[Sleepy]

From the current issue:

"The Straight Dope on Cannabis-Inspired Meds
While the medical marijuana debate rages on, drug companies race to leverage the power of pot

By Jill Davis | August 2005


Last spring Canada became the first and only country to approve a drug called Sativex to treat the chronic pain endured by most of the 2.5 million people with multiple sclerosis. The announcement caused, ahem, quite a buzz. Sativex is a whole-plant extract of high-grade Cannabis sativa, a.k.a. marijuana, and is the first prescription drug to contain all 60-plus of the plant’s cannabinoids, those compounds that include the psychoactive chemical THC. Although the drug packs a pain-numbing punch, its mouth-spray formulation slows its release into the body, thus diminishing those consciousness-altering side effects associated with smoking marijuana.

Despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June to uphold the ban on medical marijuana, drug companies are not discouraged. In fact, Sativex is just one of nearly two dozen new pharmaceutical compounds inspired by the herb. Last year the Society for Neuroscience conference featured almost 200 papers on cannabinoids; a decade ago there were exactly zero. And 22 pharmaceutical companies, including giants Pfizer and GlaxoSmith-Kline, helped fund last year’s meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society. In 1992 not a single drug company attended, according to executive director Richard Musty. “Now,” he says, “they’re showing up and madly taking notes.”

The newfound interest stems from a flurry of discoveries in the early 1990s that showed that the body is littered with cannabinoid receptors. In fact, we have more of them in the brain than most other types, which may explain why they regulate such a vast array of functions—appetite, pain, memory, mood. Luckily for us, such multitasking paves the way for drugs to treat everything from obesity and migraines to cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Below, a small sampling of the goods.



The Drugs The Promise How It Works Status The Upshot
Sativex GW Pharmaceuticals Relieves the severe nerve pain experienced by some 80 percent of people with multiple sclerosis Think liquid pot. Once spritzed under the tongue, the drug is slowly ferried to pain-blocking cannabinoid receptors in the brain Approval in Canada is based on a four-week trial in the U.K.; U.S. trials are slated to begin by the end of the year Sativex is less addictive than other painkillers. Trouble is, it works best in conjunction with them
Acomplia Sanofi-Aventis Lowers triglycerides, raises HDL (“good” cholesterol), and improves insulin resistance in obese and overweight patients Tames appetite by blocking cannabinoid receptors in the brain and in some fat cells, which helps the body to better metabolize sugar This April, Sanofi-Aventis filed for approval in both the U.S. and Europe. Acomplia could be ready by 2006 A true breakthrough. It’s the first drug to treat factors that lead to heart disease by targeting the body’s cannabinoid system
Cannabinor Pharmos Corporation Relieves acute postoperative pain without the serious side effects associated with heavy-duty opiates such as morphine Currently injected intravenously, it stimulates cannabinoid receptors in the immune system that help reduce inflammation Safety trials in Europe are slated for this year. Pharmos hopes to develop an oral dose by the drug’s release date in 2008 Cannabinor would be the first drug to treat post-op pain by targeting the cannabinoid system, but so far it has been tested in just 12 animal studies"

interesting stuff...although i have seen post(s) here that the relief from Sativex was underwhelming...

there is also a great article about bananas in the same issue

I saw it...
I enjoy PopSci...
The banana article was cool...

[I.M. Boggled]

For quite some time...

In 1937 Popular Science magazine called hemp "The New Billion Dollar Crop calling it 'the most profitable & desirable that can be grown".
https://www.jackherer.com/chapter03.html

By wartime 1943 the question was "Can We Grow Hemp Without Dope?"
https://www.onlinepot.org/reefermadne...hempnodope.htm

By 1959 it had progressed to a full blown "reefer madness" mentality as evidenced by the "facts" of the time as reported in "the book of Popular Science" that year...

One of the earliest stimulants derived from the hemp plant was hashish.
The word "assassin" comes from hashish.
At the time of the Crusades a Mohammedan sect committed secret murders while under the influence of hashish; they came to be known as hashshashin, or men addicted to hashish. The word hashshashin, transformed to "assassin," later came to refer to any hired or appointed murderer. Hashish is still used, particularly in the Middle East.

Marijuana is really a kind of hashish, in less concentrated form.

It is sometimes taken by mouth; generally, however, it is prepared in the form of cigarettes, called "reefers," made by mixing tobacco with crushed hemp leaves.

Most of the marijuana sold in the United States comes into the country illegally from Mexico; a considerable quantity, however, is prepared from plants grown in the United States.
As a matter of fact, Cannabis sativa often flourishes unnoticed in vacant lots and along roadsides. The cultivation of the plant is not permitted in the United States.

The medical profession does not use it in any form.

Marijuana cigarettes look homemade; they are sometimes wrapped in brown paper. When lighted, they have a distinct and unforgettable, smell.

Marijuana produces a sort of composite effect.
It acts on the higher functions of the brain in the same way that alcohol does. It serves as a depressant on the inhibitory functions; in other words, it releases the brakes of restraint. It also acts as a powerful stimulant.

A curious effect of the drug is to make the user unduly sensitive to light; many marijuana addicts wear dark glasses.

The drug may produce a temporary sense of grandeur, increased strength and pleasure. It may also bring about a feeling of panic and anxiety, especially when taken in large doses.

At this stage, the user may run amuck and even commit murder in what he supposes is self-defense.
However, such extreme cases generally occur only when a concentrated dose has been taken.

The repeated use of marijuana leads to dullness, mental lassitude and the destruction of will power. The Arab slave traders of other times were familiar with this effect of drugs derived from the hemp plant; they used them to make their slaves more docile.

The use of marijuana paves the way for addiction to more dangerous drugs. The smoker of "reefers" is apt to come in contact with a "dope pusher" --- a seller of illicit drugs ---who urges the smoker to try a more potent drug, such as heroin.

At least "Popular Science" has taken the madness out of their reefer reporting these days.
That mag always has been a good interesting read albeit slanted in the popular opinion of the times over the decades.

legalize proprietary, patentable Sativex worldwide? Sure why not, it's a start.
Big Business will make BIG money with it, they like that kind of thing alot.

IMB

P.S. Whats the deal with bananas?
Are they gonna make an extract spray for monkeys too?

[chuckyoufarley]

I.M.BOGGLED i havent seen 1 of your post in a long time welcome back
and as always good reading

[mean mr.mustard]

That old drawing made me spit beer all over the monitor! LMAO Moloch??

[sunnyside]

It's soooo good to have you back I.M. Boggled.

[Sleepy]

Originally Posted by I.M. Boggled

IMB
P.S. Whats the deal with bananas?
Are they gonna make an extract spray for monkeys too?

--no no...it was another article in the same issue about the history of the worlds favorite fruit and how delicate it is...almost all of the worlds' bananas that are grown for supermarkets are a single strain (Cavendish)...this strain may be susceptible to disease and the world crop may soon be in jeopardy...

i just thought it was a cool article...

and grown from clone... not seed...

[Sleepy]

yes, yes...h3ad thank you!!

has ANYONE ever seen a banana seed?

all clones!!

amazing......

[big mike]

"this sh.. is banana's, b-a-n-a-n-a-s.."

sorry had too