision because it plugs into an existing signaling system that is abundant in the retina."Cannabinoids naturally occur in vertebrates. For instance, pain triggers the release of one class of cannabinoids known as anandamides. Anandamides are neurotransmitters, or message-carrying chemicals.The chemical THC found in marijuana also is a cannabinoid.Cannabis has been used for centuries to help relieve pain, and some research suggests it can affect vision and also may be able to help relieve symptoms of the eye disease glaucoma.Researchers think THC must plug into the body's natural system for using anandamide and other neurotransmitters. Updated 7:26 PM ET December 6, 1999Copyright © 1995-1999 Excite Inc. Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by your average cadaver on July 29, 2000 at 13:14:47 PT: :) hemp IS grand!! (: I can't see one bad thing about hemp. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by myster-y- on February 25, 2000 at 12:25:52 PT nursery ryme smoke bud go to jail but you can be president if you dont inhale!!!!!!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by myster-y- on February 25, 2000 at 12:23:13 PT A legalization petition is what we need!!!!!!!!! we should start a site with a petition for legalization of it and send it to the president at his e mail address at president aol.gov.we need lots of signatures though------- [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by myster-y- on February 25, 2000 at 12:22:28 PT legalization petition we should start a site with a petition for legalization of it and send it to the president at his e mail address at president aol.gov.we need lots of signatures though------- [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 07, 1999 at 22:08:38 PT I Agree Murt! Thanks Murt! It is so good to see the evidence surfacing! It is a wonderful medicinal herb that was put on this earth by God for us to use and I have no idea how the government decided it knew more then God does about what is good for us! He made the plant! He doesn't make mistakes! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Murt on December 07, 1999 at 15:06:12 PT: Marijuana plugs into Eye Cells Well at long last when the research is finely being done, we find that marijuana DOES have some medicinal value. Well what do you know about that!!! There are a lot of people who have known this for a long time and have been thrown in jail for using it. Shame on this government.. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: