Acute alcohol use temporally increases the odds of male perpetrated dating violence: A 90-day diary analysis.

“…the present study examined the temporal relationship between acute alcohol use, marijuana use, and male perpetrated physical, psychological, and sexual dating violence…

On any alcohol use days, heavy alcohol use days (5 or more standard drinks), and as the number of drinks increased on a given day, the odds of physical and sexual aggression perpetration increased. The odds of psychological aggression increased on heavy alcohol use days only.

Marijuana use days did not increase the odds of any type of aggression.

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings contribute to a growing body of research on the temporal relation between acute alcohol use and IPV perpetration among college men. Combined with previous research, our findings suggest that dating violence intervention and prevention programs should target reductions in alcohol use.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24199932

Cannabidiol protects liver from binge alcohol-induced steatosis by mechanisms including inhibition of oxidative stress and increasing of autophagy.

“Acute alcohol drinking induces steatosis, and effective prevention of steatosis can protect liver from progressive damage caused by alcohol… We evaluated whether cannabidiol, which has been reported to function as an antioxidant, can protect the liver from alcohol-generated oxidative stress induced steatosis.

Cannabidiol can prevent acute alcohol induced liver steatosis in mice… Importantly, cannabidiol can prevent the decrease of autophagy induced by alcohol.

In conclusion, these results show that cannabidiol protects mouse liver from acute alcohol induced steatosis through multiple mechanisms including attenuation of alcohol-mediated oxidative stress, prevention of JNK MAPK activation, and increasing autophagy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24398069

Therapeutic potential of cannabinoid medicines.

Drug Testing and Analysis

“Cannabis was extensively used as a medicine throughout the developed world in the nineteenth century but went into decline early in the twentieth century ahead of its emergence as the most widely used illicit recreational drug later that century. Recent advances in cannabinoid pharmacology alongside the discovery of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) have re-ignited interest in cannabis-based medicines.

The ECS has emerged as an important physiological system and plausible target for new medicines. Its receptors and endogenous ligands play a vital modulatory role in diverse functions including immune response, food intake, cognition, emotion, perception, behavioural reinforcement, motor co-ordination, body temperature, wake/sleep cycle, bone formation and resorption, and various aspects of hormonal control. In disease it may act as part of the physiological response or as a component of the underlying pathology.

In the forefront of clinical research are the cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, and their contrasting pharmacology will be briefly outlined. The therapeutic potential and possible risks of drugs that inhibit the ECS will also be considered. This paper will then go on to review clinical research exploring the potential of cannabinoid medicines in the following indications: symptomatic relief in multiple sclerosis, chronic neuropathic pain, intractable nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite and weight in the context of cancer or AIDS, psychosis, epilepsy, addiction, and metabolic disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24006213

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.1529/abstract

Marijuana CAN Cure Alcohol Addiction

“Alcoholics, pay attention.

 I can hear all of you boozers saying, “Just because I enjoy Scotch, it’s no sign that I am addicted.” Well, let’s face it Dude or Dudette, you are a drunk. You have a lot of company. Booze kills about as many as deep fried hamburgers (heart attacks) and is only slightly less lethal than tobacco. Are you listening?

Many current articles lump alcohol with drugs, both licit and illicit. Marijuana is better and safer than all of them.

YOU BOOZERS, NOW YOU’VE BEEN TOLD.”

More: http://salem-news.com/articles/august032013/alcohol-marijuanapl.php

Marijuana Cures Methadone and Heroin Addiction!

“It does it for all opiates.”

“I can already feel the first comment. What the hell is he talking about? Well, Okay. During the 1860’s Cannabis/Marijuana was used in the U.S. to get addicted people off alcohol, tobacco and opium, and it was very successful in doing so. Many Civil War veterans were addicted to all three of these.

About that time, Morphine and the hypodermic syringe were invented, which gave doctors real control of pain and brought about the concept that a physician’s first obligation to his patients was to control pain. It was far nicer and safer than opium or alcohol.

The chemists went to work on opium and synthesized many different compounds, several of which were found to be more powerful, and more addicting than Morphine, the original opiate. These more powerful drugs were Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Dilaudid, and Heroin, which is diacetyl morphine. Codeine, another opiate, was a much weaker opiate and its use has been minimal in the face of these much stronger opiates.

With heavy advertising and mouth-to-ear gossip, patients demanded the strong opiates. This brought on a real problem for physicians — give the patients the strong opiates, or they will find another doctor who will.

These strong opiates are notorious for not only causing addictions but they can easily cause death from accidental overdose or suicides, which are in the thousands. So, Doctors will give you enough to turn you into an addict. 20 pills. Then they say no. But the patient is still in pain, so the patient changes doctors, and repeats the action. Soon they realize it is easier to get drugs on the street.

The state medical boards have jumped into this mess by ordering physicians to stop writing these strong opiate prescriptions.

What is a patient to do about this?”

More: http://salem-news.com/articles/july272013/pain-marijuana_pl.php

The Hypocretin/Orexin Receptor-1 as a Novel Target to Modulate Cannabinoid Reward.

“Although there is a high prevalence of users who seek treatment for cannabis dependence, no accepted pharmacologic treatment is available to facilitate and maintain abstinence.

 The hypocretin/orexin system plays a critical role in drug addiction, but the potential participation of this system in the addictive properties of cannabinoids is unknown.

 We investigated…  studies were performed to evaluate dopamine extracellular levels in the nucleus accumbens after acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration..

… role of Hcrtr-1 in the reinforcing and motivational properties of WIN55,212-2 (THC) was confirmed…

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings demonstrate that Hcrtr-1 modulates the reinforcing properties of cannabinoids, which could have a clear therapeutic interest.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23896204

Hepatic Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 Mediates Alcohol-Induced Regulation of Bile Acid Enzyme Genes Expression Via CREBH.

“In this study, we have investigated the effect of alcohol exposure on hepatic bile acid homeostasis and elucidated the mediatory roles of Cb1r and Crebh in this process.

We found that alcohol exposure or Cb1r-agonist 2-AG treatment increases hepatic bile acid synthesis and serum ALT, AST levels in vivo along with significant increase in Crebh gene expression and activation.

 Alcohol exposure activated Cb1r, Crebh, and perturbed bile acid homeostasis…

 Overall, our study demonstrates a novel regulatory mechanism of hepatic bile acid metabolism by alcohol via Cb1r-mediated activation of Crebh, and suggests that targeting Crebh can be of therapeutic potential in ameliorating alcohol-induced perturbation of bile acid homeostasis.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23894352

Palmitoylethanolamide: From endogenous cannabimimetic substance to innovative medicine for the treatment of cannabis dependence.

“Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is a fatty acid amide showing some pharmacodynamic similarities with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive compound present in the cannabis plant.

Like Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, PEA can produce a direct or indirect activation of cannabinoid receptors.

 Furthermore, it acts as an agonist at TRPV1 receptor.

The hypothesis is that PEA has anti-craving effects in cannabis dependent patients, is efficacious in the treatment of withdrawal symptoms, produces a reduction of cannabis consumption and is effective in the prevention of cannabis induced neurotoxicity and neuro-psychiatric disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23896215

Role of cannabinoid CB2 receptor in the reinforcing actions of ethanol.

“This study examines the role of the cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2 r) on the vulnerability to ethanol consumption… These results suggest that deletion of the CB2 r gene increased preference for and vulnerability to ethanol consumption…

Future studies will determine the role of CB2 r as a target for the treatment of problems related with alcohol consumption.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23855434