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UVSS HEMPOLOGY 101 CLUB LESSON #5 : CANNABIS RESEARCH - Part 1 |
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Cannabis has been studied more than any other plant. The first study focused upon cannabis was the Indian Hemp Commission of 1894 that confirmed the ancient cultural and medical uses of cannabis in that country for the British. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 passed without any science supporting the politician’s claims. The mayor of New York struck a committee soon after titled THE MARIJUANA PROBLEM IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, which became known as the LaGuardia’s Report, challenged most of the myths about the negative effects of cannabis. However, since that time the National Institute for Drug Abuse has paid for over 12,000 studies that claim cannabis is unhealthy, though each one of these studies has been proven to be bad science. Any research that appeared to provide positive results for cannabis lost US funding before completion. On July 31, 2000 Health Canada was forced to start a federal medical cannabis program by the courts. Since that time, Health Canada has spent $23 million on bureaucracy, research and paying Prairie Plant Systems to supply the needed cannabis. The only medical research programs funded by Health Canada were for people with AIDS and people in serious chronic pain. When complaints were made and people began refusing to pay, they introduced a study on how long the cannabis would stay good for when frozen. The Canadian Senate released a report titled CANNABIS: OUR POSITION FOR A CANADIAN PUBLIC POLICY RECOMMENDED THE FULL LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS in 2002. This committee considered the condensed research of several other countries conducting studies included Australia, Switzerland, UK, France and the USA before recommending the full legalization of cannabis. On Sept 25, 2006 Health Canada announced the end of funding for cannabis research. One week later the University of Mississippi was awarded an $11 million contract to research a (sublingual) cannabis patch. GW Pharmaceuticals in the UK have recently teamed up with top cannabis researchers from around the world including Ethan Russo (senior medical advisor of U of Washington and Montana), and Professor Raphael Mechoulam of U of Jerusalem, whom in 1963 isolated THC and CBD. Then in 1992 he was also involved in the discovery of anandamide, the first endo-cannabinoid found in the body. Professor Mechoulam continues his research and is ready to market Dexanabinal, an injectable form of THC that has been proven to reduce cranial pressure due to trauma. Both Israel and Germany have recently released reports stating cannabis protects against both heart attacks and strokes due to its vascular expansion action. Studies are now under way to use for both the prevention of Alzheimers disease, and other forms of dementias. Most studies on specific medical problems show small to significant benefits from using cannabis or cannabis medicines. The majority of new cannabis-related studies involve the endo-cannabinoid system and various drugs that can be produced to mimic their effects to help the body maintain homeostasis. Many studies use low-grade cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids or endo-cannabinoids, rarely, if ever, using whole-cannabis edible products. The effects of cannabis upon youth and healthy individuals regarding impairment, mental impacts and social costs are being constantly being studied. The CBC of C has been working on a study comparing the costs and benefits of cannabis to prescription drugs (see hempology.ca). |
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| International Hempology 101
Society www.hempology.ca |
Cannabis Buyers' Clubs of Canada www.cbc-canada.ca |
