“Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) promotes sleep in animals; clinical use of THC is associated with somnolence (sleepiness)…
These findings suggest that tolerance to the somnolent effects of THC may have occurred…
Somnolence from oral THC may dissipate with chronic, high-dose use.
This has implications for patients who may take chronic oral THC for medicinal purposes, including cannabis dependence treatment.”
“Originally used in Asia for the treatment of pain, spasms, nausea and insomnia, marijuana is the most consumed psychotropic drug worldwide. The interest of medical cannabis has been reconsidered recently, leading to many scientific researches and commercialization of these drugs.
Natural and synthetic cannabinoids display beneficial antiemetic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in numerous diseases, however accompanied with undesirable effects due to the CB1 receptor. Present researches focus on the design of therapeutical molecules targeting the CB2 receptors, and thus avoiding central side effects and therefore psychotropic effects caused by the CB1 receptor.”
“Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) is one of the first plants cultivated by man. Shrouded in controversy, the intriguing history of cannabis as a medication dates back thousands of years before the era of Christianity.
Scientists believe the hemp plant originated in Asia. In 2737 B.C., Emperor Shen Neng of China prescribed tea brewed from marijuana leaves as a remedy for muscle injuries, rheumatism, gout, malaria, and memory loss. During the Bronze Age in 1400 B.C., cannabis was used throughout the eastern Mediterranean to ease the pain of childbirth and menstrual maladies.
More than 800 years before the birth of Christ, hemp was extensively cultivated in India for both its fiber and healing medicinal properties. William Brooke O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician famous for his investigative research in pharmacology, is credited with introducing the therapeutic, healing properties of cannabis to Western medicine. During the 1830’s Dr. O’Shaughnessy, working for the British in India, conducted extensive experiments on lab animals. Encouraged by his results, Dr. O’Shaughnessy commenced patient treatment with marijuana for pain and muscle spasms. Further experiments indicated that marijuana was beneficial in the treatment of stomach cramps, migraine headaches, insomnia and nausea. Marijuana was also proven to be an effective anticonvulsant.
From the 1840s to the 1890s, hashish and marijuana extracts were among the most widely prescribed medications in the United States The 1850 United States Census records 8,327 marijuana plantations, each larger than 2000 acres. Recreational use of marijuana was not evident until early in the 20th century. Marijuana cigarettes became popular, introduced by migrants workers that brought marijuana with them from Mexico. With the onset of Prohibition, recreational use of marijuana skyrocketed. During the early 1930s, hash bars could be found all across the United States.
Although protested by the American Medical Association, the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act banned the cultivation and use of cannabis by federal law. Under the law, cultivation, distribution and consumption of cannabis products for medicinal, practical or recreational was criminalized and harsh penalties were implemented.”
More: http://guardianlv.com/2013/06/marijuana-first-plants-cultivated-by-man-for-medication/
“Marijuana may actually help protect the brain against injury, a new study suggests.”
“While marijuana is most commonly known as a recreational drug, an increasingly number of studies show that the plant has many therapeutic qualities like relieving pain, insomnia, lack of appetite and other symptoms associated with conditions like cancer and PTSD.
Now a new study reveals that very low doses of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, may protect the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia, seizures or toxic drugs.”
More: http://www.counselheal.com/articles/5586/20130530/marijuana-help-fight-brain-damage.htm
“The term ‘endocannabinoid’ – originally coined in the mid-1990s after the discovery of membrane receptors for the psychoactive principle in Cannabis, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and their endogenous ligands – now indicates a whole signalling system that comprises cannabinoid receptors, endogenous ligands and enzymes for ligand biosynthesis and inactivation. This system seems to be involved in an ever-increasing number of pathological conditions. With novel products already being aimed at the pharmaceutical market little more than a decade since the discovery of cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoid system seems to hold even more promise for the future development of therapeutic drugs. We explore the conditions under which the potential of targeting the endocannabinoid system might be realized in the years to come.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15340387
“The most frequent comment by those ignorant of the medical properties of cannabis or those believing the U.S. Government’s propaganda, is that marijuana patients use it only to get “high” which incidentally can be somewhat like a Starbucks espresso jolt or maybe two or three martinis.
Anybody who knows anything at all about marijuana knows that it causes euphoria or a feeling of well being. After all, isn’t that why we take medicine when we are sick—to feel better?
At any rate, marijuana users, as medical patients of which there are at least 400,000 with legal permits, or as many as ten million “illegal” users who use it instead of alcohol, tobacco, prescription tranquilizers or antidepressants, have found it beneficial for a wide variety of illnesses and diseases.
It is certain that the euphoria or feeling of comfort is very important for all these conditions. If some ignorant people consider that to be getting high, no users will disagree.
Many medical patients use it only in the evening to enable them to sleep. This is true especially with those in chronic pain, which represents about 70 percent of patients. Pain frequently or even most usually prevents sleep and some patients tell me, “if I can get a decent night’s sleep, I can fight alligators all day”.
Sleeping pills are prescribed mostly for those in pain who cannot sleep without those pills. The crazy thing about this is that many or maybe most sleeping pills are as addicting as heroin. Valium, the most prescribed sleeping pill for many years, produced millions of addicts, and there are many valium-like drugs with similar problems.
In my experience with 4,000 plus patients, I was told by hundreds that by using marijuana they were able to cut down or eliminate completely most prescription sleeping pills.
The U.S. Government purports that marijuana is addicting. This is not so. If a person uses it frequently to relieve or control pain, the patient wants relief. Does that mean he is addicted to relief? If one takes aspirin everyday, is he addicted to aspirin? To me, the comparison is valid.
One of the critical signs of addiction is uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Most marijuana users will run out of their medicine once in a while. Do they get withdrawal symptoms? If so, they are very minor, like running out of aspirin.
It is known that very heavy marijuana use (which is uncommon because it costs more than gold) can cause mild withdrawal symptoms, such as disrupted sleep and nervousness (from Merck Manual).
I think the final coup de grace is also given by the Merck Manual “any drug which causes euphoria and diminishes anxiety can cause dependence” (not addiction—my comment).”-
Dr. Phillip Leveque
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june272007/marijuana_sleep_62707.php
“The use of both natural cannabinoids and cannabis extracts are associated with improved sleep in patients with various debilitating illnesses, according to a review of clinical trial data published in the journal Chemistry & Biodiversity.
“Cannabis … has been utilized for [the] treatment of pain and sleep disorders since ancient times,” authors wrote. “Modern clinical trials indicate that patients administered cannabis extracts report experiencing “more restful sleep, [an] increase [in] their daytime level of function, and [a] markedly improve[d] … quality of life.”
According to available data, of the 2,000 subjects that have been administered cannabis extracts in clinical trials, most “demonstrate marked improvement in subjective sleep parameters.”
Trial volunteers have not reported developing tolerance to the drug, even after using it for several years.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis, pain, and sleep: Lessons from therapeutic clinical trials of Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine,” appears in the journal Chemistry & Biodiversity.”
“A YOUNG mother using cannabis to help her sleep has been given the benefit of the probation act at Wexford District Court.
Shelly Donnelly, Moortown Great, Ballmitty, had pleaded guilty to the possession of cannabis at her home on June 11, 2010.
Judge Donnchadh O Buachalla heard that the property at Moortown Great was searched and a small quantity of cannabis herb was found. It was for Donnelly’s own use.
Eva Lalor, for Donnelly, said her client is 24years-old and has a fiveyear-old daughter with her long-term partner.
Ms Lalor said Donnelly was suffering from insomnia following a family bereavement and was using cannabis to help her sleep. Donnelly, who has no previous convictions, is now on medication to help her sleep.
Judge O Buachalla gave her the benefit of the probation act, saying that he hopes she has learnt her lesson from the experience.”
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexfordpeople/news/cannabis-helped-woman-to-sleep-27726026.html
A YOUNG man started smoking cannabis herb to help him sleep after he was stabbed through the heart and lungs, a court heard. Francis Kelly (23) spent two weeks in intensive care, and started taking the drug after he came out of hospital….
He was in intensive care for two weeks and was on tablets while he was in hospital.
Mr O’Doherty said that Kelly couldn’t sleep when he left hospital and he started taking it to help him relax.”
More: http://www.herald.ie/news/stab-victim-started-taking-cannabis-to-sleep-27997127.html
HOSPITALITY manager Mark Jackson has been fined for possessing marijuana, which he smoked after night work to help him get some sleep.
Jackson has a history of drug use dating back to 2000, when the Supreme Court gave him a suspended jail sentence for supplying drugs.
However, his last drug-related offence was in 2005.
Jackson, a 48-year-old who supports four dependents, pleaded guilty in Mackay Magistrate’s Court yesterday to the unlawful possession of a small amount of marijuana and a pipe last October 20.
Police executed a search warrant at his Andergrove home at 12.45am and Jackson was the sole occupant, prosecutor Constable Janelle Young said.
Asked if he had anything to declare, he said he had a bong beside his bed.
A homemade pipe and a small amount of marijuana were found.
He told police he had smoked some marijuana that morning, after night work, because it helped him to sleep.
The items were seized and he was issued with a property receipt.
Duty lawyer John Aberdeen said Jackson “holds a managerial position in hospitality” and did mostly night work.
His previous convictions in 2000 and 2005 were acknowledged but the new offences involved only a small amount of drugs for personal use, Mr Aberdeen said.
Mr Aberdeen asked for no conviction to be recorded because of the length of time that had elapsed since the last offence.
Magistrate Damien Dwyer imposed a fine of $600 and ordered that no conviction be recorded.”
http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/marijuana-helped-night-worker-get-some-sleep/1228013/