It's
not about getting 'high', cannabis could save your life!
Modern
research is showing that cannabis extracts protect and benefit the
human brain in amazing ways. Scientists are showing that cannabis
actually helps to keep your brain safe from disease, dementia and
even death!
Cannabis
promotes new brain cell growth
US
government scare campaigns claim cannabis kills brain cells, but the
truth is studies done
in the 1970's involving strapping a gas mask onto a monkey and
pumping hundreds of joints worth of smoke into it resulted in the
monkeys suffering from lack of oxygen and their brain cells died.
Now completely discredited,
the Dr Heath/Tulane Study of 1974 was the basis for US government
booklets and sponsored anti-cannabis propaganda literature.
In
1974, then California Governor Ronald Reagan was asked about
decriminalising 'marijuana'. After producing the Heath/Tulane
University study, the so-called "Great Communicator" told
the national press, "The most reliable scientific sources say
permanent brain damage is one of the inevitable results of the use of
'marijuana'" (LA Times). Ronald Reagan's pronouncement was
probably based on the fact that cannabis smoking was the only
difference in the two sets of monkeys. Perhaps Reagan trusted the
federal research, therefore reflecting a real health hazard to
humans. Perhaps he had other motives. In 1980, Playboy and NORML
finally received, after six years of requests and suing the US
Government, an accurate account of the research procedures used in
the famous report. When NORML/Playboy hired researchers to examine
the reported results against the actual methodology, they laughed.
They discovered that Heath had completely omitted, among other
things, the carbon monoxide the monkeys inhaled during the 63 joints
in five minutes; carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that kills brain
cells and is given off by any burning object. All
researchers found the cannabis findings in Heath's experiment to be
of no value. The Heath Monkey study was actually a study in
animal asphyxiation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
An excerpt from "The Emperor Wears No Clothes", by Jack Herer [ pp 77]
When U.S. government sponsored marijuana research prior to 1976 indicated that pot was harmless or beneficial, the methodology of how the studies were done was always presented in detail in the reports; e.g., read "The Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana" (1976) and you will see exactly what the methodology of each medical study was. However, when our government bureaucrats deliberately sponsored negative marijuana research, time and time again Playboy magazine and/or NORML, High times, etc. had to sue under the new Freedom of Information Act to find out the actual methods employed.
Modern
research is now proving the active ingredients in cannabis spur the
growth of new brain cells! Back in 2005, Dr Xia Zhang at the
University of Saskatchewan showed that cannabinoids cause
“neurogenesis”, which means they
help make new brain cells grow!
“Most
‘drugs of abuse’ suppress neurogenesis,” said Dr Zhang. “Only
'marijuana' promotes neurogenesis”. Scientists in Brazil expanded
on this research, demonstrating in 2013 that CBD, another compound in
cannabis, also causes
new brain cells to sprout.
Researchers in Italy then produced
the same result
with CBC, another cannabinoid found in cannabis resin. Now there is
no doubt that cannabinoids cause new brain cells to grow in the
hippocampus. This helps explain previous
research showing
that cannabinoids effectively treat mood disorders like depression,
anxiety and stress, they are all related to a lack of adult
neurogenesis.
Cannabis
prevents Alzheimer’s
As
many as 5 million Americans (over 65) suffer from Alzheimer’s
Disease
and over 300,000 Australians suffer from dementia,
but there’s hope in sight. Modern research shows that using
cannabis helps prevent the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia by
cleaning away beta-amyloid “brain plaque”. A 2014 study
into cannabis and Alzheimer’s found that “THC could be a
potential therapeutic treatment option for Alzheimer's disease
through multiple functions and pathways” confirming earlier studies
which found that THC “simultaneously treated both the symptoms and
progression of Alzheimer’s disease”. One 2008 study concluded
that, “compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the
treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is considerably superior”.
These studies used very low levels of THC to find these results, the
levels you might find in a moderate cannabis user. So where’s the
mainstream media headlines from 2008 and 2014 saying “Cannabis
Prevents Alzheimer’s”?
Cannabis
prevents brain damage after strokes and trauma
Cannabis
extracts treat brain cancer
Another
exciting use of cannabinoids is in the treatment of cancer. Repeated
laboratory and animal studies
have shown that cannabinoids kill cancer cells and shrink tumours,
while helping to protect normal cells. Recent research includes a
2012
study showing that CBD stopped metastasis in aggressive forms of
cancer; a 2013
study showing that a blend of six cannabinoids killed leukaemia
cells; and a 2014
study showing that THC and CBD could be combined with traditional
chemotherapy to produce “dramatic reductions” in brain tumour
size. Using cannabis extracts for brain cancer is nothing new. A 1998
study found that THC “induces apoptosis [cell death] in C6
glioma cells”, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
The
medicinal benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids are immense and it’s
time everyone was allowed full access to this amazing healing herb.
Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll even get to use outdoor home-grown
cannabis to produce pure, cheap cannabinoids for the millions
across the world who need them ...
This
article adapted from http://www.alternet.org
