FEDERAL REPORT: MARIJUANA KILLS CANCER CELLS, SHRINKS BRAIN TUMORS

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Yet Justice Dept. pursues prosecutions against California dispensaries in defiance of Congress

By Miriam Raftery

April 5, 2015 (Washington D.C.) -- The National Institute on Drug Abuse issued a report this month titled, “Is Marijuana Medicine?”  It concludes that “recent animal studies have shown that marijuana can kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. Evidence from one animal study suggests that extracts from whole-plant marijuana can shrink one of the most serious types of brain tumors.”

The report from the federally-backed group reflects research findings published in the Molecular Cancer Therapies journal last November.  In that study, researchers from St. George’s University of London found “dramatic reductions” in glioma, the deadly form of brain cancer that killed Senator Ted Kennedy, when patients were treated with a combination of radiation and two marijuana compounds known as cannabinoids. 

In many cases, researchers found the tunors shrunk to one-tenth the sizes of those in the control groups. Researchers used a combination of THC, the psychoactive compound, and CBS, which does not produce a high sensation. 

Used alone, THC has also been shown to cut tumor growth in lung cancer in half and to have significant impacts on other forms of cancer.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse report also concluded that CBD “may be useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures, and possibly even treating mental illness and addictions.”   THC reduces nausea and increases appetite, and may be useful in other conditions such as treatment of inflammation, pain and muscle control problems, the report states.

Despite these findings, the Justice Department this week announced it will keep prosecuting cases against medical marijuana dispensaries in California, the Los Angeles Times reports, even though Congress passed legislation late last year that ordered the Justice Department to back off on enforcement of medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

Drug Policy Alliance Director of National Affairs Bill Piper, in an editorial published in the Huffington Post, notes that 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana.  He concludes, “The Justice Department is ignoring the will of the voters, defying Congress, and breaking the law.”

Piper called on President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to rein in what he calls an “out-of-control agency,” and further, urged Congress to change federal drug laws so that states can enact their own laws without fear that the federal government will prosecute medical marijuana patients or providers.

 

 

 


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