Drug WarRant

[DdC]

Study Finds No Casual Link Between Marijuana Use And Depression
CN Source: NORML September 28, 2006 - Baltimore, MD, USA

Marijuana use by adults is not a statistically significant predictor of depression, according to the results of an ongoing longitudinal study to be published in the October issue of the journal Addiction.

Investigators at John Hopkins University in Baltimore and at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Santa Monica assessed the association between self-reported marijuana use and current depression in 8,759 adults (age range 29-37 years) over a 17-year period. Investigators concluded, "After adjusting carefully for baseline differences between adults who subsequently use marijuana and those who abstain, the significant associations that are initially present between ongoing marijuana use and depression are substantially reduced, if not eliminated."

They added, "The findings reported in this paper suggest that the associations observed between marijuana use and subsequent depression status may be attributable not to continued marijuana use, per se, but to third (common) factors associated with both the decision to use marijuana and to depression."

A separate study co-authored by NORML Advisory Board Member Dr. Mitch Earleywine and published last year in the journal Addictive Behaviors determined that adults who use cannabis report suffering from less severe incidents and/or symptoms of depression than non-users.

"Despite comparable ranges of scores on all depression subscales, those [respondents] who used cannabis once per week or less had less depressed mood, more positive affect, and fewer somatic (physical) complaints than non-users," authors wrote. "These data suggest that adults apparently do not increase their risk for depression by using marijuana."

Commenting on the most recent study, Earleywine said, "This new data is actually markedly stronger than my earlier work because the investigators utilized a large, representative sample and conducted long-term follow up research. If marijuana use caused depression, this design model would have revealed it by showing the development of symptoms in users. There's simply no support for the idea."

DL: For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Marijuana use and depression among adults: testing for causal association," appears in the October issue of Addiction. To listen to an interview with Dr. Mitch Earleywine about the study, please download the September 27, 2006 edition of the NORML Audiostash.

Drugwar Lies Linked to Schizophrenia



Marijuana May Live Up To Be The Elixir of Life By Ravi Chopra
CN Source: Earthtimes.org October 15, 2005  
A study by University of Saskatchewan researchers suggests beneficial aspects of smoking marijuana at least among rats, who appear to have sprouted new brain cells and besides benefiting from reduced depression and anxiety.
The study's results appearing in the 'Journal of Clinical Investigation' have actually given a fillip to the traditional and mythological view that associates the addictive weed in some ways with immortality.

"Medicines often produce side effects. Sometimes they are physically unpleasant. Cannabis too has discomforting side effects, but these are not physical they are political"
The Economist March 28th 1992

Study Turns Pot Wisdom on Head By Dawn Walton
CN Source: Globe and Mail October 14, 2005 Calgary  
Forget the stereotype about dopey potheads. It seems marijuana could be good for your brain. While other studies have shown that periodic use of marijuana can cause memory loss and impair learning and a host of other health problems down the road, new research suggests the drug could have some benefits when administered regularly in a highly potent form. Most "drugs of abuse" such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine suppress growth of new brain cells. However, researchers found that cannabinoids promoted generation of new neurons in rats' hippocampuses.



"Hashish, in clouding the eyes of the body, enlightens those of the soul; the mind, once separated from the body, its weighty keeper, flies away like a prisoner whose jailer has fallen asleep with the key in the cell. It wanders happy and free in space and light, talking familiarly with the genii it meets, who astound with their sudden and delightful disclosures."
- Gerard de Nerval, "Journey to the Orient," 1851

Marijuana May Spur New Brain Cells

Marijuana Compound Spurs Brain Cell Growth

Ganja Acts as an Antidepressant

The FDA should change its name to the Politically Approved Food and Drug Administration - PAFDA. It's a longer acronym, but it rolls off the tongue nicely and people would appreciate its greater honesty. The agency's other option is to stop embarrassing its dedicated doctors and scientists with utterly unscientific announcements such as the recent bulletin that smoked marijuana has no medicinal value.
The Politics of Pot
A Register-Guard Editorial May 01, 2006 Oregon

Is Taking Psychedelics an Act of Sedition?
The disturbances of Sept. 11 have sent us reeling, driving many to seek relief from anxiety and depression through socially sanctioned psychotropics such as Prozac, Xanax, and alcohol. But some of the so-called psychedelic drugs (cannabis, LSD, peyote, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and MDMA or Ecstasy), targets of America's deeply misguided war on drugs, could have a more profound and healthful effect, if used responsibly.



"My disease makes it very hard for me to move. My biggest fear is that the police will come to arrest me for my medicine, tell me to raise my arms, and then when i can't do it, they'll shoot me."
- Cathy Jordan, Florida activist with Lou Gehrig's disease

Marijuana may block Alzheimer's

Cannabis prevents brain damage
Science Daddies Rejoice: Marijuana Prevents Brain Damage!

Cannabis Blocks Irreversible Brain Damage

Cannabis May Prevent Brain Damage
National Institute of Mental Health Study, But Reported In British Media

"Cannabis smoking] does not lead directly to mental or physical deterioration... Those who have consumed marijuana for a period of years showed no mental or physical deterioration which may be attributed to the drug."
LaGuardia Commission Report, 1944

Marijuana Aids Therapy By Rick Weiss
CN Source: Washington Post September 12, 2006 Washington, DC 
Marijuana can improve the effectiveness of drug therapy for hepatitis C, a potentially deadly viral infection that affects more than 3 million Americans, a study has found. The work adds to a growing literature supporting the notion that in some circumstances pot can offer medical benefits.

Study: Pot Helps Hepatitis Treatment By Josh Richman

"One of the best effects Marijuana can have in any terminal illness is to produce a degree of euphoria which boosts morale in a depressing situation"
Dr. Anthony Henman



"In a recent study, the scientists gave patients 20 mg of Marinol, (the synthetic THC marketed in the States,) by mouth to see if it increased their appetite. Not only could they not detect much appetite-increasing effect, but they learned the interesting fact that, in one-third of people who take Marinol by mouth, you have no blood levels at all. The drug is so poorly bio-available it's surprising that it got onto the market. There may well be some reason to believe that there are individuals in our government who are interested in getting Marinol on the market to diminish the pressure for marijuana smokers."
John P Morgan MD, Professor of Pharmacology
City University of New York Medical School
At the 10th International Conference on Drug Policy, 1996, USA

Alcohol and Depression

"Cannabis can be used on an episodic but continual basis without evidence of social or psychic dysfunction. In many users the term dependence with its obvious connotations, probably is mis-applied... The chief opposition to the drug rests on a moral and political, and not toxicologic, foundation".
The USA Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy 1987



"a-motivation [is] a cause of heavy marijuana smoking rather than the
reverse"
Dr. Andrew Weil (Rubin & Comitas Ganja in Jamaica, 1975)

Only The PotHeads Will Survive
30 Nov 2001

Counter Reefer Maniac accusations that marijuana users support terrorism with the plain fact that these dizzy morons are preventing the use of the "best available protection against nerve gas attack" with their marijuana madness.

Among its many properties cannabis provides considerable protection from a number of lethal nerve gas symptoms by defending the brain from injury and suppressing the the seizures, nausea and vomiting associated with chemical warfare agents.

This is not a pothead myth because the Israeli Army, which has no time for Reefer Madness nonsense, equips their soldiers with cannabis compounds to protect against a chemical warfare attack.



"Having reviewed all the material available to us we find ourselves in agreement with the conclusion reached by the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission appointed by the Government of India (1893-94) and the New York Mayor's Committee (1944 - LaGuardia) that the long-term consumption of cannabis in moderate doses has no harmful effects" "the long-asserted dangers of cannabis are exaggerated and that the related law is socially damaging, if not unworkable"
1968 UK ROYAL COMMISSION, THE WOOTTON REPORT

Cannabis and Depression Jay R. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.

Patients who use cannabis to "relax" may be treating the anxiousness sometimes associated with depression. Cannabis aids the insomnia sometimes present in depression and can improve appetite. Better pain control with cannabis can reduce chronic pain related depression. While cannabis cannot yet be considered a primary treatment of major depression it may improve mood when used under physicians supervision and in combination with therapy and/or SSRI’s.

There is currently a debate as to which "strain" of cannabis is most appropriate for the adjunctive treatment of depression. Since symptoms are so individualistic it is hard to determine what strain is right expect empirically. In general Sativa dominant strains tend to be more "up" and Indica dominant strains more relaxing.

Patients themselves are often the best judges of whether or not cannabis helps relieve the symptoms of depression. A poorly educated or narrow-minded physician may think any use of cannabis to be a substance abuse related aspect of depression. More enlightened psychiatrists (i.e. Lester Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School) appreciate the often beneficial aspects of cannabis therapy.

Perhaps the most reliable yardstick of the efficacy of medical cannabis in the treatment of depression is whether or not specific aspects of functionality improve. Functionality includes aspects such as self-care ability, job or school attendance, social interaction, normal sleeping, and cognitive skills.

More about Depression can be found at Intelihealth
(the website of Harvard Medical School)

"The biochemistry of cannabis is explained as follows: the active ingredients of cannabis (comprised of Tetrahydrocannabinol compounded with cannabidiol, tetrhydrocannabivarin, numerous cannabinoids and the elements and compounds common to most plants) temporarily attach to receptors on cells such as those situated on the outer surface of the brain, the meninges, this gently bringing about a feeling of well-being"
....FCDA Europe, "The Report".



"Marijuana is rejected all over the world. Damned. In England heroin is alright for out-patents, but marijuana? They'll put your ass in jail. I wonder why that is?... The only reason could be: To Serve the Devil - Pleasure! Pleasure, which is a dirty word in Christian culture."
- Lenny Bruce

Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine

Examples of the ways that marihuana alleviates symptoms of cancer chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, glaucoma, AIDS, and depression, as well as symptoms of such less common disorders as Crohn`s disease, diabetic gastroparesis, and post-traumatic stress disorder.



"A common practice among labourers engaged on building or excavation work is to have a few pulls at a ganja pipe or to drink a glass of bhang towards the evening. This produces a sense of well-being, relieves fatigue, stimulates the appetite, and induces a feeling of mild stimulation, which enables the worker to bear more cheerfully the strain and perhaps the monotony of the daily routine of life."
- United Nations Bulletin on Narcotics, "The Use of Cannabis Drugs in India," 1957

DEPRESSION & HUNDREDS OF OTHER PRIMARY MEDICAL USES
The Emperor Wears No Clothes Chapter 7
Therapeutic Use of Cannabis

One well known effect of THC is to lift the spirit, or make you "high." Cannabis users in Jamaica praise ganja's benefits for meditation, concentration, consciousness-raising and promoting a state of well being and self assertiveness.5 This kind of attitude adjustment, along with a healthier appetite and better rest, often represents the difference between feeling like you are "dying of" AIDS or cancer and feeling like you are "living with" AIDS or cancer.

Cannabis also eases small pains and some big ones and helps senior citizens live with aches and pains like arthritis, insomnia and debilitating infirmities, and enjoy life in greater dignity and comfort. Legend has it, and medical evidence indicates, that cannabis is the best overall treatment for dementia, senility, and maybe Alzheimer's disease, for long-term memory "gain" and hundreds of other benefits. U.S. statistics of the 1970s indicated that you will live eight to 24 years longer if you substitute daily cannabis use for daily tobacco and alcohol use. New research is outlawed, of course.

"... as a multipurpose plant, ganga is used medicinally, even by non-smokers. ....

There were no indications of organic brain damage or chromosome damage among smokers and no significant clinical psychiatric, psychological or medical) differences between smokers and controls."

"No impairment of physiological, sensory and perceptual performance, tests of concept formation, abstracting ability, and cognitive style, and tests of memory"

"[Cannabis smoking] does not lead directly to mental or physical deterioration...

Those who have consumed marijuana for a period of years showed no mental or physical deterioration which may be attributed to the drug.
US Jamaican Study 1974

Oral Pot Spray Aids Glaucoma Patients, Study Says
September 28, 2006 - Oxford, United Kingdom

The oromucosal administration of natural THC extracts temporarily reduces ocular hypertension in glaucoma patients, according to the findings of a pilot study to be published in the October issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Six patients diagnosed with ocular hypertension or early primary open angle glaucoma participated in the randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Investigators measured the impact of THC, CBD (cannabidiol), or placebo on patients' intraocular pressure (IOP) following single dose administration. Elevated IOP can cause damage to the optic nerve and is considered to be a leading risk factor for glaucoma.

"Two hours after sublingual administration of 5 mg [of] delta-9-THC, [patients'] IOP was significantly lower than after placebo," investigators found. "[Patients'] IOP returned to baseline level after the 4-hour IOP measurement."

Investigators further reported that a single dosage of CBD had no impact on IOP in low doses (20 mg) while elevating patients' IOP at high doses (40 mg).

Clinical trials performed at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1971 first reported that inhaled cannabis temporarily reduces ocular tension.

An estimated three million Americans suffer from glaucoma, which leads to blindness if left untreated.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Effect of sublingual application of cannabinoids on intraocular pressure: a pilot study," appears in the October issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Contact: norml@norml.org * Website

CannabisNews NORML Archives

"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference."
- Bill Hicks

Cannabinoids Might Well Promote Wound Healing
22 March 2006 DRUG'S GUT REACTION
CANNABIS may help combat problems such as intestinal ulcers and Crohn's disease.
Researchers said they found the drug helped the surface cells of the bowel survive in laboratory experiments. Drugs expert Dr Karen Wright, of Bath University, said: "That means that cannabinoids might well promote wound healing in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. "We don't know how they do this but they are probably promoting the closure of the wound." She said the team were planning a clinical trial.

The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis/tumor research, according to Jack Herer, who reports on the events in his book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes.  In 1976, President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies, who set out -- unsuccessfully -- to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the "high."
Cannabis Shrinks Tumors: Government Knew in 74

Destroying Propaganda - Anslingerisms.
Portland NORML News, Saturday October 3, 1998

UNITED STATES DISPENSATORY also listed cannabis as a useful medicine. The 1851 edition states: The complaints in which it [cannabis] has been specially recommended are neuralgia, gout, rheumatism, tetanus, hydrophobia, epidemic cholera, convulsions, chorea, hysteria, mental depression, delirium tremens, insanity and uterine hemorrhage. Cannabis was removed from the US Pharmacopeia in 1942 because of political pressure from Harry Anslinger and the U S Treasury Department.



"Marijuana-based pharmaceuticals were used throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas as recently as the last century. There is this myth that better drugs came along and made marijuana obsolete. Science is rediscovering that plant-based medicines can be safer and more effective than drugs produced by for-profit corporations."
- Dr Michael Aldritch

'Relax Your Muscles as Much as Possible' By Vin Suprynowicz

Thread/Linx * Straight, Incorporated

"The horrors experienced by many young inmates, particularly those who are convicted of nonviolent offenses, border on the unimaginable. Prison rape not only threatens the lives of those who fall prey to their aggressors, but it is potentially devastating to the human spirit. Shame, depression, and a shattering loss of self-esteem accompany the perpetual terror the victim thereafter must endure."
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Farmer v. Brennan