Text 21753, 101 rader
Skriven 2008-10-10 12:06:28 av shannon talley (1:124/311)
Ärende: Compassionate Use
=========================
For those doubting Tims (no offense intended, just a little friendly tong 
and cheek), there is growing evidence for the Medicinal use of cannabis. 
It's too bad it's illegal to conduct (most) research in this country.



Is There Anything CBD Can't Do?  Then Why Is It Illegal?
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:19:15  By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

While the prohibition of cannabis is absurd, the ban on the plant's 
non-psychoactive components is even more mind-boggling - particularly when 
it's apparent that these compounds possess amazing therapeutic properties. 
Case in point: cannabidiol (CBD) (*1).

A just published scientific review (*2) by Sao Paulo University (Brazil) 
researcher Antonio Zuardi reports that there's been an "explosive increase" 
of interest in CBD over the past five years. It's apparent why.

"Studies have suggested a wide range of possible therapeutic effects of 
cannabidiol on several conditions, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's 
disease, cerebral ischemia, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, other 
inflammatory diseases, nausea and cancer," Zuardi writes. Let's look at a 
few of these in detail, shall we? (*2)

1. Antiepileptic action
"In 1973, a Brazilian group reported that CBD was active in . blocking 
convulsions produced in experimental animals."

2. Sedative action
"In humans with insomnia, high doses of CBD increased sleep duration 
compared to placebo."

3. Anxiolytic action
"CBD induce[s] a clear anxiolytic effect and a pattern of cerebral activity 
compatible with an anxiolytic activity."

4. Antipsychcotic action
"[C]linical studies suggest that CBD is an effective, safe and 
well-tolerated alternative treatment for schizophrenic patients."

5. Antidystonic action
"CBD . had antidystonic effects in humans when administered along with 
standard medication to five patients with dystonia, in an open study."

6. Antioxidative action
"[I]t was demonstrated that CBD can reduce hydroperoxide-induced oxidative 
damage as well as or better than other antioxidants. CBD was more protective 
against glutamate neurotoxicity than either ascorbate or a-tocopherol, 
indicating that this drug is a potent antioxidant."

7. Neuroprotective action
"A marked reduction in the cell survival was observed following exposure of 
cultured rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells to beta-A peptide. Treatment of the 
cells with CBD prior to beta-A exposure significantly elevated the cell 
survival."

8. Antiinflammatory action
"CBD, administered i.p. or orally, has blocked the progression of 
 arthritis."

9. Cardioprotective action
"CBD induces a substantial cardioprotective effect."

10. Action on diabetes
"CBD treatment of NOD (non-obese diabetic) mice before the development of 
the disease reduced its incidence from 86% in the non-treated control mice 
to 30% in CBD-treated mice. . It was also observed that administration of 
CBD to 11-14 week old female NOD mice, which were either in a latent 
diabetes stage or had initial symptoms of diabetes, ameliorated the 
manifestations of the disease."

11. Antiemetic action
"The expression of this conditioned retching reaction was completely 
suppressed by CBD and delta9-THC, but not by ondansetron, [an] antagonist 
that interferes with acute vomiting."

12. Anticancer action
"A study of the effect of different cannabinoids on eight tumor cell lines, 
in vitro, has clearly indicated that, of the five natural compounds tested, 
CBD was the most potent inhibitor of cancer cell growth."

In sum, the past 45 years of scientific study on CBD has revealed the 
compound to be non-toxic, non-psychoactive, and to possess a multitude of 
therapeutic properties. Yet, to this day it remains illegal to possess or 
use (and nearly impossible to study in US clinical trials) simply because it 
is associated with marijuana.

What possible advancements in medical treatment may have been achieved over 
the past decades had US government officials chosen to advance - rather than 
inhibit - clinical research into CBD (which, under federal law, remains a 
Schedule I drug defined as having "no currently accepted medical use")? 
Perhaps it's time someone asks John Walters or the DEA?

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol
(2) 
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462008000300015&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en



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