Leveraging Marijuana for Medical Benefits
Rarely does a drug elicit such a variety of responses as those associated with marijuana. Long defined as illegal for recreational use in this country, marijuana has a strange acceptance through its underground proliferation in the United States, yet few will publicly admit to using the drug, or at least in former President Clinton’s case, to inhaling. Many argue the drug is no more harmful to a body that smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, or perhaps even drinking alcohol, but opponents to its legalization counter that it serves as a gateway drug, tempting its users into getting their high from more harmful illegal chemicals.
Because of this controversy that continues to surround cannabis and its derivatives, I’m always fascinated to read about the research being done with regard to the chemical components of the plant and how the affect the human body. I recently wrote about a study that was released linking drinking to breast cancer in women. Who would have thought that a chemical compound in cannabis, called cannabidiol or CBD, could possibly be researched as a non-toxic alternative to chemotherapy?
The BBC reported Monday that the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute found that CBD works by blocking the activity of a gene known as ID-1. This gene is responsible for the aggressive spread of cancer cells away from the original tumor site, also known as metastasis. The advantage of the CBD treatment over other treatments such as chemotherapy is its ability to be effective without the toxic side effects. “Many people experience side-effects while having chemotherapy, such as nausea and an increased risk of infection, which can take both a physical and emotional toll,” said Maria Leadbeater of Breast Cancer Care.(1)
According to the article, the study arose from a previous study on cannabis’ effect on brain tumors and demonstrates the continuing efforts to leverage the healing properties of the plant for modern medical needs. In addition to that study, a February report by the BBC indicated that boosting levels of the brain’s natural cannabis-like chemicals could improve the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The research was conducted by the Stanford University Medical Center in California on mice that were genetically modified to have Parkinson’s-like conditions. In most Parkinson’s patients, it is believed that the primary reason for limited movement is the lack of dopamine in the brain, causing those cells that restrict movement to become dominant. Existing dopamine drugs were given to the mice, but had little effect on their condition. Within 15 minutes of injecting the experimental drug with the cannabis-like chemicals into the mice suffering immobility from the condition, however, they showed dramatic improvement and were able to move freely. (2)
The authors of both study were quick to point out this was not a license for people to light up and enjoy a joint, and indicated that smoking the drug was unlikely to provide the kind of concentration of chemicals needed in order to be an effective therapy for either cancer or Parkinson’s disease.
There have been several other reports centering around the benefits of compounds found within the cannabis plant. One study done by UK scientists at Bath University indicates people suffering with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may require treatment with cannabis-like compounds to alleviate the problems they have within their digestive tract (read the article here). The University of Newcastle reported in a study for the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2005 that the chemicals THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) could be potentially distributed to patients in the form of a mouth spray in the treatment of bi-polar disorder (read the article here). A search on the subject would reveal several more, entirely too much for me to cover in one blog article.
I don’t think it’s necessarily taboo for us to explore new ways to use chemical compounds in cannabis for the benefit of people who are in need of its healing properties. I didn’t know myself until I was an adult that Novocaine, a drug I used every time I would have dental work done, is derived from cocaine. Why derive a complex chemical to do the work of one that may already occur naturally within a plant?
Is there even a dilemma here? Would you be willing to take a drug that was derived from cannabis? If not, why? How is taking a drug derived from the cannabis plant different than taking a drug developed in a chemist’s lab, which may not contain any naturally occurring chemicals? Would you take a prescription for a pill derived from cannabis’ chemical compounds? What about if a joint were offered as a prescription, how would you feel about it then?
And what of the broader, legal issues surrounding cannabis? I mentioned at the beginning of the post that there is little evidence to support that the drug is any more dangerous than smoking or drinking, yet it could serve as a gateway drug to its users. Do you think by legalizing it we would be inviting its abuse by us and, more importantly, our kids? Or do you think we’re going in the opposite direction with recent laws, and will we be looking at a completely smoke-free society in the future, cigarettes, marijuana and all?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please let me know how you feel about it!
(1) See “Cannabis compound ‘halts cancer’,” BBC News web site, November 19th 2007.
(2) See “Brain ‘cannabis’ Parkinson’s hope,” BBC News web site, February 8th, 2007.
