And now this turns up in the press, which might be a new one for Granny's list. (I'm starting to think someone in a position of influence has been working to reconditioning the opinions of the other 50%.)

Jerusalem, Israel: The active constituents in marijuana influence the cardiovascular system and hold promise in the management of certain cardiovascular diseases, including arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and ischemia, according to a scientific review appearing in the journal Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

Investigators at the Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Israel and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston assessed preclinical data on cannabinoids and their role in various cardiovascular pathologies.

They reported: "The endocannabinoid system has a physiological role in the cardiovascular systems. This system is involved in modulating cardiac inflammatory processes, maintaining hemodynamic homeostasis and rhythm control. It is not surprising, therefore, that cannabinoids offers intervention opportunities to alter the course of cardiovascular diseases. Such is the case in ischemic reperfusion injuries, where there is evidence that activating the cannabinoid system may prevent ischemic injuries and arrhythmia. Such is the case in the rhythm control mechanisms, where a few studies indicate potential antiarrhythmic properties for cannabinoids, and such is the case in heart failure."

Authors concluded, "The evidence of a potential role for cannabinoid in various cardiovascular pathologies, together with the safety data gleaned from various human intervention studies, indicate that now is the time to show efficacy across species and continue toward human trials."

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: [email protected]. Full text of the study, "The potential for clinical use of cannabinoids in treatment of cardiovascular diseases," appears in the journal Cardiovascular Therapeutics.