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Marijuana compound CBD treatment for Breast Cancer
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| April 4th, 2009 Here’s an ironic story about marijuana and cancer treatment:
On Wed Jun 20, 2007, ABC NEWS reported that Connecticut’s governor, Gov. Jodi Rell, a cancer survivor, vetoed a bill that would have allowed people with certain serious illnesses to use marijuana, saying it was fraught with problems and sent a mixed message to children. Gov. Jodi Rell goes on to say Tuesday that she struggled with the decision.
“I am not unfamiliar with the incredible pain and heartbreak associated with battling cancer,” the Republican said. Rell was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, a few months after taking office, and she underwent a mastectomy.
The bill she vetoed sealed the fate of the people older than 18 with medical conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and AIDS to grow and use four marijuana plants after getting written permission from a doctor and registering with the state. The Connecticut Governors’ veto virtually threw out to the window in ever allowing the use of marijuana and cancer treatment for cancer patients.
But what the Governor failed to see was that at the same time, a compound of the marijuana plant may prevent aggressive breast cancers from spreading throughout the body, new research from the United States suggests. A team of researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute say cannabis compound CBD (cannabidiol) could provide a non-toxic alternative to chemotherapy for cancer treatments.
Previous research has shown the compound can block human brain cancers, and recent lab experiments have shown it may be able to do the same for breast cancer. This is just one of the medicinal values of marijuana and cancer treatment. The research suggests further that the active ingredient in the compound (CBD) from marijuana and cancer treatment does not share the psychoactive properties. CBD works by blocking the activity of gene Id-1, which is associated with metastasis — the spread of cancer cells away from the original tumor site. The compound does not share marijuana’s psychoactive properties.
“Right now we have a limited range of options in treating aggressive forms of cancer. Those treatments, such as chemotherapy, can be effective but they can also be extremely toxic and difficult for patients,” said researcher Dr. Sean McAllister in a release. “This compound offers the hope of a non-toxic therapy that could achieve the same results without any of the painful side effects.” “We know that Id-1 is a key regulator of the spread of breast cancer,” said senior author Dr. Pierre-Yves Desprez in a release. “We also know that Id-1 has also been found at higher levels in other forms of cancer. So what is exciting about this study is that if CBD can inhibit Id-1 in breast cancer cells, then it may also prove effective at stopping the spread of cancer cells in other forms of the disease, such as colon and brain or prostate cancer.” Researchers stressed that they were not encouraging cancer patients to smoke pot, adding that it would be highly unlikely for patients to receive an effective concentration of the compound in that way. The team’s findings were published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
Would the Governor change her mind had she been cured by the medicinal value of marijuana and cancer cell killing capabilities of its compound?
http://cancermarijuana.com/ | |
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| In 1492 the pilgrims first sailed to America with sails and rigging made from hemp. |
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