cannabisnews.com: An Alternative To Medicinal Marijuana An Alternative To Medicinal Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on April 27, 2008 at 12:35:57 PT HealthDay News Source: Forbes.com HealthDay News -- Scientists think they may have found a way to harness marijuana's medicinal powers without unleashing the plant's memory-robbing properties. But a new and improved dope-based medication is unlikely to hit doctors' offices near you soon."This has great potential but it's years away from human application," said one expert, Dr. Dennis J. Patin, associate professor of clinical anesthesiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "I expect that some drug company will research further," he said. And John Casida, senior author of the paper in the April 27 issue of Nature Chemical Biology, stressed that his team "report new fundamental mechanistic discoveries on the cannabinoid system, rather than proposing a medicine or treatment."Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can relieve both pain and anxiety but, unfortunately, also results in cognitive problems such as memory loss.In fact, one recent study found that multiple sclerosis patients who smoke marijuana in search of symptom relief are more likely to suffer cognitive shortfalls and mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.Casida and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., found that organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents blocked the breakdown of certain enzymes, which has the end result of stimulating the cannabinoid receptors in the brain.OP nerve agents work like OP pesticides, leading to an excess of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and peripheral nervous system.In this experiment, using mice, the OP compounds had the therapeutic effects of THC (pain relief, lower body temperatures) without the cognitive drawbacks."We find that that a single organophosphorus compound is capable of eliciting full-blown cannabinoid effects that mirror those of direct cannabinoid receptor stimulators such as THC," said Casida, who is director of the Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory at Berkeley. "We believe our compound does not act directly on the cannabinoid receptors, but instead elicits its effects by blocking the enzymes that degrade the endogenous cannabinoids . . . which in turn stimulate the cannabinoid receptors in the brain.""Blocking these enzymes not only raises endogenous cannabinoid signaling power but also lowers arachidonic acid levels, which may be relevant for pain relief," Casida added. The arachidonic acid pathway is involved in pain and inflammation.This raises the tantalizing possibility that, one day, a drug might be developed which has medical value but does not get the patient stoned.More information: The Drug Policy Alliance -- http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/medical/ -- has more on medical marijuana. Source: Forbes Magazine (US)Published: Sunday, April 27, 2008Copyright: 2008 Forbes Inc.Contact: readers forbes.comWebsite: http://www.forbes.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #13 posted by Hope on April 29, 2008 at 14:33:09 PT Museman You're very kind, Museman. Thank you.Your knowledge, heart, and understanding of all kinds of things never cease to amaze me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by museman on April 29, 2008 at 11:37:42 PT Hope "This being.... awareness, intelligence, Spirit... an entity... something was born. Born of itself. THAT beginning. That being conceived only of itself... somehow... the real deal......I AM THAT I AM.I love that."And that is the essence of the One Commandment. I agree with JohnTyler; "You got it.""Ayeh Asher Ayeh!"and "Yod Hey Wod Hey" the height, depth, and breadth of all that is- YHWH [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Hope on April 28, 2008 at 21:03:12 PT Thanks John Tyler. You're sweet. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by John Tyler on April 28, 2008 at 18:51:18 PT re #8 Hope, what a groove. You know where its at. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 28, 2008 at 11:24:59 PT "white like wool" Not "snow" white. Golden white. Sort of. And wool like too... sort of. More wooly than stranded. It gets wilder by the minute.I'll stop!:0) [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Hope on April 28, 2008 at 11:00:12 PT "Are they stupid and power-mad or just evil?" I wonder, when I see something going on such as what this article describes.... I wonder about God, for non-believers... my particular "Delusion" "Drug" "Crutch" "Fairytale" that I've imagined enough for me to believe I can... well... hallucinate extraordinarily well about Him.For a moment, imagine if you had beliefs and ideas similar to mine. Or just look at them. I believe there was a beginning and an end in all creation of everything... but that they begin at the end and end at the beginning, eternally. That there was something strange going on. :0)This being.... awareness, intelligence, Spirit... an entity... something was born. Born of itself. THAT beginning. That being conceived only of itself... somehow... the real deal......I AM THAT I AM.I love that.Ok. I give that thing as something active and alive like I can't imagine. If I could describe what I see when I consider if he might "look like anything"... It would be easier all around if this being that I imagined, should I imagine that he should choose to reveal himself to me at all, let me see qualities that I can recognize... if any. He has long billowy, thick, full, flowing "white like wool" hair... not unlike Da Vinci tried to feature his vision of him. I see his skin as smooth rock, and his feet... fire. Complicated fire, but fire. I've decided that he is actually everything... and all existence is within him as a being somehow so he is whatever he wants to be. That being is energy and it moves and all things move within it... pretty much constantly.Anyway. I wonder when I read stuff like this article... When he sees it ALL and I believe He does see it all, does he grieve at the ignorance of it or does he see evil... born of some kind of greed and desire to control the very souls, thoughts, and desires of other human beings?I agree with the Museman. I'd say it was pretty much all of them. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by museman on April 28, 2008 at 09:53:54 PT afterburner #5 "Are they stupid and power-mad or just evil?"All of the above. Makes for a dangerous situation, like, Iraq, Afghanistan, soon-to-be-Iran -and the continuing slide of the middle-class into inrrecoverable debt and dependence on a failing system. The question is really; Are the American people really as stupid (over-all-in-general) as they act in their daily support of the evil-stupid-power-mad rulers and false authorities? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by BGreen on April 28, 2008 at 09:44:01 PT Saddam used OP Nerve Agents in the '80s We use OP insecticides such as Diazinon in our yards to kill pests. Saddam supposedly killed thousands of Kurds using OP nerve agents.Just to contemplate replacing a plant that has never killed a single person with OP poisons used daily to exterminate living creatures is a violation of everything in this world that is good and right and just.Hitler had so-called doctors and scientists that did exactly what John Casida and his team are doing.Prison is too good for these evil scientists.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by afterburner on April 27, 2008 at 21:19:40 PT Predicted: Med-Sci Makes Toxic Cannabis Substitute They did the same thing with opium. Trying to make it non-addictive, they made it stronger and more addictive: morphine - heroin - oxycodone. Are they stupid and power-mad or just evil? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by john wayne on April 27, 2008 at 20:45:24 PT memory robbing? "HealthDay News -- Scientists think they may have found a way to harness marijuana's medicinal powers without unleashing the plant's memory-robbing properties."Heh? What misinformed jerk wrote this line? "memory robbing"? Says who? Compared to what? Where is the proof? I suspect this is mere PharmCo fodder, nothing more...I'm gonna ignore the rest of the article, except to be very wary of poisonous organo-phosphates being pushed on me as some kind of remedy. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on April 27, 2008 at 20:03:57 PT I will pass on the organophosphates How can such smart people sound so crazy? Using organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents (sound dangerous already) to do the same thing that cannabis can do, only not as well, and you don’t get the pleasant euphoric effect either, plus I bet it will cost a lot more. It is not even tested or ready for marketing. Basically, it is just a lab project at this stage. I think these guys have been sniffing too much either or formaldehyde or whatever it is these guys are into. Cannabis is already on the market and it is better and cheaper. Get some new ideas.PS on the previously mentioned website the polling is running 99% for HR5843. That is extremely positive for such a controversial issue. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 27, 2008 at 14:31:08 PT Washington Watch: H.R. 5843 H.R. 5843, The Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_5843.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by dongenero on April 27, 2008 at 13:13:11 PT Yes, why use medical cannabis Why use medical cannabis when you could take an organophospahte nerve agent like an organophosphorous pesticide?For the real risk takers, cannabis is far too safe and benign. Organophosphates are highly toxic, deadly compounds...now there's something to get a rush about!Another positive is that organophosphates will not give you that unpleasant side effect of euphoria and feeling of well being cannabis users must suffer through.Yes, more organophosphates, that's what will save us all from cannabis! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment