Finally..new study....about time

[HighPopalorum]

Caveat: I am not qualified to evaluate any scientific studies.

I would never dispute the fact that marijuana is being used to successfully treat more and more conditions. Given time and study medical professionals, with help from scientists, will reach a consensus on cannabis and cancer. When they do, the PDQ will reflect that. Why rush it? Thankfully, all Colorado cancer patients are eligible, no questions asked: it's proper for government scientists to wait for consensus when writing summaries, but in the meantime, tumor patients who want to pursue treatment with cannabis have immediate safe access. That seems like wisdom to me.

[HighPopalorum]

You know, I think we've been having an argument about nothing. It didn't take me long reading the PDQ to find that they actually *didn't* remove the discussion of possible anti-tumor properties of MJ. Here's what they left in:

Antitumor Effects
One study in mice and rats suggested that cannabinoids may have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumors. [3] During this 2-year study, groups of mice and rats were given various doses of THC by gavage. A dose-related decrease in the incidence of hepatic adenoma tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma was observed in the mice. Decreased incidences of benign tumors (polyps and adenomas) in other organs (mammary gland, uterus, pituitary, testis, and pancreas) were also noted in the rats. In another study, delta-9-THC, delta-8-THC, and cannabinol were found to inhibit the growth of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo .[4] In addition, other tumors have been shown to be sensitive to cannabinoid-induced growth inhibition.[5-8]

Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. [9-11] Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death. These compounds have been shown to induce apoptosis in glioma cells in culture and induce regression of glioma tumors in mice and rats. Cannabinoids protect normal glial cells of astroglial and oligodendroglial lineages from apoptosis mediated by the CB1 receptor. [10,11]

In an in vivo model using severe combined immunodeficient mice, subcutaneous tumors were generated by inoculating the animals with cells from human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines.[12] Tumor growth was inhibited by 60% in THC-treated mice compared with vehicle-treated control mice. Tumor specimens revealed that THC had antiangiogenic and antiproliferative effects.

In addition, both plant-derived and endogenous cannabinoids have been studied for anti- inflammatory effects. A mouse study demonstrated that endogenous cannabinoid system signaling is likely to provide intrinsic protection against colonic inflammation. [13] As a result, a hypothesis that phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids may be useful in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer has been developed.[14]

Another study has shown delta-9-THC is a potent and selective antiviral agent against Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8.[15] The researchers concluded that additional studies on cannabinoids and herpesviruses are warranted, as they may lead to the development of drugs that inhibit the reactivation of these oncogenic viruses. Subsequently, another group of investigators reported increased efficiency of KSHV infection of human dermal microvascular epithelial cells in the presence of low doses of delta-9-THC.[16]

Check the site for their cits, but I think they link the same study as a previous poster. Now I'm confused, though..... if they left all this information in, what is the basis for the complaint?

EDIT: antitumor is one word? wtf docs.

[rollzone]

hello. i agree both sides of the argument are now being voiced by different agencies of the federal government. i read recently the wording has been
"corrected" by the pharma fascists, and the web page now only describes laboratory findings, and neutered praise: but there is still some positive truth which appears on the page. perhaps the wrongful misclassification determining no medical benefit of cannabis will be argued soon.