New Study: Cannabis Can Inhibit the Pain Associated With Bone Cancer

New Study: Cannabis Can Inhibit the Pain Associated With Bone Cancer


A new study conducted by the Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, and published in the most recent issue of the journal Neuroscience, has found that cannabinoids – compounds found in cannabis such as THC – can stop the pain associated with bone cancer by activating an individual’s cannabinoid receptors.
“These results indicate that activation of either CB1 or CB2 receptors reduced the spontaneous activity of C-fiber nociceptors associated with tumor growth as well as their evoked responses”, states the study’s abstract, “Our results provide further evidence that activation of peripheral cannabinoid receptors may be a useful target for the treatment of cancer pain.”
The potential of cannabis as a treatment for cancer pains is an important one. As researchers note; “Pain from cancer can be severe, difficult to treat, and greatly diminishes patients’ quality of life. It is therefore important to gain new information on the mechanisms of cancer pain and develop new treatment strategies.”
Obviously further research is needed to help validate these findings, but they’re certainly promising.
- TheJointBlog

Cannabinoids Found to Reduce 90% of Skin Cancer in Just 20 Weeks, According to New Study

Cannabinoids Found to Reduce 90% of Skin Cancer in Just 20 Weeks, According to New Study


A new study conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, and published in the newest issue of the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, has found that cannabinoids can reduce up to 90% of skin cancer in just a 20 week period.
For the study, researchers used synthetic cannabinoids (natural, cannabis-derived cannabinoids are typically even more effective) on mice with skin cancer in a 20 week study, and found that the cannabinoids had a hugely positive effect, reducing skin cancer by up to 90% as well as “inhibiting tumor promotion”.
Researchers conclude:

This is the first report indicating the structure–activity relationships for the anti-inflammatory activity of synthetic cannabinoids on TPA-induced inflammation in mice. Naphthoylindoles, JWH-018, -122 and -210 [synthetic cannabinoids], had the most potent anti-inflammatory activity and also markedly inhibited tumour promotion by TPA in the two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis model. The present results suggest that synthetic cannabinoids, such as JWH-018, -122 and -210, may be used as cancer chemopreventive agents in the future.

- TheJointBlog

Cannabis may decrease symptom severity of opiate withdrawal during methadone maintenance treatment

 

 http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/bulletin/ww_en_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=403#1

 

Cannabis may decrease symptom severity of opiate withdrawal during methadone maintenance treatment

 

  A new study suggests that symptoms of opiate withdrawal decrease in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment, who use cannabis. The study with 91 patients has been conducted by researches of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, USA. Patterns of cannabis use prior to and during methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) were examined to assess possible cannabis-related effects on MMT, particularly during methadone stabilization. 

Rates of cannabis use were high during methadone induction, dropping significantly following dose stabilization. History of cannabis use correlated with cannabis use during MMT but did not negatively impact the methadone induction process. Authors noted that “pilot data also suggested that objective ratings of opiate withdrawal decrease in MMT patients using cannabis during stabilization.”  

Scavone JL, Sterling RC, Weinstein SP, Van Bockstaele EJ. Impact of Cannabis Use during Stabilization on Methadone Maintenance Treatment. Am J Addict 2013;22(4):344-51.

New Study: 80% of Swiss Inmates Consume Cannabis, Improves Prison Safety According to Guards

New Study: 80% of Swiss Inmates Consume Cannabis, Improves Prison Safety According to Guards

A new study published by the International Journal of Drug Policy has found that as many as 80% 
of inmates in Swiss prisons consume cannabis, 
something that prison staff is fully aware of, with most feeling that it has a positive effect on the overall prison environment.
According to the study, prisoners named off a variety of benefits they received from consuming cannabis; “Participants showed similar opinions on effects of cannabis use that were described both at individual and institutional levels: analgesic, calming, self-help to go through the prison experience, relieve stress, facilitate sleep, prevent violence, and social pacifier.”

Prison staff claimed that they feel cannabis to be a relatively safe and peaceful drug; they believe that cracking down on its consumption will lead to an increase in violence, and harder drugs.
In Switzerland cannabis consumption is less of a criminal priority than in countries like the United States, although it’s still explicitly prohibited.
This study is one of the first to show the positive benefits of inmates consuming cannabis on a regular basis.
- TheJointBlog

Health outcomes associated with long-term regular cannabis and tobacco smoking.

Health outcomes associated with long-term regul... [Addict Behav. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI

This study aimed to identify patterns of health concerns associated with long-term use of cannabis and tobacco individually, as well as in combination. We recruited 350 adults aged 40 or over who smoked cannabis but not tobacco (cannabis-only group, n=59), smoked both cannabis and tobacco (cannabis/tobacco group, n=88), smoked tobacco but not cannabis (tobacco-only group, n=80), or used neither substance (control group, n=123). Participants completed a survey addressing substance use, diagnosed medical conditions, health concerns relating to smoking cannabis/tobacco, and general health (measured using the Physical Health Questionnaire and the Short Form 36). Several significant differences were found among the four groups. With regard to diagnosed medical conditions, the three smoking groups reported significantly higher rates of emphysema than did the control group (ps<.001). However, all members of the cannabis-only group diagnosed with emphysema were former regular tobacco smokers. Total general health scores, general health subscales, and items addressing smoking-related health concerns also revealed several significant group differences, and these tended to show worse outcomes for the two tobacco smoking groups. Findings suggest that using tobacco on its own and mixing it with cannabis may lead to worse physical health outcomes than using cannabis alone.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stop and search - Consultations - Inside Government - GOV.UK

Stop and search - Consultations - Inside Government - GOV.UK

 

Organisation: Home Office

Published: 2 July 2013

This consultation closes on 13 August 2013

 

Detail

This consultation seeks views on the police powers of stop and search, specifically under the following legislation:

• Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE)
• Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
• Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994

It concerns those powers used in relation to street crime, burglary, anti-social behaviour, and public order offences such as riots and violent protests.
The Home Office has already asked Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to examine how police forces use stop and search. Through this consultation we aim to understand how the use of these powers is viewed by the public and by those involved in policing.
Stop and search powers under counter-terrorism legislation have been the subject of recent changes and are not within the scope of this consultation.

The consultation runs for 6 weeks from 2 July 2013.

How to respond

Please send us your comments by using our online form.
Alternatively, you can email your response to: Stopandsearch@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Or write to:

Stop and search consultation
Home Office
Police Transparency Unit
6th Floor Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London, SW1P 4DF

Document

Consultation on police powers of stop and search

Consultation on powers used in relation to street crime, burglary, anti-social behaviour, and public order offences.

PDF, 120KB, 18 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request a different format.

To request this document in an alternative format such as braille, audio or a different file type please email alternativeformats@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk quoting your address, telephone number along with the title of the publication ("Consultation on police powers of stop and search").

Contact us by 13 August 2013

Worth Repeating: It’s Official! Cannabinoids Kill All Types of Cancer

http://tokesignals.com/worth-repeatin...

 By Ron Marczyk On March 15, 2013 at 4:20 pm

The US Patent & Trade Office on March 7, 2013 granted GW Pharma a medical patent covering all plant-based phytocannabinoids for use in the treatment and prevention of basically all forms of human cancer.

Entitled: PHYTOCANNABINOIDS IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER
United States Patent Application # 20130059018
Assignee: GW Pharma
Publication Date: 03/07/2013
Filing Date: 03/11/2011

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2013/0059018.html

All phytocannabinoids? As in the plural? As in covering every chemical this plant makes and its use in the treatment of human cancer?

The back story: On 1/17/2013, the National Cancer Institute updated its Cannabis and Cannabinoids PDQ® webpage with the following new cannabis and cancer information, which just by coincidence supports the new GW Pharma pre-approved patent and lays the groundwork for GW Pharma’s future new breakout marijuana-based cancer drugs.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4
From Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ®) Last Modified: 01/17/2013

“Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis.”
“One review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of action of cannabinoids as antitumor agents. Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their non-transformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death.”
“These compounds have been shown to induce apoptosis in glioma cells (a type of brain cancer) in culture and induce regression of glioma tumors in mice and rats. Cannabinoids protect normal glial cells of astroglial and oligodendroglial lineages  from apoptosis mediated by the CB1 receptor.”

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4

Read: Cannabinoids from plant sources cause immortalized cancer cells to die, stops them from growing and shuts down their needed blood supply, all while not harming healthy cells, unlike chemotherapy and radiation.
More back story information:
Below is the same type of National Cancer Institute Cannabis and Cannabinoids PDQ® update that appeared on March 17, 2011 but was censored and removed in only 11 days: that was two years ago.


“The potential effects of medicinal cannabis for people living with cancer include antiemetic effects, appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. In the practice of integrative oncology the health care provider may recommend medicinal cannabis not only for symptom management but also for its possible direct anti-tumor effect.”
Presently:
The new government-supported information promoted this strong reaction by The Advocates for the Disabled and Seriously Ill in the story below.
March 12, 2013: Federal Government Reports Marijuana Effective in Combating Certain Cancers, Reports ADSI
“The NCI report examined whether patients who smoke marijuana rather than ingesting it orally are exposed to a higher risk of lung and certain digestive system cancers…”

According to the government, 19 studies “failed to demonstrate statistically significant associations between marijuana inhalation and lung cancer.” The report also identified a separate study of 611 lung cancer patients that showed marijuana was “not associated with an increased risk of lung cancer or other upper aero digestive tract cancers and found no positive associations with any cancer type.”
In its report, the National Cancer Institute also identified a “study of intratumoral injection of delta-9-THC in patients with recurrent glioblastoma [brain cancer] that showed tumor reduction in the test participants.”
In addition to anti-cancer properties, separate research reported marijuana appears to have “profound nerve-protective and brain-enhancing properties that could potentially treat many neurodegenerative disorders.”
http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/03/12/530022/10024825/en/Federal-Government-Reports-Marijuana-Effective-in-Combatting-Certain-Cancers-Reports-ADSI.html

 Furthermore all of the above information is in full agreement with studies conducted by Dr. Donald Tashkin, UCLA.

Dr. Donald Tashkin, UCLA:
“It turned out that increased marijuana use did not result in higher rates of lung and pharyngeal cancer, whereas tobacco smokers were at greater risk the more they smoked. Tobacco smokers who also smoked marijuana were at slightly lower risk of getting lung cancer than tobacco-only smokers.”
[NORML ZA]

http://tokesignals.com/worth-repeating-smoking-cannabis-does-not-cause-lung-cancer/

 Details from GW Pharma’s newly issued patent
PHYTOCANNABINOIDS IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER /March 7, 2013
United States Patent Application # 20130059018    Assignee: GW Pharma
“This invention relates to the use of phytocannabinoids, either in an isolated form or in the form of a botanical drug substance (isn’t that cannabis?) In the treatment of cancer. Preferably the cancer to be treated is cancer of the prostate, cancer of the breast or cancer of the colon.”


“Researchers however have discovered that some cannabinoids, including THC and cannabidiol (CBD) are able to promote the re-emergence of apoptosis (the signal for a cell to die) so that some tumors will heed the signals, stop dividing, and die.”
“Another method by which tumors grow is by ensuring that they are nourished: they send out signals to promote angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels. Cannabinoids may turn off these signals as well.”
“In summary these data demonstrate the protective effects of phytocannabinoids in the PREVENTION of colon cancer. Of significance is the phytocannabinoids CBG which exerts a strong protective effect against colon cancer particularly when it is in an isolated form.”

Pay no attention to the fact that cannabis use predates human civilization. How do you make it illegal for people but not corporations? Equal treatment under the law is for people and access to medicine.
Patenting cannabis is like patenting corn and all the products it makes, and then telling me I can’t grow corn in my backyard. How do you patent nature, restrict people’s access to it and then charge them to use it while you are making a big profit?
The bad news in all of this?
This patent was pre-approved and was written to only include cannabis products made by GW Pharma.

 “Despite the Federal government sanctioned and authorized NCI report, Pappas said Congress and the Obama Administration have continued to thwart marijuana research. In an announced effort to displace state medical marijuana laws, the Office of National Drug Control Policy described ‘medical’ marijuana as a ‘myth’ fueling ‘troubling misconceptions’ in documents found on its website.
The Federal government appears to be focused on creating more chemical drugs, many of which are the subject of various attorney television commercials seeking out those adversely impacted by those drugs.”
http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/03/12/530022/10024825/en/Federal-Government-Reports-Marijuana-Effective-in-Combatting-Certain-Cancers-Reports-ADSI.html
They will be fracking apart the plant and selling it back to you piecemeal in different cannabinoid ratios that they now own the rights to.
They will be trying to sell high-priced water at the river’s edge.
Editorial Summary:
“You see, they don’t want you using your drugs; they want you to use their drugs.” ~ Chris Rock 

 Here comes the big payday that you’re not going to be part of. How much will one month of Sativex wind up costing? My lowball guess is north of $2000/month X 12 =$24,000 per patient vs. The average monthly cost of cannabis use per patient at about $200-400 per month?
I propose the US government nationalize this new fledgling marijuana industry as a cooperative nationwide network of American people, and not of corporations.
This reasoning is based on two counts:
We, the people of the US, own the first patent on this plant since back in 2003.
This should be reparation to the people, to try to heal the 75-year war we have waged on ourselves out of ignorance.
How about we, the American people, win for once?

GW Pharma is really part of a conglomeration of international pharmaceutical corporations that just patented a plant you can grow in your backyard and will control its use in cancer treatment. I’m sure they have our best interests at heart.

Mr. Worth Repeating: former NYPD cop, former high school health teacher, the unstoppable Ron Marczyk, R.N.,
Toke Signals columnist

Editor’s note: Ron Marczyk is a retired high school health eduation teacher who taught Wellness and Disease Prevention, Drug and Sex Ed, and AIDS education to teens aged 13-17.
He also taught a high school International Baccalaureate psychology course. He taught in a New York City public school as a Drug Prevention Specialist. He is a Registered Nurse with six years of ER/Critical Care experience in NYC hospitals, earned an M.S. in cardiac rehabilitation and exercise physiology, and worked as a New York City police officer for two years.
Currently he is focused on how evolutionary psychology explains human behavior.