“Miracle” Cannabis Oil: May Treat Cancer, But Money and the Law Stand in the Way of Finding Out

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Cannabis oil, which cancer-sufferers credit with saving their lives, and which is supposedly useful in healing other ailments, from diabetes to skin rashes, is made by distilling raw bud down to its essential ingredients.”

8750250.t.png

“First it was a cough. Then it was bronchitis. Then it was time to say goodbye to Michelle Aldrich.

The year 2011 was supposed to be a good one for the 66-year-old. That June, she and her husband, Michael, were feted with a lifetime achievement award by High Times magazine for their four decades of work on marijuana legalization. Yet something was off. She was smoking a lot, maybe more than ever.

And she couldn’t get high.

In the fall of that year — a bad time for the local marijuana movement, as the federal Justice Department began shutting down hundreds of California medical cannabis dispensaries — Aldrich went in to see a series of doctors for what she thought was a flu that just refused to go away.

After six weeks of progressively worse diagnoses — flu became bronchitis, which became pneumonia — a CT scan revealed the cause behind the “heat” she felt in the middle of her chest. A tumor, “poorly-differentiated non-small cell adenocarcinoma.” In other words, stage 3 lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a killer, with nearly 70 percent of new cases resulting in deaths, according to statistics published by the National Cancer Institute. “I thought I was going to die,” Aldrich says from her Marina District apartment. But she didn’t. And now, she is busy telling anyone who will listen that, along with diet and chemotherapy, a concoction of highly concentrated cannabis oil eliminated her cancer in less than four months.”

More: http://www.sfweekly.com/2013-04-24/news/key-words-cannabis-oil-cure-cancer-constance-finley/full/

Cannabinoids Attenuate Cancer Pain and Proliferation in a Mouse Model

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Oral cancer represents 3% of all cancers and its overall survival rate of 50% places it among the worst of all cancers

For many years cannabinoids have been used for medicinal and recreational purposes.

Recently, studies have focused on the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids on different cancers. The current study was the first to investigate the therapeutic effects of synthetic cannabinoids on oral cancer.

We investigated the effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists on (1) oral cancer cell viability in vitro and (2) oral cancer pain and tumor growth in a mouse cancer model.

Here we demonstrate the anti-nociceptive and anti-proliferative effects of systemic administration of cannabinoid receptor agonists on human oral cancer cells.

Our results suggest that systemic administration of cannabinoids decease oral cancer pain.

Our findings suggest a direct role for cannabinoid mechanisms in oral cancer pain and proliferation.

The systemic administration of cannabinoid receptor agonists may have important therapeutic implications wherein cannabinoid receptor agonists may reduce morbidity and mortality of oral cancer.

The present findings suggest that cannabinoid treatment may be a promising alternative therapy for oral cancer pain management. Furthermore, CBr2 agonism is not only palliative, but it may also be effective in inhibiting oral cancer growth, making the agonist a particularly desirable therapeutic agent.”

Full Text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099480/

Bladder Cancer Risk Lower in Pot Smokers – Renal & Urology News

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“For the first time, a study has found that cannabis use may be associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer, researchers reported at the American Urological Association 2013 annual meeting.

In a study of nearly 82,000 men, bladder cancer developed in 279 over an 11-year period. Subjects who smoked marijuana, but not tobacco, had a significant 45% decreased risk of bladder cancer compared with those who did not, after adjusting for age, body mass index, and race and ethnicity, according to lead investigator Anil A. Thomas, MD, a researcher with Southern California Permanent Medical Group in Los Angeles. Men who smoked tobacco, but not marijuana, had a significant 52% increased risk, a finding that is consistent with numerous previous studies. Men who smoked both had a 28% increased risk.

Of the 82,000 men, 41% reported ever using marijuana and 57% reported tobacco use; 27% reported used both tobacco and marijuana.”

http://www.renalandurologynews.com/bladder-cancer-risk-lower-in-pot-smokers/article/292174/#

“Association Between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: Results From the California Men’s Health Study.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623697

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/bladder-cancer/

Cannabis smokers show greater lung capacity and lower cancer levels than non-smokers

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“For many years, the demonizing claims being made against cannabis have been crumbling as research slowly dispels them. Fifty years ago people earnestly believed that the consumption of cannabis was directly linked to the development of an array of mental illnesses, and violent and hypersexual behavior.”

“Rewriting the medical records

The results of a new government-run research program are now forcing medical authorities to overturn these beliefs. The study has been ongoing for the past twenty years, following the smoking habits of over 5000 people.

Researchers found that, contrary to popular belief, smoking cannabis, does not interfere with lung function or capacity. This holds true for ongoing regular -even including daily- and long term consumption.

Curiously, as a general rule, cannabis smokers had better lung function than nonsmokers, which researchers attribute to the smoking action itself, rather than the cannabis. Pot smokers inhale deeply and hold those breaths to make the most of their supply, expanding the lung’s capacity.Dr. Tashkin found that, in almost all instances, cannabis consumers had rates of cancer that were no different from those who didn’t smoke cannabis. The one exception to this rule was between cannabis smokers and individuals who didn’t smoke anything (including tobacco), in which marijuana smokers actually had lower levels of lung cancer.”

More: http://www.naturalnews.com/035980_cannabis_smokers_cancer.html

Marijuana habit not linked to lung cancer – The Oncology Report

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Regular cannabis smokers are no more likely to develop lung cancer than are people who indulge occasionally.

The finding of no significant increased risk held true whether the smokers imbibed once or twice – or more – each day, and regardless of how many years they had smoked, Dr. Li Rita Zhang reported at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

The study included data from six case-control studies conducted from 1999 to 2012 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, with a subject pool of 2,159 lung cancer cases and 2,985 controls. All of the studies were part of the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), an international group of lung cancer researchers with the aim of sharing comparable data from ongoing and recently completed lung cancer studies from different geographical areas and ethnicities.

More: http://www.oncologypractice.com/oncologyreport/news/top-news/single-view/marijuana-habit-not-linked-to-lung-cancer/73840afd2cca226b9e6a9ddc7cb0d039.html

‘Marijuana habit not linked to lung cancer’, Oncology Practice Reports

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“OncologyPractice.com reports today that, “Regular cannabis smokers are no more likely to develop lung cancer than are people who indulge occasionally.” The cancer news site relates the findings of Dr. Li Rita Zhang reported at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.”

““In an analysis of marijuana smokers that excluded tobacco smokers, there were no significant [cancer rate] differences in any of the comparisons, including habitual vs. nonhabitual use; number of joints smoked per day; duration of up to 20 years or duration of more than 20 years,” OncologyPractice reported.

The information fits in with prior assessments that marijuana smoking does not cause lung cancer.”

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/05/09/marijuana-habit-not-linked-to-lung-cancer-oncology-practice-reports/

Study: No Association Between The Cumulative Consumption Of Cannabis Smoke And The Risk Of Lung Cancer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“In a recent presentation given at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, investigators from the university of California, Los Angeles provided the latest data reaffirming that cannabis consumption is not associated with an elevated risk of lung cancer. Below is a summary of the findings from The Oncology Report:

The study included data from six case-control studies conducted from 1999 to 2012 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, with a subject pool of 2,159 lung cancer cases and 2,985 controls. All of the studies were part of the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), an international group of lung cancer researchers with the aim of sharing comparable data from ongoing and recently completed lung cancer studies from different geographical areas and ethnicities.

Dr. Zhang of the University of California, Los Angeles, performed two analyses. One compared all lung cancer cases and all controls, regardless of concurrent or past tobacco use. Then, to reduce confounding by tobacco, she restricted the analysis to those who had never smoked tobacco.

… When compared with cannabis smokers who also used tobacco, habitual pot smokers had no significant increase in cancer risk. In an analysis of marijuana smokers that excluded tobacco smokers, there were no significant differences in any of the comparisons, including habitual vs. nonhabitual use; number of joints smoked per day; duration of up to 20 years or duration of more than 20 years.

The abstract of the presentation, which concludes “Our pooled results showed no significant association between the intensity, duration, or cumulative consumption of cannabis smoke and the risk of lung cancer overall or in never smokers,” is available online here.

Numerous preclinical studies have documented that cannabinoids possess potent anti-cancer properties, including the inhibition of lung cancer cell growth.”

More: http://enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/43037-study-no-association-between-the-cumulative-consumption-of-cannabis-smoke-and-the-risk-of-lung-cancer.html

Medical Marijuana Encouraged For Pets Battling Cancer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“A veterinarian in Southern California is pushing the idea to help pets with cancer fight pain or regain their appetite by giving them pot.

Medical marijuana supporters argue that pot helps reduce chronic pain and nausea. Veterinarian Dr. Douglas Kramer of VetGuru.com said over the years, he’s talked to hundreds of people who’ve given pot to their pets.

“Medical marijuana might have a therapeutic benefit to help animals, especially those with terminal conditions,” Kramer said. “It’s quite clear that people are using it and it has both good an bad effects and they need to discuss it openly with their vet.”

Kramer is pushing for more research and discussion. And, his idea is starting to get traction. Time Magazine and Mother Jones recently explored the controversial issue.

“If people are thinking to take their own medical marijuana and give it to their dogs in a non-controlled dose, the risk of intoxication is too risky to advocate for that,” UC Davis Veterinary Medical Hospital Dr. Karl Jandrey said.

The American Veterinary Medical Association said more research into the effects of marijuana on animals needs to be done before proceeding with treatment since not all drugs affect humans and animals in the same way.”

http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/284229/176/Medical-Marijuana-Isnt-Just-For-Humans

Marijuana May Lower Bladder Cancer Risk – Medscape

Posted on May 30, 2013 by David

“Smoking marijuana might decrease the smoker’s risk for bladder cancer, a new study shows.

Retrospectively analyzing a large database of patients, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in California found that patients who reported cannabis use were 45% less likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer than patients who did not smoke at all.

“It’s very exciting because bladder cancer is hard to treat,” said Anil Thomas, MD, a urologist at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group…

Dr. Thomas presented the study here at the American Urological Association 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting.

“We know that tobacco smoking is the best established risk factor for bladder cancer,” Dr. Thomas told reporters attending a news conference. “But to date, there are no epidemiologic studies accurately characterizing the association between cannabis use and bladder cancer.”

Dr. Thomas told Medscape Medical News that he first got interested in exploring this topic while doing some laboratory work in which he exposed prostate cancer cells and bladder cancer cells to cannabis.

“The prostate cancer cells did not show an effect and the bladder cancer cells were devastated,” he said.

Some other research has suggested that cannabis might kill other types of cancer cells as well, he said. “I don’t think the full mechanism is known.””

More: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803983