Cannabis Science Claiming Successful Cancer Treatments

[Richard B Riddick]

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- We stumbled upon this news a couple weeks back regarding Cannabis Science, Inc. reported the continuing successful progress by two patients who have been topically self-administering Cannabis Science extracts for Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cancer and Skin Cancer.

According to their earlier press releases, these patients have photo-documented dramatic results that the Company will release to the public once treatment is completed and has been properly vetted by clinical biopsy. The Company, in conjunction with several Colorado-licensed dispensaries and physicians, consults with a number of cancer patients who are seeking to inform themselves of the current peer-reviewed scientific literature, regarding modern and historical use of cannabis preparations for treating cancers so that they can make informed decisions regarding their self-directed cancer treatment.

Cannabis has an outstanding safety profile as determined in 1988 by Federal Administrative Law Judge Francis Young who recommended cannabis be removed from Schedule I. The refusal of the DEA to follow this recommendation has resulted in 16 states allowing some form of medical marijuana access for their citizens. Numerous other states are moving in this direction. Consequently, patients in states with medical marijuana laws are able to make an informed decisions to try various state-legal cannabis preparations and to determine what is most effective for their particular condition. As a result, there is an unprecedented accumulation of "anecdotal" data.

Cannabis Science went on to mention that it's making cannabis-based medicines available to the public as rapidly as possible. The Company is taking multiple approaches to accomplishing this aim in the United States. The science of cannabinoids has exploded over the past decade, laying the scientific foundation for the many medicinal uses of this unique plant. Cannabinoids are a class of biologically active compounds produced by all vertebrates (endocannabinoids) the Cannabis plant (phytocannabinoids), and more recently patentable synthetic compounds produced by chemists. Today's modern peer-reviewed science supports the many historical uses that were discovered over thousands of years of medicinal use by herbalists.

Also, the Company has already released its first two Cannabis Science Brand Formulations, Cannabis Science CT-1 and Cannabis Science MT-1. Both are now available at both Cannabis Therapeutics and Marisol Therapeutics exclusively for Colorado State licensed medical marijuana patients.

Cannabis Science MT-1: Produced by Marisol Therapeutics: A family-owned shop, Marisol Therapeutics was founded to assist medical marijuana patients in obtaining medical marijuana in Colorado. They believe patients have the right to safe, confidential, quality medical marijuana and products. They recommend medical marijuana from their own experience with unrelenting and previously untreatable pain. "We understand, we care, we want you to heal." Marisal Therapeutics has produced a custom blend that is derived from their proprietary strains that were developed over 30 years by a Native American Vietnam veteran in order to address his medical needs. Cannabis Science CT-1 has been analyzed and shown to be free of insecticides and molds. The product is produced in soil under organic roof conditions.

ADDRESS: 922 Kimble Drive, Pueblo West, CO 81007 PHONE: 719-547-4000 EMAIL: info[MENTION=12842]M[/MENTION]arisolmed.com or http://marisolmed.com/ for more information.

Cannabis Science CT-1: Produced by Cannabis Therapeutics was Colorado's first dispensary. Working with local law enforcement, state officials, legal experts, medical physicians, and researchers, Cannabis Therapeutics sets a standard of both safety and consistent quality to its members as well as the community at large. Cannabis Therapeutics is a professional medical business that employs all its policies and regulations to ensure the most stringent adherence to the law. Second in importance to legality is implementation of standardizing techniques to ensure both repeatability in dosing and quality of medicine. Cannabis Therapeutics began as an organization built by individuals that did not receive satisfactory relief from conventional therapies. Cannabis Therapeutics has produced a high quality cannabis extract from a custom blend of buds hydroponically grown medical marijuana strains. Cannabis Science CT-1 has been analyzed and shown to be free of insecticides and molds.

ADDRESS: 907 E Fillmore St., Colorado Springs, CO 80907 http://www.cannabistherapeutics.net/ for more information.

Please visit www.cannabisscience.com to view the "Breaking News" of the successful results and images of the self-administered cancer treatments.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.

Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana research and development. The second formulations will address the needs of patients choosing to use concentrated cannabis extracts to treat their ailments. Eventually, all Americans will have access to a safe and effective FDA approved medicine regardless of which state they live in. To maintain that marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug with no medical value is scientifically absurd. Cannabis medicines, with no effective lethal dose, are far safer than aspirin, acetaminophen, and most other OTC drugs that kill thousands of Americans every year.

The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

Forward Looking Statements

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Cannabis Science, Inc.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/me...ontinued-shrinking-of-cancer-cells-2012-01-06

I've been watching this for more than a year now.

There's medical research dating back to the 1960's suggesting cannabis has anti-tumor properties which may be used to shrink cancer tumors into remission. Cannabis isn't particularly toxic and its unheard of for someone to overdose on it. As an anti-cancer treatment it does have the potential to be less invasive and harmful than alternatives like chemotherapy.

The cynical analysis suggests hospitals and health care facilities which spend large sums of money on chemotherapy machinery and expensively assorted anti-cancer treatments have tried to repress this information throughout history.

It may be extremely interesting to see what happens with this.

The government and FDA have worked with this company in some areas and corroborated some of their research.

If they don't get shut down, or make bad business decisions, they could be big. Although, I definitely wouldn't advocate anyone trying to invest in them considering how risky a venture it is.

 

[The Witch]

What's in in exactly to give it power to shrink cancer cells? I've never heard of this before and I'm curious. I know cancer patients will smoke it because of pain and whatnot but I didn't know it could actually shrink it.

If it's true, this is amazing.

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Follow up.

A&E is filming a documentary on it.

I hope those who view the, cancer having anti-tumor attributes concept, from a closed minded and obstinate perspective and hide behind "it doesn't have evidence" and "lol conspiracy theorist" shields to justify their prejudice and closed mindedness might learn to be more flexible in their thinking. It would make a lot of things in this country ranging from politics to economics so much better if people learned to be more open minded.

If you think about it, it makes sense...

A.) Medical researchers have always said a cure for cancer could be a plant in a rainforest.
B.) Anti-biotics and painkillers are both derived from living things. Some painkillers are opium-derived and come from the poppy plant which can also be used to make heroin. Anti-biotics are also derived from plants to a certain degree.

Anyway, I do feel a vague urge to a prick about this to the naysayers as they're typically the closed minded and prejudiced people who stand in the way of real progress.

A&E Begins Filming An 8-episode Documentary With Cannabis Science's Newly Appointed Director of Horticulture Bret Bogue; Focused On Bret Bogue, World Renowned Medical Cannabis Cultivator
February 22, 2012

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTCBB:CBIS.OB) a pioneering U.S. biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis (marijuana) critical ailment formulations, is excited to announce the appointment of world renowned Cannabis Cultivator Bret Bogue as Director of Horticulture for the company. Mr. Bogue is a valuable addition to the company, with decades of experience growing cannabis for medical purposes.

Mr. Bogue will play a key role in the development and maintenance of all horticulture operations for the company while developing specific strains for mass production for the company's growing standards and critical ailment formulations developed by the company. Mr. Bogue will be a part of the lead development team for plants and strains to be used to develop these medical cannabis formulations and products for Cannabis Science.

Being a critical cancer patient himself, Mr. Bogue was diagnosed with a very rare form of melanoma in 1995. Mr. Bogue stated, "I became very ill and was looking for an alternative medication for my illness, so I realized then that I needed to create Apothecary™ Genetics to provide an alternative treatment solution in the early 90s. Through my world travels, I have been able to find 'land race strains' and breed them with hybrids to create World Class medical cannabis."

Bret and Apothecary went on to become the first American-based seed company to win the coveted Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in 2007, and has won many other international and national awards for his medical cannabis developments. Having over 20 years of experience creating unique medical strains of cannabis, such as Grape Ape aka GDP, Kaia Kush, Sour Grapes, Old School Jams, and Goo, just to name a few, has put Bret and Apothecary Genetics on the world map as one of the top leaders in medical cannabis development.

Mr. Bogue concludes with, " I was able to cure my melanoma by using medical cannabis in combination with standard radiation treatment. I am the living proof that medical cannabis kills cancer cells."

As well, Bret is embarking on some exciting new projects such as a documentary with television giant A&E. Two pilots have already been filmed and sent to New York for review and approvals. The documentary will show real patients who are having real, positive results with medical cannabis. These patients include seniors from a senior citizens' community in California. Viewers will see the reality of the medication's benefits, as well as the emotions that come into play when someone is chronically ill.

About Cannabis Science, Inc.
Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana research and development. The second formulations will address the needs of patients choosing to use concentrated cannabis extracts to treat their ailments. Eventually, all Americans will have access to a safe and effective FDA approved medicine regardless of which state they live in. To maintain that marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug with no medical value is scientifically absurd. Cannabis medicines, with no effective lethal dose, are far safer than aspirin, acetaminophen, and most other OTC drugs that kill thousands of Americans every year.

The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

http://www.4-traders.com/CANNABIS-S...With-Cannabis-Science-s-Newly-Appoi-14037048/

 

[Nocturne]

Most "research" involving marijuana is highly biased. Truth is, it does work for some of this stuff such as pain and appetite. But it has so many negative effects that the trade off is NOT worth it. In fact, the ingredients that actually do something can be synthesized into pill form. The fact of the matter is that the people who support it just want to smoke the damn stuff.

Pretty much take every negative aspect of cigarettes and then throw in the effects it has on areas of the brain including ability to cause schizophrenia and tons of other mental health disorders and then you have the effects of marijuana. That's just looking at a basic view of the chemical effects on the body.

People like to sit there and say you dont get addicted to it and that it is less harmful than cigarettes, etc etc. It's seriously a bunch of lies.

Fact is, the USA keeps getting more lenient on drug use and eventually it will be as bad as China was/is. Our society, as younger generations are coming up, feel more entitled to free things, wanting to just "have fun". and dont think of the consequences of the actions to a greater extent.

Opium was such a huge problem in China, essentially their government pretty much says if you get caught by the government with drugs, you were warned and now you will be shot. Problems reduced dramatically.

 

[Prince Oberyn Martel]

I'm not going to go into this in detail right now because im tired and im sure I've expressed my views on this subject numerous times here on different threads. However I will say that it is fantastic to see someone taking notice and posting it instead of just letting them pass it by. More people need to be aware and properly educated on something that, like it or not, does effect us all in some way or another.

Riddick, have you heard of Dr. Grinspoon and in particular the story about his son? If not you should definitely look it up. Heartbreaking shit.

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Most "research" involving marijuana is highly biased. Truth is, it does work for some of this stuff such as pain and appetite. But it has so many negative effects that the trade off is NOT worth it.

Pretty much take every negative aspect of cigarettes and then throw in the effects it has on areas of the brain including ability to cause schizophrenia and tons of other mental health disorders and then you have the effects of marijuana. That's just looking at a basic view of the chemical effects on the body.

You're right - the research that says weed causes schizophrenia & other disorders is biased.

Its known that street marijuana often contains rat poison, meth & other illicit substances.

Can studies which track marijuana users over a ten year period say for certain whether its weed or the additives in the street variety which are the cause of said schizophrenia & other negative health effects?

Nope.

There are also aspects relating to marketshare and business...

The pharmaceutical industry is worth billions. If marijuana were legalized as a medicine it would threaten big pharma's profits. Its not a scenario where nothing is at stake and everyone involved is objective and unbiased.

The likely scenario is for big pharma to fund research and pay the researchers to fabricate results which suggest weed causes schizophrenia and other negative effects. And, the research people cite in demonizing weed may be exactly that -- a big pharma funded smear campaign masquerading as legit scientific research..

In fact, the ingredients that actually do something can be synthesized into pill form. The fact of the matter is that the people who support it just want to smoke the damn stuff.

That's what I used to say. I was against marijuana legalization & use for medical purposes.

What changed my mind is...

A.) George Washington and the founding fathers all smoked marijuana and swore by it. It may be as close to a real american culture or tradition as we'll find. I think american indians were also heavy weed smokers. Hence the 'peace pipe'.

B.) Its been proven to have positive medical effects & anti-tumor effects as well which could make it a beneficial cancer treatment.

C.) Its an integral part of some religions. The jamaican rastafari movement for one.

D.) Its a superior treatment to pharmaceutical drugs. There are tons of people who accidentally overdose on prescription drugs, every year. Weed is not toxic and virtually impossible to overdose on.

Fact is, the USA keeps getting more lenient on drug use and eventually it will be as bad as China was/is. Our society, as younger generations are coming up, feel more entitled to free things, wanting to just "have fun". and dont think of the consequences of the actions to a greater extent.

That's a complex issue & something I'd rather not get into.

Opium was such a huge problem in China, essentially their government pretty much says if you get caught by the government with drugs, you were warned and now you will be shot. Problems reduced dramatically.

I can't say I like the recent trend of people looking at China as if it represents a good standard of dealing with crime or social issues. US politicians admiring China's system of internet censorship is a bad sign, and so are those who admire China's totalitarian and one-size-fits-all justice system.

China is a closed society prone to heavy censorship and misinformation campaigns. Things there are as screwed up if not more screwed up than they are in America. They simply do a better job of covering it up due to the press not having freedom to report on things or be accurate on issues the government would rather cover up.

Riddick, have you heard of Dr. Grinspoon and in particular the story about his son? If not you should definitely look it up. Heartbreaking shit.

Haven't heard of it, I'll check it out, thanks.

 

[Nocturne]

You're right - the research that says weed causes schizophrenia & other disorders is biased.

Its known that street marijuana often contains rat poison, meth & other illicit substances.

Can studies which track marijuana users over a ten year period say for certain whether its weed or the additives in the street variety which are the cause of said schizophrenia & other negative health effects?

Nope.

There are also aspects relating to marketshare and business...

The pharmaceutical industry is worth billions. If marijuana were legalized as a medicine it would threaten big pharma's profits. Its not a scenario where nothing is at stake and everyone involved is objective and unbiased.

The likely scenario is for big pharma to fund research and pay the researchers to fabricate results which suggest weed causes schizophrenia and other negative effects. And, the research people cite in demonizing weed may be exactly that -- a big pharma funded smear campaign masquerading as legit scientific research..

Street Marijuana does contain alot of additives. It isn't pure, but like most of these researchers, they like to jump into it and say how great it is, and how great it works, how beneficial it is when there are a few things:

1. Cannabinoid receptors are a relatively new area of study. They know they exist, but they hardly know how they work. It is NEVER a good idea to try and make something legal to use on a wide scale before this stuff is figured out. What they do know is that some of the receptors have effects on blood pressure and other heart effects which already rule out a large group of people who would benefit from it, even if there is some great benefit. They way it's being prescribed now (illegally) is pretty much anyone who wants it just gets it from some type of health care professional. There are no guidelines for who would get it and isnt restricted at all.

2. While they cant say specifically what may cause all the side effects, they are fairly certain, or at least leaning towards the fact that one of the main ingredients, THC, does cause psychosis or schizophrenia like behavior at least, in people from long term use. That's going to be in there regardless of how it is grown/made.

3. You'd be crazy to believe that if marijuana becomes legal (hopefully not) the pharmaceutical industry wouldnt have a role in it. The FDA/DEA would come in and regulate the hell out of it and it would need to be manufactured by some type of pharmaceutical company. If anything they would want it to be made by them so they can reap the "rewards". Unless you know what to look for in published studies as well, then I wouldnt talk about them. Not saying you dont, but just so you know I have critiqued studies and done presentation on them a number of times so I know how to analyze and pick apart studies. You cant just read them and take them at face value. You need to know how to read statistics, interpret them, and then apply it to the study itself. That being said, I highly doubt Cannabis Science is a unbiased source given the name of the group/corportation. The best studies are done by third party groups with boards that look over their research.

Which leads me to another side point about people saying the pharmaceutical industry is "Evil". It's BS. First and foremost every company is out to make money. At least by making medication available, it stands to help a great number of people. If you want to blame anyone, blame insurance companies for charging more and more money, and covering less and less medication. They are the ones who make it hard for EVERYONE.

That's what I used to say. I was against marijuana legalization & use for medical purposes.

What changed my mind is...

A.) George Washington and the founding fathers all smoked marijuana and swore by it. It may be as close to a real american culture or tradition as we'll find. I think american indians were also heavy weed smokers. Hence the 'peace pipe'.

B.) Its been proven to have positive medical effects & anti-tumor effects as well which could make it a beneficial cancer treatment.

C.) Its an integral part of some religions. The jamaican rastafari movement for one.

D.) Its a superior treatment to pharmaceutical drugs. There are tons of people who accidentally overdose on prescription drugs, every year. Weed is not toxic and virtually impossible to overdose on.

A. People also didnt live very long back then. Drug use, any kind legal or not, can shorten life span. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine (which is still used in medicine, yet only under more strict and specific circumstances), ALL do massive damage to the body over time whether its mental function, or multiple organ/blood vessel damage.

B. By proven, do you mean it's been studied wide spread meaning thousands of patients? Or do you mean in case studies with relatively low number's of patients? Im guessing its more the latter. The article you posted is sort of laughable in a way. Nothing against you personally at all but the claims they make in that article are pretty bogus. Marijuana safer than aspirin and acetaminophen; completely untrue. Marijuana isnt going to cause less platelet aggregation/blood thinning like aspirin does for heart patients. Acetaminophen is a really safe drug, it's just people dont read directions/take it the way they are supposed to. ANY drug is unsafe if you dont take it as it's directed. There is definitely an agenda going on.

Tylenol overdoses happen for these reasons

1. Someone wants to commit suicide. This can be done with almost anything.

2. People take 3-4 different products that have acetaminophen in it without knowing. Once again either blame the manufacturers for not making it more clearly labeled or have the people start looking what they are taking/knowing what they are putting into their bodies. The drug itself is safe when taken how it is supposed to be.

3. Alcohol. Daily limits for acetaminophen are now set at 3 grams a day. Just a few months ago, it was 4 grams. Why the sudden change? It isnt because they found out the body cant tolerate as much. Actually, the body can handle more than 4 grams a day but with other medication/food/drugs this is why they tell you to take less. Alcohol does a huge number on the liver, which is where APAP works. Converted to NAPQI as its metabolite and directly damages the liver. People drink too much (I think it shouldnt be legal at all but thats my view) and end up destroying their body in multiple ways with it.


C. Saying it's good because of religion is not a good reason. Christianity along with other religions used to offer up human sacrifices at times, or were asked to. That doesnt mean it's good. Islam for example says not to use any drugs at all. So it's variable and doesnt have any scientific proof backing it.

D. This just isnt true. Pharmaceutical drugs are safe as long as you use them correctly, which a ton of people dont. You'd be surprised how many people dont even know what they are putting in their bodies and what they are for, but they do it anyways. Any drug has trade off's. For diseases, medication helps and has caused the life span of people to increase considerably. Marijuana has many side effects that could kill someone, including mental impairment, which in an of itself can kill people, whether themselves or someone else. It IT addictive though and contrary to popular belief, you will go through withdrawal though more so with chronic use. It distributes into the fat so when you use it, it's almost like it tapers itself so you dont get alot of the effects of withdrawal like other drugs that are in and out of the system quickly. But with chronic use, this dissipates and people do go through withdrawal. Also, Ive seen many many users of marijuana and it really does mess people up. It isn't a stereotype that you usually see when people joke about it. Except one thing; it really isnt funny seeing someone actually screwed up from it (though this is street kind, but medical will have some of these effects as well).

That's a complex issue & something I'd rather not get into.

It is complex and I agree not to get into right now. But when you put a drug out on the market, you need to look at social attitudes as well, especially if the medication is addictive. Our society has been getting worse with drug use as time goes on, and more accepted sadly.

I can't say I like the recent trend of people looking at China as if it represents a good standard of dealing with crime or social issues. US politicians admiring China's system of internet censorship is a bad sign, and so are those who admire China's totalitarian and one-size-fits-all justice system.

China is a closed society prone to heavy censorship and misinformation campaigns. Things there are as screwed up if not more screwed up than they are in America. They simply do a better job of covering it up due to the press not having freedom to report on things or be accurate on issues the government would rather cover up.

I actually didnt know there was a trend with people looking to china on those issues. Im just talking from experience/from people who have lived there. China really doesnt have a good government, but with drug use, China has experienced huge problems and has taken more drastic measures to control it and they did see improvement. They do rule by fear alot, but a little fear can be a good thing as long as it doesnt get out of hand.

I agree about the Press in China, but like China, the press here is getting worse and worse. Especially the news. You only hear very little about the actual topic at hand with no details provided. US press is getting to be just as bad. Not physically censored, but highly biased on any station you watch.


My main point is, the article you posted seems very biased. If there is an actual use for marijuana, with data published by a respectable group that doesnt spout sensationalist nonsense, Ill be the first to say "Hey, cool, that's a viable treatment option."

But at the same time, with the way people view it right now, anyone can go get it for anything, whether it's proven to work for what they say its for or not. The data they do have is more anecdotal, not conclusive, or they dont know how it works specifically. Certain prescription drugs are abused now, mainly by people who want to abuse them. If used correctly, the majority of people dont get addicted. Some do, but a much smaller percentage. Alcohol, by far is more destructive, wide spread, and provides larger health care costs to the economy than any other recreational drug, and causes more social problems as well as domestic problems.

If they ever do give out good, solid evidence that marijuana helps with eliminating cancer (which I doubt since Cancer isnt really a specific disease, and more of a normal function of the body going awry) then the only way I'd support it is if it was used only for the time they were considered cancerous, only for specific patients, and only given under supervision of a responsible medical provider. Otherwise, it's just one more social problem to go into full swing, with more detrimental effects than people want to acknowledge.

Otherwise, I think it's good you're at least interested in medical knowledge and are looking into recent topics in the health world. More people need to be up on things. I just say, from someone who studies in the medical world, to be very cautious of new treatments. Im not just against marijuana use for medical purposes, but treatments that arent proven to work. Tons of natural products are on the market that either are proven not to work or do work but arent regulated so you dont get proper doses need for effect. Others are even dangerous to the body. Many natural supplements on the market can really cause damage to the body, even kill.

 

[Nocturne]

Sorry for the book post, but I didnt want to half ass my response/answer on something I consider very very important for society.

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Street Marijuana does contain alot of additives. It isn't pure, but like most of these researchers, they like to jump into it and say how great it is, and how great it works, how beneficial it is when there are a few things:

That's the type of attitude that annoys me.

People view subjects like marijuana, stimulus and job creation as if they were invented only yesterday. We have hundreds and thousands of years of history to draw upon:

"We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption."
- John Adams, U.S. President

The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world."
- Carl Sagan

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."
- George Washington, U.S. President

"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country."
- Thomas Jefferson, U.S

"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."
- Albert Einstein(referring to marijuana prohibition)

George Washington lived near to the age of 70 having smoked weed for decades without contracting schizophrenia or psychosis. I'm sure that if someone bothered to research it, they would realize there are many who could say the same.

That should count as something near to scientific evidence.

If it were true that THC induces schizophrenia, etc. Carl Sagan and all of these historical figures who habitually smoked weed for 30+ years should have shown signs of it.

1. Cannabinoid receptors are a relatively new area of study. They know they exist, but they hardly know how they work. It is NEVER a good idea to try and make something legal to use on a wide scale before this stuff is figured out. What they do know is that some of the receptors have effects on blood pressure and other heart effects which already rule out a large group of people who would benefit from it, even if there is some great benefit. They way it's being prescribed now (illegally) is pretty much anyone who wants it just gets it from some type of health care professional. There are no guidelines for who would get it and isnt restricted at all.

No, this is not a new area of study. As said, George Washington and other well known historical figures smoked marijuana for decades with no perceivable negative effects.

2. While they cant say specifically what may cause all the side effects, they are fairly certain, or at least leaning towards the fact that one of the main ingredients, THC, does cause psychosis or schizophrenia like behavior at least, in people from long term use. That's going to be in there regardless of how it is grown/made.

If they can't say for certain what causes the negative effects its bad research and bad science.

These two points of view are contradictory, btw:

A.) We can't say what causes negative effects.

B.) We know for certain its THC.

3. You'd be crazy to believe that if marijuana becomes legal (hopefully not) the pharmaceutical industry wouldnt have a role in it. The FDA/DEA would come in and regulate the hell out of it and it would need to be manufactured by some type of pharmaceutical company.

If it became legal, it wouldn't be laced with meth or rat poison and would become a healthier regulated substance.

There are also issues associated with transportation. Introducing additives and preservatives for purposes of transportation and elevated shelf life to some foods decreases their health benefits.

Making marijuana 'bricks' for purposes of transportation and assorted means of preservatives decrease its health viability. Legal weed would be much more healthy and health promoting than illegal weed so there are benefits involved with that process.

Just as there should be a proper separation of church and state, more importantly there should be a proper sepration of corporation and state. The fact that some view the FDA(regulation) and pharmaceutical industry(private sector) as being one and the same is not a good sign.

There is a difference between a start-up pharmaceutical corporation and the existing system which relies on patents, brutal price mark ups, and exploitive / abusive predatory business practices to rake in maximum profits.

If anything they would want it to be made by them so they can reap the "rewards". Unless you know what to look for in published studies as well, then I wouldnt talk about them. Not saying you dont, but just so you know I have critiqued studies and done presentation on them a number of times so I know how to analyze and pick apart studies. You cant just read them and take them at face value. You need to know how to read statistics, interpret them, and then apply it to the study itself. That being said, I highly doubt Cannabis Science is a unbiased source given the name of the group/corportation. The best studies are done by third party groups with boards that look over their research.

George Washington & others smoking weed for decades without contracting schizophrenia or psychosis is unbiased research. There's no money at stake for Washington, and thus little reason or incentive for a misinformation campaign.

Big pharma funded studies which conclude smoking marijuana for a mere 10 years "vastly" increases the odds of schizophrenia and psychosis are heavily biased. There are existing markets worth billions of dollars which could have their marketshare diluted or depleted if cannabis were introduced as a viable form of medicine. There are patents on drugs which may border on monopoly which could be threatened by marijuana being legalized and considered a viable medical treatment. There are many reasons why research in that area would be biased and a lot at stake which implies there are many reasons research could be biased and a misinformation or smear campaign would be the norms.

Which leads me to another side point about people saying the pharmaceutical industry is "Evil". It's BS. First and foremost every company is out to make money. At least by making medication available, it stands to help a great number of people. If you want to blame anyone, blame insurance companies for charging more and more money, and covering less and less medication. They are the ones who make it hard for EVERYONE.

The real question is whether or not the pharmaceutical industry is more evil and exploitive than it used to be. The answer is: yes.

There's no justifying their behavior under a banner of: "things were always this way, forever and ever". That type of blanket statement and generalization ignores facts and historical precedents and makes zero attempt to quantify variables which are relevent.

As things stand, there are numerous historical and case studies of the pharmaceutical industry being extremely evil at the expense of health and welfare.

A. People also didnt live very long back then. Drug use, any kind legal or not, can shorten life span. Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine (which is still used in medicine, yet only under more strict and specific circumstances), ALL do massive damage to the body over time whether its mental function, or multiple organ/blood vessel damage.

People didn't live long back then? As stated, Washington lived near to the age of 70 which may be higher than the average life expectancy of a person alive today.

B. By proven, do you mean it's been studied wide spread meaning thousands of patients? Or do you mean in case studies with relatively low number's of patients? Im guessing its more the latter. The article you posted is sort of laughable in a way. Nothing against you personally at all but the claims they make in that article are pretty bogus. Marijuana safer than aspirin and acetaminophen; completely untrue. Marijuana isnt going to cause less platelet aggregation/blood thinning like aspirin does for heart patients. Acetaminophen is a really safe drug, it's just people dont read directions/take it the way they are supposed to. ANY drug is unsafe if you dont take it as it's directed. There is definitely an agenda going on.

If you looked at fatality statistics for legal versus illegalized drugs, you might realize the vast majority of fatalities occur due to abuse of drugs that are legal.

You said: "the article I posted is laughable".

Lots of people have said things like that to me. Practically all of them have been forced to eat their words, eventually...

Tylenol overdoses happen for these reasons

1. Someone wants to commit suicide. This can be done with almost anything.

2. People take 3-4 different products that have acetaminophen in it without knowing. Once again either blame the manufacturers for not making it more clearly labeled or have the people start looking what they are taking/knowing what they are putting into their bodies. The drug itself is safe when taken how it is supposed to be.

3. Alcohol. Daily limits for acetaminophen are now set at 3 grams a day. Just a few months ago, it was 4 grams. Why the sudden change? It isnt because they found out the body cant tolerate as much. Actually, the body can handle more than 4 grams a day but with other medication/food/drugs this is why they tell you to take less. Alcohol does a huge number on the liver, which is where APAP works. Converted to NAPQI as its metabolite and directly damages the liver. People drink too much (I think it shouldnt be legal at all but thats my view) and end up destroying their body in multiple ways with it.

C. Saying it's good because of religion is not a good reason. Christianity along with other religions used to offer up human sacrifices at times, or were asked to. That doesnt mean it's good. Islam for example says not to use any drugs at all. So it's variable and doesnt have any scientific proof backing it.

Not because of religion, but rather because freedom of religion is a constitutional right & there is no conclusive scientific evidence that says marijuana has negative health effects.

D. This just isnt true. Pharmaceutical drugs are safe as long as you use them correctly, which a ton of people dont. You'd be surprised how many people dont even know what they are putting in their bodies and what they are for, but they do it anyways. Any drug has trade off's. For diseases, medication helps and has caused the life span of people to increase considerably. Marijuana has many side effects that could kill someone, including mental impairment, which in an of itself can kill people, whether themselves or someone else. It IT addictive though and contrary to popular belief, you will go through withdrawal though more so with chronic use. It distributes into the fat so when you use it, it's almost like it tapers itself so you dont get alot of the effects of withdrawal like other drugs that are in and out of the system quickly. But with chronic use, this dissipates and people do go through withdrawal. Also, Ive seen many many users of marijuana and it really does mess people up. It isn't a stereotype that you usually see when people joke about it. Except one thing; it really isnt funny seeing someone actually screwed up from it (though this is street kind, but medical will have some of these effects as well).

There are well known celebrities who have gone on record saying their doctors told them to take painkillers and up the dose as necessary.

They wound up overdosing and almost died & their doctors didn't bother warning them about it.

Anyway, have you heard about the recent trend of pharmacies being robbed at gunpoint? Maybe that constitutes an example of how prescription drugs are harmful?

It is complex and I agree not to get into right now. But when you put a drug out on the market, you need to look at social attitudes as well, especially if the medication is addictive. Our society has been getting worse with drug use as time goes on, and more accepted sadly.

I think that is true to an extent.

But, there isn't necessarily a prospect of building a safer environment.

Its possible that marijuana would be safer and less toxic than painkillers and other prescription drugs which are currently legal.

I've never smoked weed, btw. I would like to think that means I can be somewhat unbiased and objective....

I actually didnt know there was a trend with people looking to china on those issues. Im just talking from experience/from people who have lived there. China really doesnt have a good government, but with drug use, China has experienced huge problems and has taken more drastic measures to control it and they did see improvement. They do rule by fear alot, but a little fear can be a good thing as long as it doesnt get out of hand.

China claims they've seen improvement.

But: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China#Current_situation

I agree about the Press in China, but like China, the press here is getting worse and worse. Especially the news. You only hear very little about the actual topic at hand with no details provided. US press is getting to be just as bad. Not physically censored, but highly biased on any station you watch.

Yep.

My main point is, the article you posted seems very biased. If there is an actual use for marijuana, with data published by a respectable group that doesnt spout sensationalist nonsense, Ill be the first to say "Hey, cool, that's a viable treatment option."

Big pharma has the money. Its more profitable to work for them than it is to work for their competitors. Medical marijuana is a competitor to big pharma and there isn't a lot of money to be made there. It makes sense that the pros would stick with pharma as that's where the money is and not bother with start ups as those are the small time players who don't have the cash to pay them much.

Its possible concerns such as health and human welfare aren't as important as they were in past eras.

But at the same time, with the way people view it right now, anyone can go get it for anything, whether it's proven to work for what they say its for or not. The data they do have is more anecdotal, not conclusive, or they dont know how it works specifically. Certain prescription drugs are abused now, mainly by people who want to abuse them. If used correctly, the majority of people dont get addicted. Some do, but a much smaller percentage. Alcohol, by far is more destructive, wide spread, and provides larger health care costs to the economy than any other recreational drug, and causes more social problems as well as domestic problems.

I've read theories on how it works and how it can have anti-tumor effects & don't remember specifics. To say we "don't know how it works" may be stretching the facts. A cop out to avoid admitting that it does work.

If they ever do give out good, solid evidence that marijuana helps with eliminating cancer (which I doubt since Cancer isnt really a specific disease, and more of a normal function of the body going awry) then the only way I'd support it is if it was used only for the time they were considered cancerous, only for specific patients, and only given under supervision of a responsible medical provider. Otherwise, it's just one more social problem to go into full swing, with more detrimental effects than people want to acknowledge.

Otherwise, I think it's good you're at least interested in medical knowledge and are looking into recent topics in the health world. More people need to be up on things. I just say, from someone who studies in the medical world, to be very cautious of new treatments. Im not just against marijuana use for medical purposes, but treatments that arent proven to work. Tons of natural products are on the market that either are proven not to work or do work but arent regulated so you dont get proper doses need for effect. Others are even dangerous to the body. Many natural supplements on the market can really cause damage to the body, even kill.

People have been smoking weed forever. It was legal in America at one or two points in history. I can't say I know the history of those eras well.

There are some who say soldiers in Vietnam smoked marijuana and would go into battle stoned and make mistakes that costed lives. And, that ppl would abuse the right to smoke it and light up constantly 24/7 and it would result in traffic and other assorted fatalities. Everything I know about it in terms of social implications is heresy and not very reliable.

The only thing that might be said with accuracy is that many have smoked it for decades without schizophrenia or psychosis being involved...

Sorry for the book post, but I didnt want to half ass my response/answer on something I consider very very important for society.

No problem. [:

I used to love arguing and talking things out.

Not so much, these days. So, apologies if I don't reply.