THC from cannabis found to dramatically slow memory loss by protecting brain cells

Despite the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) still classifying marijuana as a schedule 1 drug (similar to heroin, ecstasy, LSD, and peyote), a new study confirms that the active compound in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can benefit the elderly — particularly in preventing memory loss. Researchers from Germany studied THC’s effects on the brains of older mice and found that these animals regained mental clarity after being given pot. To be more specific, the scientists found that the neural connections within the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and emotions, were firing at a rate comparable to younger adults. These findings, if proven similar among humans, could signal better and more affordable treatment options for adults suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Andreas Zimmer, lead author of the study and professor of psychology at Bonn University in Germany, says that the results of this research aids in understanding marijuana’s use as medicine. “Chronic, low-dose treatment with THC or cannabis extracts could be a potential strategy to slow down or even reverse cognitive decline in the elderly,” he stated in an article on DailyMail.co.uk. “THC treatment for 28 days restored the learning and memory performance of mature and old animals in the water maze, novel object recognition social recognition tests to the levels observed in young mice.”

For the study, Professor Zimmer and his team carried out three experiments. The team gave low doses of THC to mice at three different ages: two months, 12 months, and 18 months. In human age, this is roughly the equivalent to 20, 58, and 64-years old, respectively. Over the course of 28 days, the mice were subjected to three tests. In the first, mice had to learn how to navigate around a water maze. The second experiment had mice locate a specific object. The last test related to partner recognition. In all three tests, mature and old mice performed worse than the young group. However, when these groups were introduced to THC, the scientists found that their performance significantly improved. Researchers also noted a profound enhancement in memory and cognitive performance. Professor Zimmer published their findings in Nature Medicine and concluded with, “Cannabis preparations and THC are used for medicinal purposes. They have an excellent safety record and do not produce adverse side-effects when administered at a low dose to older individuals. Thus, chronic, low-dose treatment with THC or cannabis extracts could be a potential strategy to slow down or even to reverse cognitive decline in the elderly.”

Cannabis as medicine?

Zameel Cader, an associate professor in clinical neurosciences at Oxford University commented on the study on NewsWeek.com and said the results of the study were “interesting.”

He was mentioned as saying, “first of all there’s clearly growing interest in the potential therapeutic role of cannabinoids, and in this particular case, THC on various human conditions. This paper is addressing a possible role for that compound in memory and cognition, which is relevant to disorders such as Alzheimer’s and other dementias.” Professor Cader does caution the public not to jump to conclusions though; these findings are limited to animal models. Testing on humans, he said, would be problematic. “This is a challenge faced by anyone wanting to develop a therapy for a human disorder such as dementia. Human lifespan is very extensive. So the question would be, when would be the most appropriate time to give these kinds of medications? Over what period of time do you need to evaluate the effects? In humans it could be years before an effect is noticed.”

Professor Cader’s statement is reflective of the general medical community’s opinion regarding marijuana use. The issue here is the supposed adverse effects (especially in terms of addiction) marijuana can have. That being said, recent research indicates that cannabis use among older adults is rising. Data from the annual National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) showed that from 2002-2014, the number of adults aged 50 to 64 who reported to have used cannabis more than tripled from 2.9 percent to nine percent.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NewsWeek.com

LearnAboutMarijuana.org

SeniorDirectory.com

MedsNews.com

Mic.com

Cannabinoids can successfully kill leukemia cells, reveals groundbreaking new study

A recent study published in International Journal of Oncology revealed that cannabinoids, the active chemical in cannabis, can destroy leukemia cells either alone or in combination with other cancer treatments. The scientific community has long-established that cannabinoids may show potential in cancer treatment, with certain varieties known to promote cell death, curb cell growth, and inhibit tumor-inducing blood vessel development. In order to evaluate the compound’s efficacy against leukemia, a team of researchers at the St George’s, University of London studied cancer cells in a laboratory and tested various combinations of cannabinoids and chemotherapy drugs such as cytarabine and vincristine.

The study revealed that the cannabiniod varieties cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) eliminated leukemia cells when used alone. The research team also found that combining the two cannabiniod variants resulted in increased treatment potency. In addition, the study revealed that adding cannabinoids following an initial dose of chemotherapy lead to better overall outcomes against the blood cancer. This means that a similar effect can be achieved by using lower chemotherapy doses, the researchers said. Lower doses of chemotherapy may equate to lower risk of treatment-related side-effects in patients, the experts added.

According to the research team, combining chemotherapy with cannabinoid treatment fared better than either chemotherapy alone or cannabidiol/THC combination. However, the experts noted that greater treatment potency was observed only when cannabinoid treatment was added after the initial chemotherapy, but not the other way around.

“We have shown for the first time that the order in which cannabinoids and chemotherapy are used is crucial in determining the overall effectiveness of this treatment. These extracts are highly concentrated and purified, so smoking marijuana will not have a similar effect. But cannabinoids are a very exciting prospect in oncology, and studies such as ours serve to establish the best ways that they should be used to maximise a therapeutic effect,” lead researcher Dr. Wai Liu said in ScienceDaily.com.

Cannabinoids show efficacy against leukemia in previous study

The current findings were reflective of a 2013 study, also carried out by Dr. Liu, which demonstrated the compound’s potential in combating leukemia. As part or research, the oncologist tested six cannabinoid variants, either independently or in conjunction with each other, against leukemia cells. The researcher found that the compounds spurred significant declines in cancer cell viability and simultaneously inhibited all phases of the cell cycle.

“There’s quite a lot of cancers that should respond quite nicely to these cannabis agents. If you talk about a drug company that spent billions of pounds trying to develop these new drugs that target these pathways, cannabis does exactly the same thing – or certain elements of cannabis compounds do exactly the same thing – so you have something that is naturally produced which impacts the same pathways that these fantastic drugs that cost billions also work on. By using these drugs in combination with each other we can actually get an enhanced effect, and what that means is that we can – after doing some further studies – take this into the clinic and hopefully get the medication that can be used in patients in the next 12 to 18 months,” study author Wai Liu said in USNews.com.

However, the health expert cautioned that the compounds may not work on all types of cancer. According to Dr. Liu, it is currently unclear whether smoking marijuana will produce similar benefits in patients. He also noted that he will not recommend smoking marijuana to treat leukemia as it remains uncertain how various chemicals interacts inside a patient’s body. (Related: Cannabis oils found to naturally treat certain types of cancer)

Sources include:

MedicalNewsToday.com

ScienceDaily.com

USNews.com

War on Weed: Detroit shuts down 167 cannabis retailers, even though Michigan legalized medical marijuana

With an extensive history of traditional uses as an industrial material and natural medicine, marijuana-based remedies have been used for centuries. Nonetheless, this incredible plant has been the topic of many heated debates between cannabis advocates and people who rather not see this medicinal plant showing up in their neighborhood.

Even though medical marijuana is legal in Michigan, due to a regulatory shift in 2016, nearly 300 of the Motor City’s pot shops were found to be operating illegally. Non-compliant marijuana dispensaries in Detroit all received a letter shortly after the implementation of the strict government regulations, noting that if they were not fully licensed they would face the risk of being shut down.

From that moment on, 167 medical marijuana dispensaries have been shut down in Detroit. This number is expected to grow with 51 more shops facing closure, Off The Grid News reported. This will bring the city officials closer to their promise to clean house. Their aim is to limit Detroit’s number of medical marijuana dispensaries to 50.

According to the new set of rules, marijuana dispensaries should be located at least 1,000 feet away from schools, parks, libraries, daycare centers, churches, liquor stores, and other dispensaries. To get a license, retailers must get a zoning permission prior to opening a business. At present, there are only five businesses licensed and operating legally within the city, noted Detroit Corporation Counsel Melvin Butch Hollowell.

Detroit cracking down hard on medical marijuana use

Recovering from recent bankruptcy, Detroit currently has a team of seven attorneys working on nothing but marijuana cases, noted Hollowell. One of their main goals is shutting down as many dispensaries as possible.

“We started out focusing in on the facilities that are in drug-free zones and then to the areas where there are these clusters,” Hollowell said. “We’ve been successful in the closure rate, but there’s more to do.”

With a population of 680,250 citizens, of which a quarter of a million are registered to use cannabis medicinally, Michigan is currently one of the states that might make its way to full cannabis legalization in 2018. Nonetheless, the city will continue to focus on its current goals of enforcing the ordinance and closing more pot shops which fail to get a license.

“The voters of the state made medical marijuana legal, so we have to manage that in a way that is consistent with keeping our neighborhoods respected and at the same time, allowing for those dispensaries to operate in their specific areas that we’ve identified as being lawful,” Hollowell told The Free Press.

There are currently around 70 dispensaries operating with provisional approval in the city, which means another 20 of them will be denied a license to meet Detroit’s goal to limit the number of pot shops to 50 locations. Though this is good news for community groups in Detroit that have been trying to keep cannabis out of their neighborhoods, others aren’t too pleased by the decision.

According to the chairman of the Metropolitan Detroit Community Action Coalition, Winfred Blackmon, the issue is not medical marijuana itself but the fact that so many businesses keep popping up in neighborhoods where they are not allowed to operate.

Members of the community have expressed their concerns and frustration, which has prompted Blackmon to address these issues and keep enforcing the law. Therefore, many medical marijuana businesses have been visited by inspectors from the Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department and the police to inform them of their illegal practices.

Though many medical marijuana businesses continue to operate at their own risk, officials are confident that they will have successful models to follow the day cannabis becomes legal in Michigan.

Should Michigan loosen its rules and embrace full legalization? What are your thoughts on this rather controversial topic?

Learn more about the healing powers of marijuana at CannabisCures.news.

Sources include:

OffTheGridNews.com

MassRoots.com

Tobacco and Cannabis Discovered to be Toxic Aluminum Accumulators

Just when you thought it was safe, we now know cannabis is rich in aluminum, adding to the body burden of this toxic metal. I have mentioned previously that aluminum is NOT an inert metal as many people assume. Far from it.

Aluminum in many ways is very similar in toxicity to mercury. So how is it that we find aluminum (Al) in marijuana? How did it get there? Let’s go to Dr Exley from the UK as he reveals to us this strange phenomenon, other rich sources for Al and possible implications.

It is perhaps less well known that tobacco and cannabis are significant sources of biologically available Al [aluminum] (Exley et al., 2006). For example, when you smoke a cigarette you excrete Al in your urine. Al is a major contaminant of food (Saiyed & Yokel, 2005). It is also a known contaminant of parenteral solutions. Recreational drugs including heroin and cocaine can also be significant routes of exposure to Al (Exley et al., 2007). It was recently demonstrated that sunscreens and sunblocks may contain significant amounts of Al such that one might apply up to 5 g of Al onto the skin surface during an average day on the beach. Little is known about the biological availability of Al in such products but it has to be asked if they could contribute towards the high rate of melanoma found in populations using large amounts of sunscreens/sunblocks regularly (Nicholson & Exley, 2007)? Worryingly we are still exposing the most vulnerable members of society, pre- and post-term infants, to very high levels of Al in infant formulas (Burrell & Exley, 2010).[1] [Emphasis mine].

Al can accumulate in these plants if there is any Al in the soil, or during manufacturing and processing of cannabis. Strangely enough, even concentrates contain Al! In addition to the information provided above, Dr Exley, in a different publication, had this to say:

“Aluminum (Al) is the major trace metal constituent of tobacco. Jamaican cottage industry tobacco includes an exceptional 0.8-2.6 mg Al/g tobacco. Exceptional because the tobacco plant, unlike, for example, the tea plant, is not considered an aluminum accumulator (0.1% Al by weight

in leaves)…We looked at the same for cannabis, as its content of aluminum also is reported to be high (2.4-3.7 mg Al/g marijuana).

Tobacco and cannabis are hitherto unrecognized potent contributors to the body burden of aluminum. Aluminum that is inhaled either from active or passive smoking is biologically available and is likely to be absorbed systemically.

Aluminum entering the lung and the olfactory system as either particulates or gaseous complexes may contribute toward smoking-related disease including asthma and neurological dysfunction.” [2] [Emphasis mine]

If one were to eat Al, he or she would excrete much of it in the urine. However, if it was injected, (vaccines use nanoaluminum) or in this case smoked, much of the Al will stay in your body. In time, aluminum becomes embedded into the lymph nodes, spleen, brain, and other organs, where it may reside for decades, or possibly forever.

Al is a powerful pro-oxidant. As such it oxidizes macromolecules within the body. Al is also an excitotoxin. It generates excitotoxicity­–excessive neuronal excitation leading to death of the neuron. In my book I reveal that compelling research is now demonstrating that Al, in addition to other problems, plays a role in the neurodegenerative diseases Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS. It can also generate autoimmunity.

So how does this play out for the average medical marijuana user? The truth is that we simply do not know, yet. If we look at populations such as the Rastafarian communities in Jamaica who use cannabis regularly, we do not see an increase in neurodegeneration. But one must question whether this truly is a green light to use cannabis.

What we should be doing is engaging the lab analysis community into testing marijuana for Al contamination in the same way they now test for pesticides, mold, cannabinoids, and terpenes.

Once established, we will know how prevalent this problem is. Dr Exley used pot that was confiscated by British police. If this is a widespread contaminant we may be in for more than we bargained for.

As cannabis becomes legal worldwide we need to know more about this unusual and surprising finding. Let’s thank Dr Exley for exposing the problem.

Incidentally, Exley does provide a possible treatment (see book for details). Drink silicon-rich mineral water. Volvic and Fiji contain the most. Silicon binds to the Al atom and allows it to be excreted in the urine, (personal correspondence with Dr Exley).

[1] Exley, C., ‘Human Exposure to Aluminium,’ Environ. Sci.; Processes & Impacts, 2013, 15, 1807-1816. (also see: Exley, Chris, PhD. Vaccine Safety Conference 2011 transcript, ‘A Mechanism of Toxicity of Aluminium-based Adjuvants?’ (http://www.vaccinesafetyconference.com/videos.html) 05/02/2016)

[2] Exley, Chris PhD, et al., ‘Aluminum in Tobacco and Cannabis and Smoke Related Disease,’ The American Journal of Medicine (2006) 119, 276.e9-276.e11