Posted on 04/24/2007 11:01:50 AM PDT by Lexington Green
The State May Allow Marijuana Use For Medical Purposes, But There Is Still Strong Opposition. Should A Pot-smoking Paraplegic Go To Jail Then?
(Excerpt) Read more at ctnow.com ...
How long should we imprison cancer patients and paraplegics for using medical marijuana?
You know this isn’t breaking news, Lex.
IBTZ!
IBTZ!
Duuuude, don’t bogart the breaking news.
But seriously...
Prohibition begets crime. That alone ought to force us to reexamine our War on Drugs.
Clarence Thomas nailed this one when he pointed out that you cannot use the Interstate Commerce Clause against something that does not involved commerce nor state lines.
I’m still against legalization for recreational use, but let’s not play the Leftists’ game on this one.
Perhaps you’re asking the wrong person.
Carolyn
I won’t arrest you if you decide pot helps. Bush will.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm
Source: American Association for Cancer Research
Date: April 17, 2007
Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows
Science Daily — The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.
They say this is the first set of experiments to show that the compound, Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), inhibits EGF-induced growth and migration in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressing non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Lung cancers that over-express EGFR are usually highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy.
THC that targets cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 is similar in function to endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids that are naturally produced in the body and activate these receptors. The researchers suggest that THC or other designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted fashion to treat lung cancer.
“The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer,” said Anju Preet, Ph.D., a researcher in the Division of Experimental Medicine.
Acting through cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, endocannabinoids (as well as THC) are thought to play a role in variety of biological functions, including pain and anxiety control, and inflammation. Although a medical derivative of THC, known as Marinol, has been approved for use as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients, and a small number of U.S. states allow use of medical marijuana to treat the same side effect, few studies have shown that THC might have anti-tumor activity, Preet says. The only clinical trial testing THC as a treatment against cancer growth was a recently completed British pilot study in human glioblastoma.
In the present study, the researchers first demonstrated that two different lung cancer cell lines as well as patient lung tumor samples express CB1 and CB2, and that non-toxic doses of THC inhibited growth and spread in the cell lines. “When the cells are pretreated with THC, they have less EGFR stimulated invasion as measured by various in-vitro assays,” Preet said.
Then, for three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells, and found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression, Preet says.
Although the researchers do not know why THC inhibits tumor growth, they say the substance could be activating molecules that arrest the cell cycle. They speculate that THC may also interfere with angiogenesis and vascularization, which promotes cancer growth.
Preet says much work is needed to clarify the pathway by which THC functions, and cautions that some animal studies have shown that THC can stimulate some cancers. “THC offers some promise, but we have a long way to go before we know what its potential is,” she said.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Association for Cancer Research.
No more and no less than anyone else using it.
I bet every recent US President has smoked grass (and some, much more, like the Clintons).
Seems more than hypocritical.
Also, given that the terrorists make their money from these drugs, they should be legalized
so that the terrorists lose that revenue source.
You buy it off the street, jagoff! How do you know what's in it?
"Yet Braunstein says marijuana works so well for him that a small dose every two or three days is all he needs to treat both his spasms and the pain."
Translation: He gets high every other day and when he's truly in pain he takes real drugs.
“Clarence Thomas nailed this one when he pointed out that you cannot use the Interstate Commerce Clause against something that does not involved commerce nor state lines.’
What he said in US vs Gonzales (?) was that given the interpretation Congress is placing on the Commerce Clause, there is no facet of American life that could not be regulated by it.
“it all of a sudden becomes this demon evil thing, coincidentally about the same time the US Government decided it knows what is best for its serfs.’
Actually, it was sparked by immigration and racial fears.
Actually, it is only hypocritical if they are still smoking dope while advocating a policy of prohibition.
Ah, good question, good question. I have another. Why deny a quadriplegic his God-given right to smoke pot if he wants to? You should be rolling his reefers for him, or, at the very least, petitioning the government to supply social workers to roll spliffs for all those who, through no fault of their own, cannot.
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