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[Fooj]

Link

Autophagy can promote cell survival or cell death, but the molecular basis underlying its dual role in cancer remains obscure. Here we demonstrate that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component of marijuana, induces human glioma cell death through stimulation of autophagy.

Secondary source.

Preet says much work is needed to clarify the pathway by which THC functions, and cautions that some animal studies have shown that THC can stimulate some cancers. "THC offers some promise, but we have a long way to go before we know what its potential is," she said.

A less optimistic secondary source.

But this suggests that the promise of THC might be a little over-hoped, and certainly requires further investigation before telling people to go out and roll a joint.

[Nilocy]

So what everyones been saying about cannabis actually helping more than it damages is actually true? Interesting. But what about the associated mental health problems that'll inevitably come from this?

[Fooj]

Someone mentioned using Cannabis oil specifically, I should mention, but I couldn't find anything on that. I think they said it was a Canadian study.

Makes more sense to use cannabis oil for health benefits than smoking to absorb it.

helping more than it damages is actually true?

Ignoring all the side effects of smoking itself, and granted you are a cancer patient... then possibly.

[Wiles]

More and more I'm finding studies into the benefits of marijuana. It's been shown to promote intestinal healing in a few studies. Here's the most recent I've read on the subject, though in this case the benefits can be had without the THC (thus there would be no psychoactive effects).

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists.

Laboratory tests have shown that two compounds found in the cannabis plant - the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol - interact with the body's system that controls gut function.

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, which affect about one in every 250 people in Northern Europe, are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The researchers believe that a genetic susceptibility coupled with other triggers, such as diet, stress or bacterial imbalance, leads to a defective immune response.

Dr Karen Wright, Peel Trust Lecturer in Biomedicine at Lancaster University, will be presenting her soon-to-be published work at The British Pharmacological Society's Winter Meeting in London today (Thursday).

She said: "The lining of the intestines provides a barrier against the contents of the gut but in people with Crohn's Disease this barrier leaks and bacteria can escape into the intestinal tissue leading to an inappropriate immune response.

"If we could find a way to restore barrier integrity in patients we may be able to curb the inflammatory immune response that causes these chronic conditions."

Dr Wright, working with colleagues at the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health in Derby, has shown that cells that react to cannabinoid compounds play an important role in normal gut function as well as the immune system's inflammatory response.

"The body produces its own cannabinoid molecules, called endocannabinoids, which we have shown increase the permeability of the epithelium during inflammation, implying that overproduction may be detrimental," said Dr Wright.

"However, we were able to reverse this process using plant-derived cannabinoids, which appeared to allow the epithelial cells to form tighter bonds with each other and restore the membrane barrier."

The research was carried out using cell cultures in a dish but, interestingly, when the team attempted to mimic the conditions of the gut by reducing the amount of oxygen in the cells' environment, much lower concentrations of cannabinoid were needed to produce the same effect.

Dr Wright added: "What is also encouraging is that while THC has psychoactive properties and is responsible for the 'high' people experience when using cannabis, cannabidiol, which has also proved effective in restoring membrane integrity, does not possess such properties."

The British Pharmacological Society (BPS) - the primary UK learned society concerned with research into drugs and the way they work - is hosting its annual Winter Meeting in London, attracting experts from across the world.

The three-day conference, running from 15 to 17 December 2009, will hear presentations on the latest pharmacological developments to tackle a range of conditions and diseases.

Source Lancaster University

[MrWiggles]

Marijuana is showing promise for medicinal purposes, though the studies arent conclusive enough for a consensus to be reached or trails for drug use by the FDA. Though FDA may not be needed, that depends on application.

There are growing number of signal study showing an odd array of affects. Right now, all you can say is that more study is needed, though it looks hopeful. This however wont necessarily translate into recreational use legality.

[Rilder]

Just legalize it already, if its actually helping in some respects then why ban it?

Cigarettes are completely bad for you and don't even make you feel good yet they are still legal....

[LegoLord]

Just legalize it already, if its actually helping in some respects then why ban it?

Cigarettes are completely bad for you and don't even make you feel good yet they are still legal....

1) They aren't sure just how beneficial it is, and even if what the studies show is correct, smoking it for recreation probably isn't terribly good for you anyway.
2) Sadly that is a case in which a drug has managed to get itself entrenched in the economy before it's negative effects could be discovered.

[MrWiggles]

Just legalize it already, if its actually helping in some respects then why ban it?

Cigarettes are completely bad for you and don't even make you feel good yet they are still legal....

Feel good is subjective. Just because it doesn't make you feel good doesn't mean it doesnt for others. Majurnia is not without its side affects, mostly its comparable to alcohol.

I also dont think ciggy should be banned. Or most recreational harmful narcotics. Forbiddance makes it desirable. Forbiddance is expensive. Forbiddance disallow control.

If they're allowed, then they can get tax, they can get regulated, and probably would bring down violent crime in association with it. It may even help south america.

[Rilder]

1) They aren't sure just how beneficial it is, and even if what the studies show is correct, smoking it for recreation probably isn't terribly good for you anyway.

Aren't there other, more safer ways to use it besides smoking though?

[LegoLord]

I also dont think ciggy should be banned. Or most recreational harmful narcotics. Forbiddance makes it desirable. Forbiddance is expensive. Forbiddance disallow control.

Actually, I think more people smoke than do illegal addictive substances.  Forbidding definitely does something.  The whole "being forbidden makes it desirable" is not a universally true concept; it's generally true of those who have some irrational problem with authorities, though there are exceptions.

[MrWiggles]

1) They aren't sure just how beneficial it is, and even if what the studies show is correct, smoking it for recreation probably isn't terribly good for you anyway.

Aren't there other, more safer ways to use it besides smoking though?

Yes, like the oil rub referred to above, though that probably wouldnt get you high. It would be very irrisponable to release a narcotic without knowing its full chemical dynamics. The debacle that happen with LSD from the sixties and seventies shoudln't be repeated again.

[MrWiggles]

I also dont think ciggy should be banned. Or most recreational harmful narcotics. Forbiddance makes it desirable. Forbiddance is expensive. Forbiddance disallow control.

Actually, I think more people smoke than do illegal addictive substances.  Forbidding definitely does something.  The whole "being forbidden makes it desirable" is not a universally true concept; it's generally true of those who have some irrational problem with authorities, though there are exceptions.

That not what sociology study or history tells us. There was a very neat BBC special on this not to long ago, and 'Married with Children' survived because it became taboo to watch, Simpson may well owe some of their success due to Bart simpson being a hellion and had to be taken off the air. There other historical but those are fairly prominent recent examples.

[Jude]

But what about the associated mental health problems that'll inevitably come from this?

Which problems would these be

[winner]

1) They aren't sure just how beneficial it is, and even if what the studies show is correct, smoking it for recreation probably isn't terribly good for you anyway.

Aren't there other, more safer ways to use it besides smoking though?

When I did a school report a few years ago the stoner forums were advocating putting pot in vaporizers instead of burning it

[Wiles]

1) They aren't sure just how beneficial it is, and even if what the studies show is correct, smoking it for recreation probably isn't terribly good for you anyway.

Aren't there other, more safer ways to use it besides smoking though?

Yes, like the oil rub referred to above, though that probably wouldnt get you high. It would be very irrisponable to release a narcotic without knowing its full chemical dynamics. The debacle that happen with LSD from the sixties and seventies shoudln't be repeated again.

The effects of Marijuana are probably more well known and more studied than some of drugs that are pushed out onto the market by pharmaceutical companies.

As for safer ways for getting the effects of marijuana there are a few ways aside from those mentioned already. It is fat soluble and one can make cannabis butter to cook with it. It has been put into pills, and I think it is soluble in alcohol, but mixing it with alcohol probably isn't something you'd want to do if you were looking for a healthier approach.

I've read a lot about marijuana over the years due to dealing with pain for the better part of my life. I've spoken to people who've used it medicinally and have heard great things about it. I know some people who use it to control nausea and as an appetite stimulant, and others who've used it to control pain. On the other hand I've known some people who've tried it for pain management that did not like the way it made them feel.

I really feel that marijuana should be legalized. It has been demonized for so long that people disregard it off-hand without thinking critically about why they don't agree with it. A lot of people think that anyone who uses it is a lazy pothead. While I'm sure the stereotype holds true for some, I think that it doesn't really represent the larger whole. I've met a lot of successful people who use it. It is a plant that helps many people bear the pain and sickness a lot better than they could with conventional medicine. However it is good to know that there has been headway made. If I so desired I could go to my doctor and get them to write me a letter that would allow me to obtain marijuana, while it still not entirely legal, it is tolerated. It is of course not without its downsides, but then that is true for a lot of things that are legal.