Saturday, March 15, 2008

Wonder Drug

Instapundit put out a call for help and messages of support for a blogger whose wife was suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis. So I did my usual and checked to see if marijuana would be of any help. And what do you know. (the numbers in the text refer to footnotes from here)

Recent research is accumulating evidence that cannabis therapies are effective for arthritis and the other rheumatic and degenerative hip, joint and connective tissue disorders. Since these are frequently extremely painful conditions, the ability of cannabis to combat chronic pain makes it useful for that aspect, both on its own and as an adjunct therapy that enhances the efficacy of opiod painkillers. The use of cannabis as a treatment for musclo-skeletal pain in western medicine dates to the 1700s.12-13

But cannabis has also been shown to have powerful immune-modulation and anti-inflammatory properties,14-17 indicating it may treat chronic inflammatory diseases directly. In fact, one of the earliest records of medical use of cannabis, a Chinese text dating from ca. 2000 BC, notes that cannabis “undoes rheumatism,” suggesting its anti-inflammatory effects were known even then. 18

Modern research on cannabidiol (CBD), one of the non-psychoactive components of cannabis, has found that it suppresses the immune response in mice and rats that is responsible for a disease resembling arthritis, protecting them from severe damage to their joints and markedly improving their condition.19-20

Human studies have shown cannabis to be an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, one of the enumerated conditions for which many states allow legal medical use. Cannabis has a demonstrated ability to improve mobility and reduce morning stiffness and inflammation. Research has also shown that patients are able to reduce their usage of potentially harmful Non-Steroidal Anti- Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) when using cannabis as an adjunct therapy.21-22

Medical researchers at Hebrew University in Jerusalem found in the metabolism of Cannabidiol an acid with potent anti-inflammatory action comparable to the drug indomethacin, but without the considerable gastrointestinal side effects associated with that drug. 23
Now would some one please tell me why this drug is illegal?

Cross Posted at Classical Values

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