Topic: Cannabis and the Brain: A User's Guide

[Dunrobin]

Cannabis and the Brain: A User's Guide
by Paul Armentano


Preclinical data recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation demonstrating that cannabinoids may spur brain cell growth has reignited the international debate regarding the impact of marijuana on the brain. However, unlike previous pseudo-scientific campaigns that attempted to link pot smoking with a litany of cognitive abnormalities, modern research suggests what many cannabis enthusiasts have speculated all along: ganja may be good for you.

Cannabinoids & Neurogenesis

"Study turns pot wisdom on its head," pronounced the Globe and Mail in October. News wires throughout North America and the world touted similar headlines – all of which were met with a monumental silence from federal officials and law enforcement. Why all the fuss? Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon found that the administration of synthetic cannabinoids in rats stimulated the proliferation of newborn neurons (nerve cells) in the hippocampus region of the brain and significantly reduced measures of anxiety and depression-like behavior. The results shocked researchers – who noted that almost all other so-called "drugs of abuse," including alcohol and tobacco, decrease neurogenesis in adults – and left the "pot kills brain cells" crowd with a platter of long-overdue egg on their faces.

While it would be premature to extrapolate the study's findings to humans, at a minimum, the data reinforce the notion that cannabinoids are unusually non-toxic to the brain and that even long-term use of marijuana likely represents little risk to brain function. The findings also offer further evidence that cannabinoids can play a role in the alleviation of depression and anxiety, and that cannabis-based medicines may one day offer a safer alternative to conventional anti-depressant pharmaceuticals such as Paxil and Prozac.

(Reference: Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic and depressant-like effects. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2005)

Cannabis & Neuroprotection

Not only has modern science refuted the notion that marijuana is neurotoxic, recent scientific discoveries have indicated that cannabinoids are, in fact, neuroprotective, particularly against alcohol-induced brain damage. In a recent preclinical study – the irony of which is obvious to anyone who reads it – researchers at the US National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) reported that the administration of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) reduced ethanol-induced cell death in the brain by up to 60 percent. "This study provides the first demonstration of CBD as an in vivo neuroprotectant ... in preventing binge ethanol-induced brain injury," the study's authors wrote in the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Alcohol poisoning is linked to hundreds of preventable deaths each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while cannabis cannot cause death by overdose.

Of course, many US neurologists have known about cannabis' neuroprotective prowess for years. NIMH scientists in 1998 first touted the ability of natural cannabinoids to stave off the brain-damaging effects of stroke and acute head trauma. Similar findings were then replicated by investigators in the Netherlands and Italy and, most recently, by a Japanese research in 2005. However, attempts to measure the potential neuroprotective effects of synthetic cannabinoid-derived medications in humans have so far been inconclusive.

(References: Comparison of cannabidiol, antioxidants and diuretics in reversing binge ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2005 | Cannabidiol prevents cerebral infarction. Stroke. 2005 | Post-ischemic treatment with cannabidiol prevents electroencephalographic flattening, hyperlocomotion and neuronal injury in gerbils. Neuroscience Letters. 2003 | Neuroprotection by Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active compound in marijuana, against ouabain-induced in vivo excitotoxicity. Journal of Neuroscience. 2001 | Cannabidiol and Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol are neuroprotective antioxidants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 1998)

Cannabinoids and Glioma

Of all cancers, few are as aggressive and deadly as glioma. Glioma tumors quickly invade healthy brain tissue and are typically unresponsive to surgery and standard medical treatments. One agent they do respond to is cannabis.

Writing in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurooncology, investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the synthetic cannabis receptor agonist, WIN-55,212-2. Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than the synthetic alternative. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme typically die within three months without therapy.

Previous research conducted in Italy has also demonstrated the capacity of CBD to inhibit the growth of glioma cells both in vitro (e.g., a petri dish) and in animals in a dose dependent manner. As a result, a Spanish research team is currently investigating whether the intracranial administration of cannabinoids can prolong the lives of patients diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.

Most recently, a scientific analysis in the October issue of the journal Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry noted that, in addition to THC and CBD's brain cancer-fighting ability, studies have also shown cannabinoids to halt the progression of lung carcinoma, leukemia, skin carcinoma, colectoral cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.

(References: Cannabinoids selectively inhibit proliferation and induce cell death of cultured human glioblastoma multiforme cells. Journal of Neurooncology. 2005 | Cannabinoids and cancer. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry. 2005 | Anti-tumor effects of cannabidiol, a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, on human glioma cell lines. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2003)

Cannabinoids & Neurodegeneration

Emerging evidence also indicates that cannabinoids may play a role in slowing the progression of certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease). Recent animal studies have shown cannabinoids to delay disease progression and inhibit neurodegeneration in mouse models of ALS, Parkinson's, and MS. As a result, the Journal of Neurological Sciences recently pronounced, "There is accumulating evidence ... to support the hypothesis that the cannabinoid system can limit the neurodegenerative processes that drive progressive disease," and patient trials investigating whether the use of oral THC and cannabis extracts may slow the progression of MS are now underway in the United Kingdom.

(References: Cannabinoids and neuroprotection in CNS inflammatory disease. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2005. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: delayed disease progression in mice by treatment with a cannabinoid. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disorders. 2004 |Cannabinoids inhibit neurodegeneration in models of multiple sclerosis. Brain. 2003)

Cannabis & Cognition

But what about claims of cannabis' damaging effect of cognition? A review of the scientific literature indicates that rumors regarding the "stoner stupid" stereotype are unfounded. According to clinical trial data published this past spring in the American Journal of Addictions, cannabis use – including heavy, long-term use of the drug – has, at most, only a negligible impact on cognition and memory. Researchers at Harvard Medical School performed magnetic resonance imaging on the brains of 22 long-term cannabis users (reporting a mean of 20,100 lifetime episodes of smoking) and 26 controls (subjects with no history of cannabis use). Imaging displayed "no significant differences" between heavy cannabis smokers compared to controls, the study found.

Previous trials tell a similar tale. An October 2004 study published in the journal Psychological Medicine examining the potential long-term residual effects of cannabis on cognition in monozygotic male twins reported "an absence of marked long-term residual effects of marijuana use on cognitive abilities." A 2003 meta-analysis published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society also "failed to reveal a substantial, systematic effect of long-term, regular cannabis consumption on the neurocognitive functioning of users who were not acutely intoxicated," and a 2002 clinical trial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal determined, "Marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence."

Finally, a 2001 study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry found that long-term cannabis smokers who abstained from the drug for one week "showed virtually no significant differences from control subjects (those who had smoked marijuana less than 50 times in their lives) on a battery of 10 neuropsychological tests." Investigators further added, "Former heavy users, who had consumed little or no cannabis in the three months before testing, [also] showed no significant differences from control subjects on any of these tests on any of the testing days."

(References: Lack of hippocampal volume change in long-term heavy cannabis users. American Journal of Addictions. 2005 | Neuropsychological consequences of regular marijuana use: a twin study. Psychological Medicine. 2004 | Non-acute (residual) neurocognitive effects of cannabis use: A meta-analytic study. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2003 | Current and former marijuana use: preliminary findings of a longitudinal study of effects on IQ in young adults. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2002 | Neuropsychological Performance in Long-term Cannabis Users. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2001)

Links to the abstracts or full text to the studies cited in this article are available here.

March 2, 2006

Paul Armentano is the senior policy analyst for the NORML Foundation in Washington, DC.

Copyright © 2006 LewRockwell.com

SOURCE:  http://www.lewrockwell.com/armentano-p/armentano-p10.htm

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[Giff me dat fill-em!]

I enjoyed this article, especially because of the use of the word "cannabinoids" ...
We now have a new-and-improved name for potheads!

[Dunrobin]

The research certainly shows that the government has been full of crap for decades.  Of course, that should have been obvious to anyone who has either smoked pot or known potheads.  I've actually heard government goons try to claim that pot-smoking can make people "violent" and "dangerous" - which is the most ridiculous claim of all.  The only thing in danger from a pothead is a bag of potato chips!

[Bangsmith]

Obviously, they have never been in a barroom full of drunks. Alcohol is legal, and causes far more dangerous behavior than marijuana! "Reefer Madness" was more or less a lobbying ploy by Big Tobacco!

[Dunrobin]

Obviously, they have never been in a barroom full of drunks. Alcohol is legal, and causes far more dangerous behavior than marijuana! "Reefer Madness" was more or less a lobbying ploy by Big Tobacco!

Marijuana was outlawed (unconstitutionally, by the way, but that's yet another story) for racist reasons that had nothing to do with tobacco.  It was argued that "degenerate jazz musicians" (all black, of course) were corrupting the white youth of America with their "wild" music and reefer.  The whole campaign against pot was nothing but blatant, deliberate lies, but that's hardly anything new when it comes to the government, is it?

[Bangsmith]

From the government's end, Jazz and black culture were blamed, but from the business end, marijuana was frowned upon, because it is all natural, and therefore cannot be patented. As far as the government is concerned, "Dubya" is proof enough of the dishonest nature of government! I'm a left-winger, and even I'm appalled(no typo this time!) at the double-standards! Even after 9-11, Georgie still sold six of our ports to the United Arab Emirates, where Osama is worshipped! That, to me, is FAR more dangerous than smoking pot!!!

[Dog Hambone]

This may be getting off on a tangent, but it does relate to both marijuana and to The Three Stooges. If memory serves, didn't the actor who portrayed the judge in Reefer Madness also portray the judge in Disorder in the Court?     

[Shemoeley Fine]

I have been a frequent cannabis user since I was 13 years old, I am now in my mid-50's and I'm in great mental and physical shape. I have been a member of NORML, a pro-legalization marihuana organization since 1972 or '73.  THC, the acitve ingredient of cannabis, marijuana and hashish is actually an anti-biotoc and untill 1937 was an ingredient in several legal over the counter cough syrups, then the "reefer madness" campaign began and the govern us men passed the Marihuana Tax Act that made it so costly to use THC in commercial cough syrups that pharmeceutical companies stopped using it.  Mariijuana was legal until the late 30's and as Dun correctly stated, it was due to racism against Black jazz musicans and Mexican immigrant workers that it was made ilegal.

Cannabis and hemp have been around since ancient Egypt, hemp is a most valuable and versatile product, rope, clothing, material and dozens of other uses. Many of the  so called founding fathers owned hemp farms whih grew wild and natural throughout most of the US. The KKKonstitution was written on hemp, in the minutes of the congressional meetings before July 4th there is an entry of a recess so that the members could tned to their hemp harvest. In India hash oil was prescribed when one had a cold. I rarely if ever get any cold symptons.

One stupid statistic often used to underline the illegalization of marihuana is that 85% or heroin users smoked grass first. So what, 99.9% of all heroin users drank milk as a child, the question is the % of marijuana users who become heroin addicts, less than 1%!!!!!

Back in the day when herb was $20 to $35 a KILO(2.2 lbs), we used to cook with it, stuff turkeys, use in tomato sauces, brownies, tea etc the high is much better, it takes longer to come on but lasts much longer and it is a complete body high with no after effects. I recall paying $10. for a 4-finger bag, $15. for premium.  Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, Colombian Gold, Jamacian, Purple Maui wowee, water pressed Lebanese Blonde Hashish, Afghan hard brown hash with opium oil,

My favorite pot story concerns the greatest music figure of the 20th century, Louis Daniel Armstrong who smoked grass every day of his life until about a month before he died. He was on a flight back to NYC in the 1960's from Paris, in the 1st class section next to he and his wife was a then out of work Tricky Dick Nixon, when they landed at JFK in NYC, Pops-Satchmo asked Nixon if he would carry his trumpet case for him, Dick replied, "I'd be honored". Louis not Louiee, had his stash stashed in the bell of his horn and knew that Nixon having diplomatic immunity would not have to go through customs as he would have to.  two years ago when his widow died, their art deco home of Corona, Queens was donated to NY City and was turned into a museum, highly recomended to visit if you are efver in the Apple, the house was almost "jetson-esque" very 1950's art deco in bright colors with amazing details and decorations. Anyhoooo when they cleaned out Mister Armstrong's cellar there was one trunk filled with reel to reel tapes and 8 mm film of his house parties along with thousands of pages of hand written and typoed diaries of the life of the man who changed music forever, beyond jazz into Pop and classical. The other trunk found had about 3lbs of cannibas that had dried out since the passing of Pops....

S F

[Pilsner Panther]

Why, you buncha dope fiends! Don't you know that marijuana causes... uh, causes, wait a minute, I'll think of it... causes... oh yeah, memory loss!

Now, what were we talking about, anyway?

Shemoeley, that story about Satchmo and Nixon has the ring of an "urban legend," but it's pretty funny, whether it's true or not.


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[Pilsner Panther]

The research certainly shows that the government has been full of crap for decades. 

To know that, you need to do research!?

 



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[Dunrobin]

To know that, you need to do research!?

 

Good Lord, no - I've known it for years.  But most of the American people are pretty dense, and need proofs drummed into their thick skulls over and over again to get them to even start thinking about it.

It never fails to amaze me how many people will admit that they think that all politicians are corrupt (true), and that the government can't do anything right (also true), and yet will accept just about anything "the government" says as being gospel truth.  We've become a nation overflowing with idiots!   

[FineBari3]

Back in the day when herb was $20 to $35 a KILO(2.2 lbs), we used to cook with it, stuff turkeys, use in tomato sauces, brownies, tea etc the high is much better, it takes longer to come on but lasts much longer and it is a complete body high with no after effects. I recall paying $10. for a 4-finger bag, $15. for premium.  Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, Colombian Gold, Jamacian, Purple Maui wowee, water pressed Lebanese Blonde Hashish, Afghan hard brown hash with opium oil,

You forgot Toledo Window Box!

I have heard that story about Louis too! Do you think anybody smoked any of what they found?!?! Pops would have appreciated it!

I would have responded sooner to this post, but I didnt read the board yesterday!  I have been smoking reefer since I was 17 and smoking every day for about 7 years. One of the things that you do not hear about pot smokers is that they are usually of far above average intelligence and are college graduates.

I would rather have a spliff than a glass of alcohol at any time!

Anybody ever hear Cheech & Chong's 'McDoobies' skit? I have it on my computer, but I am not uploading it with my belt-driven modem!

[Dunrobin]

I have been smoking reefer since I was 17 and smoking every day for about 7 years. One of the things that you do not hear about pot smokers is that they are usually of far above average intelligence and are college graduates.

I would rather have a spliff than a glass of alcohol at any time!

I tried pot once when I was in the Army, but it didn't seem to do anything for me at the time.  (I don't know if it was just some weak homegrown or something.)  I didn't get "stoned" until I tried it again in my mid-20's; after that I became a "social smoker" (I'd smoke it at parties, etc., if someone was passing it around, but I didn't bother to buy any for myself.)

I've been a steady smoker for the past 18 years, though, smoking at least 4 or 5 doobies a day (and considerably more than that at times, especially on the weekends.)  In the time since I've become a "heavy" pot smoker, I've taught myself database administration, creating dynamic websites in first ASP (using Visual Basic scripting) and then in PHP scripting, and have created interactive web sites for a number of businesses and the hospital I work at.  Frankly, I find myself more focused and creative when I am "stoned", and we probably wouldn't even have ThreeStooges.net if I didn't smoke dope.

I used to drink alcohol on a regular basis, "back in the day", but I have basically given drinking up altogether since I became a steady pot smoker.

I've never really understood why the government is so adament about keeping pot illegal, unless - as Bangsmith suggested - it's because of pressure from the pharmaceutical industry.  You would think the government would find it much more profitable to legalize and tax marijuana.  Sure, people could grow it in their gardens, but how many would bother if they could simply pick up an inexpensive pack of pre-rolled Acapulco Gold at their corner store?

This may be getting off on a tangent, but it does relate to both marijuana and to The Three Stooges. If memory serves, didn't the actor who portrayed the judge in Reefer Madness also portray the judge in Disorder in the Court?     

I think you may be right; I seem to remember coming across that info in the past, but I don't have access to confirm that right now.  If nobody else has answered the question by this evening, I'll look it up.

[Giff me dat fill-em!]

The actor's name is Edward LeSaint. He is uncredited in Disorder in the Court, and he indeed plays the part of the Judge in Reefer Madness (also uncredited).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028346/

[Pilsner Panther]

I used to toke up regularly when I was in my early 20's to mid-30's (hanging out on the jazz loft scene in N.Y.C., it was impossible not to) but I eventually tapered off and became a "social smoker." Part of the reason was that I got an accounting/auditing job, and you have to be able to concentrate to do that.

Besides, in the immortal words of Oscar Levant, "Why do I need to go to Disneyland? I've got enough hallucinations of my own."

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[Dunrobin]

The actor's name is Edward LeSaint. He is uncredited in Disorder in the Court, and he indeed plays the part of the Judge in Reefer Madness (also uncredited).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028346/

Thanks, Giff!  I was pretty sure that was the case, but I'm at work and some sites are blocked.  (Thankfully, threestooges.net isn't one of them!)

I looked at Edward LeSaint's page here on our site, and saw that he appeared in a couple of pictures that featured Ted Healy.

[Pilsner Panther]

I didn't know that actor's name either, Giff... or that he was the judge in "Reefer Madness." You get a Karma point from me for supplying that information. It's always cracked me up, the way he keeps a perfectly straight face dealing with the Stooges in his courtroom. I've wondered if some of his scenes weren't shot separately and edited into the film, so that he wouldn't be seen laughing... after all, who couldn't have laughed?

"Thanks, Courty, you're a pal!"

[Giff me dat fill-em!]

Thanks for the points, my fella Stoogers,
But some of the credit MUST go to IMDB.com and Firefox ... after the original quizzer's lack of success in finding out about the Judge's appearance in both films, I merely went to the upper right corner of my browser (Firefox, of course) and typed in "Reefer Madness", then clicked on the imdb site to see a listing of the actors. It listed Edward LeSaint as the "judge" in that film, then if you merely clicked on the link to the actor's name, you would find out that he appeared in "Disorder in the Court", and that IS, as they say, is that. If you spend much time on the "Edward LeSaint" link, this guy appeared in a cajillion of films!

[Pilsner Panther]

"Hey, you're in court, not in Clancy's Pool Room!"


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[Shemoeley Fine]

Pils wrote <<< Shemoeley, that story about Satchmo and Nixon has the ring of an "urban legend," but it's pretty funny, whether it's true or not >>>>

I read it in Louis' auto biography and heard the reknowned Armstrong biographer, the man who found Stachmo's birth certificate-Gary Giddens confirmed the event. Throughout his life Louis told everyone he was born on July 4th, 1900, he never saw his birth certificate. In the 1980's after he had passed away, Giddens found his birth certificate while researching Louis' youth in New Orleans, it stated August 4th 1901. Independence Day would be an easy way to recall one's birthday.

S F

[Shemoeley Fine]

Giff wrote <<< this guy appeared in a cajillion of films! >>>>

This reminds me of an event that supposedely took place in the Oval Office. Condi Rice walks in and tells the selected head honcho that a Brasilian soldier died in Afgahnistan. Bush looked at her with his notorious stoooopid stare and stated "remind me again, how many in a Brasilian?"

The following is a true incident that was buried in the US press but reported in detail in Europe, Latin America and to a lesser extent in Canada. Shortly after Bush was selected as president in 2000, he and Rice traveled to Brasil to visit the new duely elected President "Lula" da Silva in Brasilia, the nation's capital. Bush mentioned to da Silva "I didn't realize you had Black people in Brasil too!"  Immediately Rice stepped in and told da Silva how they knew that Brasil has more Black people than any other country in the Americas.  Bush calls his pitiful self a sports fan yet he apparently never saw Pelé, the Afro-Brasilian who is the greatest futbol-soccer star ever including in the 1970's in the USA with the then pro soccer league he was the star of....  There are currently also several Afro-Brasilian players in the NBA.

S F

[JazzBill]

Being a truck driver with a CDL, I'm no longer able to indulge.(Drug screening). But growing up in the 1960s I smoked my share. I also drank my share. I've woken up in a jail cell more than once ,all drunk and hung-over wondering what the hell I did.   But I've never been locked up with a good refer buzz going.

[Dunrobin]

Nobody has downloaded the What If God Smoked Cannabis? mp3 attached to the oiginal post so far?  Where's all of our potheads?
   

[FineBari3]

Nobody has downloaded the What If God Smoked Cannabis? mp3 attached to the oiginal post so far?  Where's all of our potheads?
   

I didn't see it!!!! I had to go back and look!

LMAO!   

[Pilsner Panther]

Judging from the general condition of this planet, I'd say that God's smoking something, but it's probably crack cocaine or crystal meth!

 

Left over from a Fark.com Photoshop contest during the holidays:



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