Modern research is showing that cannabis extracts protect and benefit the human brain. Here’s four amazing ways scientists are showing that cannabis actually helps to keep your brain safe from disease, dementia and even death!
#4 – Cannabis promotes new brain cell growth
Government scare campaigns often claim that cannabis kills brain cells, but now we are learning the truth. Those discredited studies were done in the 70s, by strapping a gas mask onto a monkey and pumping in hundreds of joints worth of smoke. The monkeys suffered from lack of oxygen, and that’s why their brain cells died.
Cannabis protects the human brain
Modern research is now proving the opposite. The active ingredients in cannabis spur the growth of new brain cells!
Back in 2005, Dr. Xia Zhang at the University of Saskatchewan showed that cannabinoids cause “neurogenesis” – which means that they help make new brain cells grow!
“Most ‘drugs of abuse’ suppress neurogenesis,” said Dr. Zhang. “Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis.”
Scientists in Brazil expanded on this research, demonstrating in 2013 that CBD, another chemical in cannabis, also causes new brain cells to sprout up. Researchers in Italy then produced the same result with CBC, another “cannabinoid” found in cannabis resin.
Now there is no doubt that cannabinoids cause new brain cells to grow in the hippocampus. This helps explain previous research showing that cannabinoids effectively treat mood disorders like depression, anxiety and stress – they are all related to a lack of adult neurogenesis.
#3 – Cannabis prevents Alzheimer’s
About a half-million Canadians suffer from dementia, of which 300,000 have Alzheimer’s. but there’s hope in sight. Modern research shows that using cannabis helps prevent the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia by cleaning away beta-amyloid “brain plaque.”
A 2014 study into cannabis and Alzheimer’s was lead by Dr. Chuanhai Cao, PhD, a neuroscientist at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.
“THC is known to be a potent antioxidant with neuroprotective properties,” said Cao, explaining that THC “directly affects Alzheimer’s pathology by decreasing amyloid beta levels, inhibiting its aggregation, and enhancing mitochondrial function.”
This confirmed earlier studies, such as one from 2008 which found that THC “simultaneously treated both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.” This study concluded that, “compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is considerably superior.”
These studies used very low levels of THC to find these results – the levels you might find in a moderate cannabis user. So where’s the headlines saying “Smoking Cannabis Prevents Alzheimer’s”?
#2 – Cannabis prevents brain damage after strokes and trauma
Several recent studies have found that cannabinoids protect the brain from permanent damage after trauma or stroke.
Studies done in 2012 and 2013 found that a low dose of THC protected mice’s brains from damage by carbon monoxide and head trauma.
Researchers found that THC “protected brain cells and preserved cognitive function over time” and suggested that it could be used preventively, for ongoing protection.
A 2014 study found that people with low amounts of THC in their system were about 80% less likely to die from serious head injuries than those without.
This last study is actually quite remarkable and should have been headline news. Researchers analyzed blood samples from hundreds of people who had suffered head injuries, and found that people with small amounts of cannabinoids in their bloodstream were 80% less likely to be killed from head trauma.
This means that in a group of occasional pot smokers and a group of abstainers who suffer similar brain injuries, the pot smokers will have only 2 deaths for every 10 suffered by the abstainers!
There are 11,000 deaths every year from traumatic head injury in Canada. This study showed that if every adult Canadian had a puff of cannabis once a week, 80% of those deaths would be avoided – that’s about 8800 lives that could be saved, every year. Why isn’t this front page news?
#1 – Cannabis extracts treat brain cancer
One exciting use of cannabinoids is in the treatment of cancer. Repeated laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids kill cancer cells and shrink tumours, while helping to protect normal cells.
Recent research includes a 2012 study showing that CBD stopped metastasis in aggressive forms of cancer, a 2013 study showing that a blend of six cannabinoids killed leukemia cells, and a 2014 study showing that THC and CBD could be combined with traditional chemotherapy to produce “dramatic reductions” in brain tumour size.
Using cannabis extracts for brain cancer is nothing new. A 1998 study found that THC “induces apoptosis [cell death] in C6 glioma cells” – an aggressive form of brain cancer. A 2009 study showed that THC triggered brain cell death, and acted “to kill cancer cells, while it does not affect normal cells.”
Here’s a thought. What if the government stopped spending millions on biased, inaccurate and politically-motived anti-cannabis advertising, and instead used that money to fund further research? The medicinal benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids are immense, and it’s time Canadians were allowed full access to this amazing healing herb.
Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll even get to use the 60 tonnes of pure CBDproduced by Canada’s hemp farmers each year, to provide cheap, effective medicine to the millions of Canadians who need it.
Marijuana and its use has been studied over the course of the last few decades more so than even many leading FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs, with researchers categorizing the effects of marijuana to a much greater degree than many of the pharmaceutical drugs you or your family may currently be taking.
In a revelation that really demonstrates our scientific focus in the United States, where marijuana is still considered by federal law to be a dangerous and illegal substance placed in the same class as hard drugs like heroin, even mainstream media publications have begun calling out the strange doctrine of the medical community that pushes pharma drugs on the public at warp speed. This, all while scoffing at the use of ‘no high’ marijuana alternatives like the juicing of cannabis oil.
A quick search within the PubMed National Library of Medicine database for ‘marijuana’ turns up a host of studies, highlighting every aspect imaginable regarding the plant in its many forms. Some advocacy websites have even compiled hundreds of studies in an easy-to-read format surrounding marijuana, which has led numerous journalists to ask the obvious question: “why are we spending so much time researching an illegal drug for its numerous benefits while stamping side-effect-riddled drugs with the FDA stamp of approval with far less research?”
An analysis of 200 FDA-backed pharmaceutical drugs even found that almost 33% of approved drugswere granted the approval over a single piece of clinical study.
And to be clear, the uses of the cannabis plant far extend beyond ‘getting high’ — to the degree that it was ultimately ruled to be illegal in all forms thanks to mega billion dollar corporations fearing its many uses that extend even into the realm of construction and agriculture. Because, as you are probably aware, industrial-grade hemp (a high-growing variety of cannabis) can be used in protein shakes, building materials, oils used for the prevention and treatment of disease, and actually does not get you high.
In fact, it’s ultra rich in fiber and is all around an amazing superfood. Even sources like the Livestrong foundation agree that hemp packs a powerful fiber-based punch of protein and essential nutrients that can enhance your overall health, reporting:
“Fiber is a nutrient many Americans do not get enough of in their diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines. Women need 25 grams of fiber a day, and men 38 grams. Whole hemp seeds are comprised of 10 to 15 percent fiber, or about 1 gram per 3 tablespoons. Fiber in food like hemp seeds improves bowel function by helping prevent constipation. The fiber also increases feelings of fullness so you eat less.”
When considering that the average drug label contains 70 side effects, and have not been thoroughly studied for long-term effects in many cases, it’s easy to see the scientific oddity that exists around the use of non-THC containing hemp (at the very least). Many popular pharmaceuticals have even been found to contain 100 to 125. Some pharma drugs come with over 525 negative reactions.
Ritalin, for example, has been linked to conditions including:
Increased blood pressure
Increased heart rate
Increased body temperature
Increased alertness
Suppressed appetite
As the realization within the United States comes into focus surrounding the practical and health-related uses of marijuana, especially in its ‘no high’ non-THC form that only serves to enhance one’s health and state, it’s becoming more clear than ever that a serious role exists for hemp within the US and beyond.
Even though GMOs must be labeled within Europe due to the potentiality of harm to the human body, the American Food and Drug Administration continues, to this day, not to require distinct labeling between GMOs and non-GMOs within U.S. borders.
For those unaware, GMOs, better known as genetically modified organisms, first began being commercialized in the 1970’s, most notably by the corporate giant Monsanto, and are defined as organisms whose genetic make-up has been changed using genetic engineering technology. Although GMO producers like Monsanto claim that these products are safe for human consumption, a great number of experts and research done on animals have suggested otherwise.
Some of the most known reasons to avoid GMOs include health risks of allergens due to pesticides, risk of certain cancers, patent issues, their negative environmental impact, and the revolving door syndrome between the FDA and high ranking officials within top GMO corporations.
According to a recent survey conducted by Oklahoma State University , Americans are beginning to take notice of GMO manipulation and are asking the government for mandatory labels on foods that have been produced with genetic engineering. What makes this study interesting is how Americans are actually more concerned about GMOs than they are regarding the sale of marijuana.
While less than half (47%) of Americans support the ban on the sale of marijuana, more than 80% of Americans support mandatory country-of-origin labeling and testing of GMOs.Even more surprising is the stat showing that 59% of Americans support the ban of unpasteurized milk of all things, which also, was a greater concern than marijuana, along with calorie limits on school lunches.
Even though a black market of milk fiends needing their fix of unpasteurized milk seems highly unlikely, this new survey shows that Americans are starting to embrace factual information, rather than mainstream propaganda, especially in regards to the food and marijuana that they consume.
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. - Medical marijuana advocates are pushing for change after a Jefferson County school took a disabled student's cannabis medication and told his mother it can't be on school property again.
Jack Splitt, 14, has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy that's left him in a wheelchair, unable to speak. His mother says after trying a host of pharmaceutical medicines, low THC cannabis oil and a cannabis patch have worked wonders to combat Jack's muscle spasms without negative side effects.
Jack's personal nurse was giving him his medication at school, but when the district found out Monday, it said not only was marijuana on school property against state law, but could result in a loss of federal funding. 7NEWS spoke to other districts with the same concern.
"I wish I had a nickel for every time someone brought up the feds," said Teri Robnett, with the Colorado Medical Cannabis Advisory Council. "I think a lot of time 'the feds' become a very convenient excuse to continue prohibition. I think we should address the feds directly and ask them, 'Are you going to do this if we allow this child to come to school and get an education?'"
Robnett said she believes the issue of medical cannabis at schools could be addressed at the state level, and has already requested meetings between lawmakers and Jack's mother.
"They should be at least interested in hearing their story and, hopefully, taking some action to support their constituents," Robnett said. "Now that this issue has come to light and is in the media, that’s always a good opportunity to try and press for legislation or at least an amendment to address this."
A spokesman for the developers of Charlotte's Web, one form of low THC cannabis oil, says while he also doubts the federal government would intervene, a change in policy is still needed at the national level.
“I don’t know what kind of impact lobbying at the state level would have," said Ryan Kingsbury, with Stanley Brothers Social Enterprises. "But we're still lobbying for changes at the federal level which would impact these types of situations."
Jack was back at Everitt Middle School Tuesday without his medication. His mother, Stacey Linn, said she was waiting to see how he did without it, and trying to figure out how she could leave work to give him medicine off of school property of if necessary.
"I'm really worried about it," Linn said. "We were just getting into a balance and this is a really big wrench.
n 1964 THC, the molecule, was first discovered. What do the last 49 years of science have to say about medical marijuana stripped of DEA bias and its groupthink ideologically driven research?
You as a patient have a right to choose and be fully involved in your own plan of medical treatment.
Is their hidden end game really to let Schedule I fall on purpose, but only for pharmaceutically produced cannabinoids, because the timing is now right to give cover for the rollout of Sativex to the U.S. market?
This would give the DEA the right to say that they did “reduce” Schedule I for marijuana, but only a special “type” of the marijuana that is safe, because the high has been removed.
The strategy here is to give your opponent what they want, but not in the way they want it.
This is about the falsification of the DEA’s original outdated, erroneous claims about medical marijuana that date all the way back to 1937, which are still struck on stupid.
If an organization with total control will not allow outside testing so that their claims are forever safe, Real science has a higher standard for what we call true. It is called… Falsification.
Marijuana’s prohibition origins are that of a racial law backed up by bad science and twisted by political interests to protect profits then as now.
This is about a paramilitary agency shutting down the free flow of scientific information and research on “marijuana,” but allowing corporations to profit using the same plant relabeled as “cannabinoids.”
This is not about restricting information for national security reasons … this is a case about forbidding medical research that could help people who have cancer and other serious diseases. We’re talking prevention, possibly curing diseases, and vastly improving the lives of people who suffer.
Or are corporate profits being protected over the welfare of people? Corporations do not get sick, suffer from diseases, feel pain or suffer. Corporations are not people.
Think of it as forbidding the medical freedom to conduct research and publish data which may be contrary to “official DEA marijuana science.” This is the antithesis to the principle of the free flow of knowledge, which is at the heart of how medical science works.
The DEA is the sole agency that sets drug scheduling status, yet their mission statement only allows for the study of negative effects of marijuana. This conflict of interest drives the internal closed loop of circular thinking that has been frozen in time for the last 76 years and is about to fall like the Berlin wall!
Many small people in many small places are doing small things can alter the face of the world! This highlights official DEA science that has gone off the rails.
The fall of marijuana prohibition will look like this, but with a big cloud of smoke in the air! [Florida Pundit]
Marijuana prohibition has always been anti-science and it is a form of social control against people who use this gentle plant.
Schedule I shuts down all outside research by independent medical researchers not on the DEA payroll and not under DEA control. We are about to find out what the DEA has been hiding from the U.S. population and the extent of their scientific research malpractice. See: “The Anti-Science Streak in Federal Marijuana Policy,” The Atlantic.
Claims that marijuana is dangerous and not an effective medicine for a multitude of conditions is false information that is 76 years outdated and has unequivocally been disproven many times over.
Last year, a pro-marijuana tipping point was reached when, for the first time, a majority of Americans polled by Gallup believed marijuana should be legalized for medical use.
“70 percent favored making it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana in order to reduce pain and suffering. Americans have consistently been more likely to favor the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes than to favor its legalization generally.”
But now, a medical/scientific tipping point has also been reached. When the data from the last 10 years is reviewed in meta-analysis fashion, it will reveal an overwhelming amount of positive cannabinoid evidence.
“The two largest organizations that represent physicians, the American Medical Association and American College of Physicians, want the federal government to reconsider the classification of cannabis as Schedule 1 under the Controlled Substances Act.”
“The writing is on the wall. The two largest physicians’ groups in the country are saying that the Schedule 1 of marijuana is suspect and urgently needs reconsideration.” ~ Sunil Kumar Aggarwal, MD, PhD
“The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes that patients should have safe access to therapeutic marijuana/cannabis. Cannabis or marijuana has been used medicinally for centuries. It has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of symptoms and conditions.” “Position Statement: Providing Patients Safe Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis,” American Nurses Association (ANA) website, March 19, 2004
Suppressing scientific medical information and not allowing independent research is a violation of freedom of speech.
Schedule I takes away the freedom of academic speech, freedom of self-expression, freedom of the medical press to publish, all free from government interference in the scientific process.
Again, should a paramilitary organization really be in charge of decisions I make with my doctor in private?
Suppression of scientific information that could relieve the pain and suffering of countless cancer patients, and which may prevent deaths from cancer, should be a crime requiring jail time. Should Harry Anslinger be posthumously tried for crimes against humanity for his leading role in marijuana prohibition?
The scientific case for the entire prohibition of medical marijuana rests on the truth or falsification of the following three medical claims made by the DEA, which are the heart of their case, their rationale for prohibition, and the reason why one in six U.S. prisoners are presently in jail over marijuana.
CLAIM #1: Marijuana has a very high potential for abuse.
This is a false claim.
Marijuana dependence is as about as bad as quitting coffee, according to NIDA.
Relative harm assessment of various drugs from the scientific journal The Lancet
CLAIM #2: Marijuana has no accepted medical use in the United States.
FALSE. Here is an 840-page compilation of published medical studies that show the proactive use of cannabis in various forms. Granny Storm Crow’s MMJ Reference List, July 2012; please click on this link [PDF].
CLAIM #3: Marijuana lacks accepted safety data for use even under medical supervision.
Hey, DEA, did you ever read the medical patent held by HHS?
Historically, these three claims can all be directly connected to way back to 1937, when marijuana was made illegal after two days of committee hearings with no supporting science, and over the objections of AMA by Congress.
If present-day scientific evidence could prove one or all of these statements as inaccurate, would Schedule I and prohibition be overturned? What method governs this process to get at the real scientific truth that strips the bias out of scientific research so the science can speak for itself?
In all the headlines and rush of positive cannabis medical news stories vs. government misinformation, sometimes we lose sight of the basic principles of the true meaning of what the scientific method and falsification stand for. These are not obscure footnotes debated by researchers; they are at the heart of what separates real science from junk science.
Real scientific medical research is governed by a set of rules that cannot be violated and still call itself valid science. The first principle of valid scientific research: it is free from cognitive bias.
Even that word, marijuana, is biased, and the starting point for much research. It is an invented guttural term for cannabis; it was used like the “N” word, a demonized word that was used to bully non-whites and control two cultures, Mexicans and Blacks. And yet that word is still being used in research in the year 2012!
Preventing independent research by keeping cannabis Schedule I is the worst type of intimidation, because it targets the sick and ill, who are the least able to fight back and, in some cases, dying.
In 1937, zero technology existed to support the claim that marijuana was dangerous and to prohibit its growing after more than 10,000 years of human use.
The scientific method is the best rational method invented for judging and separating competing claims for accuracy and truth. Why is this important?
Because we as humans all have our own personal biases, fears, prejudices, hidden agendas, financial motives, delusional and sacred ideas that control our conscious and unconscious beliefs, which prejudices our viewing of information and creeps into our conclusions. The scientific method and falsification corrects for this.
If you have a lack of an understanding about the rules governing scientific governing medical marijuana research, you could easily be fooled by all the intentional misinformation.
This is what drives new research and progress. Unfortunately, the above three claims have not been updated in 76 years!
Let’s see if the good people at GW Pharmaceuticals can help us falsify Schedule I.
The first line in the Sativex pipeline chart below clearly states that Sativex has been approved for multiple sclerosis spasticity (in the U.S.? Last year? What happened? Did somebody forget to put an American flag on its status?).
I bet large supplies of Sativex right now are sitting in boxes on loading docks, ready to be shipped out.
In addition, the results of Sativex testing for cancer pain is about to be submitted to the United States FDA in short order. Please look at the other medical conditions that the FDA will soon also allow Sativex to treat. But marijuana, not so much.
The currently approved multiple sclerosis indication for Sativex represents only the start of Sativex commercial life.
Oh! But wait a minute — I must be all wrong about this! The DEA says marijuana never was medicine and never will be medicine.
“Soon after taking office, I directed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure that our policies reflect what science tells us without distortion or manipulation. We appointed scientific advisors based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology. I also have insisted that we be open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions.”
“Only by ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda, making scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology, and including the public in our decision making process will we harness the power of science to achieve our goals.” ~ President Barack Obama
℞ ℞ ℞ ℞ ℞ ℞ ℞
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.
To see all of Ron Marczyk’s “Worth Repeating” articles for Toke Signals, click here.
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