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Cannabis LawVote Yes for Medical Marijuana to Relieve the Suffering of Patients with Pain and to Help Researchers Find a Cure for Cancer

PORCARO LAW: Vote Yes for Medical Marijuana to Relieve the Suffering of Patients with Pain and to Help Researchers Find a Cure for Cancer

In Sydney, Australia participants are currently being recruited for a CBD research study that will examine regular cannabis users to help researchers understand the role of the endocannabinoid system in pain perception. Regular marijuana users who participate in the study will be compensated for their time. I am not telling you this to suggest that the United States pay people to smoke marijuana so we can study them, but we should definitely be doing research on the plant here, rather than letting every other country figure out how useful marijuana is in treating many horrible diseases first.

We are way behind other countries in marijuana research, especially Sweden and Canada. Did you know that Sativex, a fixed dose combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) is sold as adjunctive treatment for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis patients and is available in both Sweden and Canada? Sativex is distinct from all other pharmaceutically produced cannabinoids currently available because it is a mixture of compounds derived from Cannabis plants, rather than a mono-molecular synthetic product. It is a pharmaceutical product that contains both THC and CBD. The product is formulated as an oromucosal spray which is administered by spraying into the mouth. This mouth spray allows for proper titration of dosage and eliminates the need to smoke marijuana. The presence of CBD also tends to lessen the intoxicating effects of THC.

In Uruguay, marijuana was legalized in May, 2014, and sales are expected to begin before the end of the year. The government will sell the marijuana by the gram and there is a limit on how much each individual can buy. Clearly, the governments in many other countries know that marijuana is not just something college students smoke to “get high” during keg parties. It is time that Americans realize that for many with debilitating diseases, marijuana is medicine, and not just for multiple sclerosis, but also for cancer.

The American Cancer Society supports the need for more scientific research on cannabinoids for cancer patients. It also believes that the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration imposes numerous conditions on researchers and deters scientific study of cannabinoids. The American Cancer Society admits that a few studies have found that inhaled (smoked or vaporized) marijuana can be helpful in the treatment of neuropathic pain (pain caused by damaged nerves). In addition, scientists have reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells growing in laboratory dishes.

Cannabinoids might be one of the best disease and cancer fighting treatments available. Cannabinoids refer to any of a group of related compounds that include cannabinol and the active constituents of cannabis. They activate cannabinoid receptors in the body. The body itself produces compounds called endocannabinoids and they play a role in many processes within the body that help to create a healthy environment. Cannabinoids also play a role in immune system generation and re-generation. Cannabinoids can also be found in Cannabis and have been proven to reduce cancer cells as they have a major impact on the rebuilding of the immune system. While not every strain of cannabis has the same effect, more and more patients are seeing success in cancer reduction in a short period of time by using cannabis.1 It is possible that certain cannabinoids will slow cancer growth and reduce the spread of some forms of cancer, but we won’t know until the federal ban is overturned and medical professionals can do further research.

There have been a few early clinical trials of cannabinoids in treating cancer in human beings, but some doctors are skeptical because the fact that a substance can cure cancer in lab animals does not mean that it can cure cancer in human beings, but it is certainly worth a try. Many people believe that marijuana oil can cure their cancer and are blogging about it online, and no one knows for sure whether or not they are right. The United States should start doing the research necessary to find out. The first step is to make medical marijuana legal in every state so researchers will be allowed to study it without fear of legal consequences.

Footnotes

1Walia, Arjun. (August 23, 2013). 20 Medical Studies That Show Cannabis Can Cure Cancer. (Retrieved from http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/08/23/20-medical-studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer/)

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