Why Cannabis Is The Future Of Medicine

The future of medicine rests on the fundamental right we all have to use things that spring from the Earth naturally as healing agents. Why should cannabis, used for at least 10000 years by humankind to alleviate suffering, be excluded from this inexorable mandate?

The politics of cannabis are exceedingly complex, and yet the truth is simple: this freely growing plant heals the human body – not to mention provides food, fuel, clothing and shelter, if only we will let it perform its birthright. In a previous article, we investigated the strange fact that the human body is in many ways pre-designed, or as it were, pre-loaded with a receptiveness to cannabis’ active compounds — cannabinoids — thanks to its well documented endocannabinoid system.

But the medical-industrial complex in the U.S. does not want you to use these freely growing compounds. They threaten its very business model and existence. Which is why it synergizes so naturally with the burgeoning privatized prison sector, which now has the dubious title of having the highest incarceration rate in the world. The statistics don’t lie:

“far surpassing any other nation. For every 100,000 Americans, 743 citizens sit behind bars. Presently, the prison population in America consists of more than six million people, a number exceeding the amount of prisoners held in the gulags of the former Soviet Union at any point in its history.”

According to a recent Al-Jeezera editorial, “One explanation for the boom in the prison population is the mandatory sentencing imposed for drug offences and the “tough on crime” attitude that has prevailed since the 1980s.”

Cannabis/marijuana is presently on the DEA’s Schedule 1 list.  Since 1972, cannabis has been listed on the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the most tightly restricted category reserved for drugs which have “no currently accepted medical use”. Opioids, stimulants, psychedelics and a few antidepressants now populate this list of substances that can put you in jail for possessing without a prescription.

The notion that marijuana has no ‘medicinal benefits’ is preposterous, actually. Since time immemorial it has been used as a panacea (‘cure-all’). In fact, as far back as 2727 B.C., cannabis was recorded in the Chinese pharmacopoeia as an effective medicine, and evidence for its use as a food, textile and presumably as a healing agent stretch back even further, to 12 BC.[1]

When it comes to cannabis’ medical applications, cannabis’ ‘healing properties’ is a loaded term. In fact, it is extremely dangerous, as far as the medical industrial complex goes, who has the FDA/FTC to enforce it’s mandate: anything that prevents, diagnoses, treats or cures a disease must be an FDA approved drug by law, i.e. pharmaceutical agents which often have 75 or more adverse effects for each marketed and approved “therapeutic” effect.

Indeed, the dominant, drug-based medical system does not even acknowledge the body’s healing abilities, opting for a view that looks at most bodily suffering as fatalistic, primarily genetically based, and resulting from dysfunction in the mechanical design of a highly entropic ‘bag of enzymes and proteins’ destined to suffer along the trajectory of time.

And so, an at least two trillion dollar a year industry stands between you and access to the disease alleviating properties of this humble plant.

As Emerson said, “a weed is an herb whose virtues have yet to be discovered,” and yet, by this definition, cannabis is not a weed, but given that is has been extensively researched and used for thousands of years for a wide range of health conditions, it should be considered and respected as a medicinal herb and food. Sadly, the fact that the whole herb is non-patentable is the main reason why it is still struggling to gain approval from the powers that be.

Let’s look at the actual, vetted, published and peer-reviewed research – bullet proof, if we are to subscribe to the ‘evidence-based’ model of medicine – which includes over 100 proven therapeutic actions of this amazing plant, featuring the following:

• Multiple Sclerosis


• Tourette Syndrome


• Pain


• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder


• Brachial Plexus Neuropathies


• Insomnia


• Multiple Splasticity


• Memory Disorders


• Social Anxiety Disorders


• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis


• Inflammatory Bowel Disease


• Cancer


• Opiate Addiction


• Anorexia


• Bladder Dysfunction


• Bronchial Asthma


• Chemotherapy-induced Harm


• Constipation


• Crack Addiction


• Dementia


• Fibromyalgia


• Glaucoma


• Heroin Addiction


• Lymphoma


• Nausea


• Neuropathy


• Obesity


• Phantom Limb


• Spinal Cord Injuries


• Endotoxemia


• Myocardia Infarction (Heart Attack)


• Oxidative Stress


• Diabetes: Cataract


• Tremor


• Cardiac Arrhythmias


• Fatigue


• Fulminant Liver Failure


• Low Immune Function


• Aging


• Alcohol Toxicity


• Allodynia


• Arthritis: Rheumatoid


• Ascites


• Atherosclerosis


• Diabetes Type 1


• High Cholesterol


• Liver Damage


• Menopausal Syndrome


• Morphine Dependence


• Appetite Disorders


• Auditory Disease


• Dystonia


• Epstein-Barr infections


• Gynecomasia


• Hepatitis


• Intestinal permeability


• Leukemia


• Liver Fibrosis


• Migraine Disorders


• Oncoviruses


• Psoriasis


• Thymoma

Moreover, this plant’s therapeutic properties have been subdivided into the following 40+ pharmacological actions:

• Analgesic (Pain Killing)


• Neuroprotective


• Antispasmodic


• Anxiolytic


• Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor


• Anti-inflammatory


• Antiproliferative


• Apoptotic


• Chempreventive


• Antidepressive


• Antiemetic


• Bronchodilator


• Anti-metastatic


• Anti-neoplastic


• Antioxidant


• Cardioprotective


• Hepatoprotective


• Anti-tumor


• Enzyme inhibitor


• Immunomodulatory


• Anti-angiogenic


• Autophagy up-regulation


• Acetylocholinesterase inhibitor


• Anti-platelet


• Calcium channel blocker


• Cell cycle arrest


• Cylooxygenase inhibitor


• Glycine agents


• Immunomodulatory: T-Cell down-regulation


• Intracellular adhesion molecule-1 inducer


• Matrix mettaproteinase-1 inhibitor


• Neuritohgenic


• Platelet Aggregration Inhibito


• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A inhibitor


• Anti-apoptotic


• Anti-proliferative


• Anti-psychotic


• Antiviral


• Caspase-3 activation


• Chemosensitizer


• Immunosupressive agent


• Interleukin-6 upregulation


• Tumor suppressor protein p53 upregulation

Thanks to modern scientific investigation, it is no longer considered strictly ‘theoretical’ that cannabis has a role to play in medicine. There is a growing movement to wrench back control from the powers that be, whose primary objectives appear to be the subjection of the human body in order to control the population (political motives) — what 20th century French philosopher Michel Foucault termed biopower, and not to awaken true healing powers intrinsic within the body of all self-possessed members of society. Even the instinct towards recreational use – think of the etymology: to re-create – should be allowed, as long as those who choose to use cannabis instead of tobacco and alcohol (and prescription drugs) do not cause harm to themselves or others. How many deaths are attributed to cannnabis each year versus these other societally approved recreational agents, not to mention prescription drugs, which are the 3rd leading cause of death in the developed world?

Ultimately, the politics surrounding cannabis access and the truth about its medicinal properties are so heavily a politicized issue that it is doubtful the science itself will prevail against the distorted lens of media characterizations of it as a ‘dangerous drug,’ and certainly not the iron-clad impasse represented by federal laws against its possession and use. All we can do is to advocate for the fundamental rights we all possess as free men and women, and our inborn right towards self-possession, i.e as long as what we do does not interfere with the choices and rights of others, we should be free to use an herb/food/textile that sprouts freely and grows freely from this earth, as God/Nature as freely made available.

I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?

~ Willie Nelson

“Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?” – Bill Hicks

---

^[1] Marijuana – The First Twelve Thousand Years

© October 27, 2017 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter.

The post Why Cannabis Is The Future Of Medicine appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

Marijuana Could be a Viable Treatment for Migraines for Many

Yet another study shows the natural healing power of marijuana, and it could give hope to the millions of people who suffer from chronic migraines.

Risks of Migraine Medications

Migraines aren’t just agonizing, they can also be terrifying. That throbbing, crippling pain in your head make some people pass out, and could even increase your risk of stroke, for one thing.

In my early 20’s I had severe migraines on an almost daily basis. Now in my mid-30s, they are few and far between (thank goodness). When I do get one, all I want to do is lock myself in a dark room. Doing anything else makes me incredibly nauseous.

A decade ago, I got rid of my migraines by popping a medication called Zomig. It worked…but it’s not always the best option, especially if you’re on other medications.

Zomig is part of a class of drugs called triptans. Another popular triptan migraine drug you may have heard of is Imitrex. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning in 2006 about a potentially life-threatening condition known as serotonin syndrome that can be caused by taking triptans and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. Just one of many risks.

Serotonin syndrome causes a wide variety of symptoms, including confusion, agitation, mania, hallucinations, headache, coma, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, diarrhea, racing heartbeat, fever, tremor, muscle twitching, shivering, and overactive reflexes.

If left untreated, serotonin syndrome can actually lead to seizures and even death. If you have no idea it exists, you’re less likely to seek help for it, and more likely to think you just have some strange flu.

What The Study Says

That’s why this study is so exciting. More than 120 people diagnosed with migraines who were treated with medical marijuana between January 2010 and September 2014 saw their number of headaches fall from just over 10 to less than 5 per month.

Senior author Laura Borgelt, a professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, called it “a substantial improvement.”

Edible marijuana seemed to work best for migraine prevention, while inhaled marijuana seemed to be the most effective at treating migraines.

For years migraine sufferers have claimed marijuana eased their pain, but this is the first study to substantiate their claims. As with all first-time studies, more research is needed. Clinical trials are unlikely at this point, sadly, because marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

Let’s hope that changes really soon.

Even without the clinical trials, medical marijuana could be a viable option for migraine patients in the 23 states where it’s legal, including California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington.

Some got better, others got worse.

But researchers say marijuana won’t work for everyone’s migraines. Fifteen study participants experienced no change in their number of headaches, and 3 people said weed made their migraines worse.

The study’s senior author Laura Borgelt, Pharm.D., F.C.C.P., said:

“There was a substantial improvement for patients in their ability to function and feel better. Like any drug, marijuana has potential benefits and potential risks. It’s important for people to be aware that using medical marijuana can also have adverse effects.”

Scientists aren’t sure why marijuana works to prevent and treat migraines (not that it would likely matter to people who get relief from it). What we know is that there are cannabinoid receptors all through the body, including connective tissues and immune system.

These receptors seem to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Cannabinoids also seem to affect critical neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, and serotonin is believed to play a major role in migraine headaches, according to Borgelt.

Overall, the study concluded with:

“The frequency of migraine headache was decreased with medical marijuana use. Prospective studies should be conducted to explore a cause-and-effect relationship and the use of different strains, formulations, and doses of marijuana to better understand the effects of medical marijuana on migraine headache treatment and prophylaxis.”

The study is published in the journal Pharmacotherapy.

Sources:

Medical Daily

U.S. News & World Report

PsychCentral

---

---

About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Groundbreaking Study Confirms Cannabis Has ‘Significant’ Effect on Killing Cancer Cells

Leukemia has a new foe — one reviled by the U.S. DEA, loved as a tool for law enforcement profiteering, and purposely maligned by Big Pharma — cannabis.

A new study found that, in combination with traditional chemotherapy, cannabinoids — the active compounds in cannabis — significantly improved treatment of leukemia.

Adding cannabinoid therapy to a traditional cancer treatment regimen meant doctors could lower the dose of chemotherapy while minimizing its oft-debilitating side effects, such as nausea.

Researchers also found the order in which the two medicines were administered proffered different results — more cancer cells die, or experience apoptosis, when cannabinoids follow chemotherapy.

“We have shown for the first time that the order in which cannabinoids and chemotherapy are used is crucial in determining the overall effectiveness of this treatment,” explained Dr. Wai Liu of St. George’s, University of London, and lead author of the study, quoted by the Daily Mail.

Cannabis has long been touted as efficacious in alleviating nausea and vomiting associated with rigorous chemotherapy treatment — but this study marks a groundbreaking foray into the study of the plant as a potentially curative medicine.

Liu deemed cannabinoids a “very exciting prospect in the oncology.”

Researchers sought to analyze the effects of various cannabinoids — specifically THC, the compound known for giving recreational users a ‘high,’ as well as CBD, or cannabidiol — on leukemia cells and whether the order in which the plant compounds and two common chemotherapy drugs, cytarabine and vincristine, are given would impact results.

According to the study, published in the International Journal of Oncology:

“In addition to the well-known palliative effects of cannabinoids on some cancer-associated symptoms, a large body of evidence shows that these molecules can decrease tumour growth in animal models of cancer. They do so by modulating key cell signalling pathways involved in the control of cancer cell proliferation and survival. In addition, cannabinoids inhibit angiogenesis and decrease metastasis in various tumour types in laboratory animals.”

READ MORE:  Only Six Days After Starting Cannabis Oil, This Little Girl"s Leukemia Went into Remission

Taken after chemotherapy, cannabinoids “can increase the cancer cell-killing effects of the chemotherapy and decrease the growth of new tumor cells and tumor-feeding blood vessels,” UPROXX reports.

“These extracts are highly concentrated and purified,” Liu elaborates, “so smoking marijuana will not have a similar effect.”

Most momentously for advocates of medical cannabis, the team found phytocannabinoids indeed display significant “anticancer activity” — even when used as sole treatment against the disease.

Further analysis and study must be completed, however,

“Studies such as ours serve to establish the best ways that they should be used to maximise a therapeutic effect,” Liu said.

Leukemia wasn’t the only cancer studied by the researchers — glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain cancer, may also be significantly impacted by the introduction of cannabinoids, should promising animal testing be ultimately translatable for treatment in humans.

This study adds to the evidence as presented by the National Cancer Institute as well. As the Free Thought Project previously reported, the government agency recently acknowledged the power of cannabis to kill cancer cells which is backed up by laboratory tests.

“Cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory,” states the cancer.gov website. 

But, in order for swaths of patients in the United States to even dream of eradicating their leukemia, cannabis prohibition — existent primarily for the highly politicized agenda of criminalizing the antiwar left, African-Americans, and, earlier, jazz musicians — must be lifted.

Perhaps the steepest obstacle to ending cannabis prohibition rests with the lucrative pharmaceutical industry, whose societally-established drugs for treating cancer rake in billions each year.

As long as the astonishingly beneficial plant remains out of reach for many U.S. patients, any future cannabinoid additions to chemotherapy could theoretically find the user fined or locked in a cage.

Dr. Liu and his team conclude the abstract of their promising by imploring immediate further examination of their results, stating,

“Given that cannabinoids show an acceptable safety profile, clinical trials testing them as single drugs or, ideally, in combination therapies in glioblastoma and other types of cancer are both warranted and urgently needed.”

READ MORE:  WATCH: Fmr Cop With Severe Parkinson"s Tries Cannabis Treatment for First Time

Now, only the dollar signs blinding the U.S. government and Big Pharma to the indisputable benefits of cannabis stand between cancer sufferers and relief.

Why New Regulation Banning “Synthetic Marijuana” is Ignoring the Root Issue

Via The Daily Bell

The government’s solution to every problem they create is to just pass more draconian rules on top of the immense pile of crap they have already dumped on Americans.

The Drug Enforcement Agency will publish a new rule on Monday banning five forms of synthetic marijuana, sometimes called “spice” or “K2”.

This action is based on a finding by the Administrator that the placement of these synthetic cannabinoids into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act is necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety. As a result of this order, the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances will be imposed on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis, or possess), or propose to handle, [five types of synthetic cannabinoids].

Synthetic marijuana is a man-made creation which is said to mimic the effects of marijuana.

Except that sometimes it makes you go crazy and die.

As I am sure you are aware, no death has ever been recorded as a direct result of marijuana–though every once in a while the media claims someone kills themselves after eating special brownies.

“Spice” however, has killed directly, and it is actually chemically addictive. The drug regularly makes users do crazy things, like walk into traffic, pass out in public, slip into comas, and every once in a while, murder their children.

So it may sound like spice should be illegal, (if you think prohibition ever really works).

But one problem is that the DEA already made five types of the synthetic cannabinoids illegal.

In 2011, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) placed five compounds that are commonly found in K2 on its list of illegal substances, to help clamp down on sales. But manufacturers responded by tinkering with the chemicals to sidestep the regulations.

This led to the creation of newer versions of K2 that are even more harmful than early versions, Scalzo said. The newest products on the street can cause low blood pressure and a slow heart rate, and may even result in coma, seizures and kidney damage, he said.

And because the compounds in the drugs can constantly change, their effects on users can be unpredictable and, in some cases, deadly.

Apparently, the DEA will just continue to make compound after compound illegal. That should do the trick… it’s worked so well in the past.

Or We Could Just Try Freedom

Spice has been a legal substitute for marijuana. People smoke it as an alternative to weed.

So wouldn’t the sane thing to do be legalize real marijuana? The risks of real pot pale in comparison to K2. This includes personal health risks due to the actual substance, as well as risks of injuries to oneself and others while using real cannabis.

It is insane that the reaction to an increase in the use of fake marijuana involves no discussion of the regulations which pushed the increase, the original laws which made cannabis illegal!

The same thing happened during prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s when people turned to dangerous alternatives to commercially produced alcohol.

Legalize weed, and all the issues involving fake cannabinoids will go away. And it might even inadvertently solve a little bit of the opioid crisis–some people are only introduced to harder drugs because the same person who sells them weed also peddles heroin.

Prohibition doesn’t work! People come up with a replacement for whatever is banned, and look where it leads: to people overdosing and harming themselves and others with a far more dangerous alternative.

The only thing which can make you crazier than smoking spice is dealing with United States Government regulations.