420 Use and Health

[Snusdog]

Guys,

I have moved the original post in this thread to the pot thread that we already have going.

http://www.snuson.com/forum/showthre...871#post388871

Let me explain:

I for one am for the legalization of pot but I am asking the members of this forum to appreciate the delicate situation we have entered.

As moderators we nightly watch the number of undesignated guest who come to this forum and lurk. Now most of them are just average people looking for info about snus.

However, given the current anti-tobacco movement sweeping America and EU some of them are very likely watchers and researchers.

Thus, we want to keep a low profile and not do anything that will add fuel to the fire.

The last thing that we want is to have snus lumped in with things that are ALREADY considered illegal (regardless of how we feel about the propriety of such a designation............... it is what it is until it changes)

Now please understand..............I am not saying don't talk about pot.....................just be discrete and keep in mind the bigger picture at hand.................in other words having an active post about pot is not a big deal..................filling the forum with them everyday is probably unwise.



Thanks
dog

[Snusdog]

Guys,

The post immediately above this one is one that I moved from another thread that I have just closed.

http://www.snuson.com/forum/showthre...886#post388886

I want to repost the explanation I gave there just to keep you abreast of the situation: here it is:

I for one am for the legalization of pot but I am asking the members of this forum to appreciate the delicate situation we have entered.

As moderators we nightly watch the number of undesignated guest who come to this forum and lurk. Now most of them are just average people looking for info about snus.

However, given the current anti-tobacco movement sweeping America and EU some of them are very likely watchers and researchers.

Thus, we want to keep a low profile and not do anything that will add fuel to the fire.

The last thing that we want is to have snus lumped in with things that are ALREADY considered illegal (regardless of how we feel about the propriety of such a designation............... it is what it is until it changes)

Now please understand..............I am not saying don't talk about pot.....................just be discrete and keep in mind the bigger picture at hand.................in other words having an active post about pot is not a big deal..................filling the forum with them everyday is probably unwise.



Thanks
dog

[Crow]

Maybe we can keep all the 'pot talk' in one thread?

The Cannabis Thread

P.S., I just noticed this thread is in the "Snus & Snus Accessories" section. It should be in the "People & World Around Us" section.

[charmando]

Cancer Institute THC study

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/p...essional/page4

[precious007]

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/p...essional/page4

I'm with you on this one.

I've read dozens of articles on cannabis where cancer is the main target from the high level of carbon monoxide (higher than in cigarettes) and the THC.

Luckily I don't smoke cannabis, not even occasionally.

[sgreger1]

This is huge, they deleted a BUNCH of stuff the other day about the effectiveness of cannabanoid compounds in hindering tumor growth and everyone had a huge uproar, now they come back with this, beautiful!


My mom was just diagnosed with cancer 2 days ago, hopefully this can help convince her to at least consider some non-psychoactive cannabanoid compounds to help treat it.


From the website, this is pretty impressive:

In a retrospective cohort study of 64,855 men aged 15 to 49 years, participants were divided into cohorts based on their use of tobacco and marijuana: never inhaled either, inhaled only Cannabis, inhaled only tobacco, and inhaled tobacco and Cannabis.[5] Among the nonsmokers, two cases of lung cancer were diagnosed during the follow-up period. Among the men who inhaled tobacco either alone or in addition to marijuana, the risk of lung cancer increased tenfold. In the follow-up of men who inhaled marijuana alone, no cases of lung cancer were documented.

The MJ smokers had a low instance of cancer than those who never smoked anything! By a statistically insignificant amount though but still, like snus we can see that it is as harmless as doing nothing, and actually has potent anti-cancer and anti-tumor effects. It is also effective in suppressing herpes and as an analgesic, anti-inflamatory etc.

[charmando]

Precious go back and read the article haha. The study demonstrates the anti-tumor and ant-cancer effect of THC. The mice weren't smoking blunts either they were being hand fed THC. I don't know about the extraction process or if eating pot brownies/ or inhaling THC would have the same effects but this is amazing nonetheless. I also don't smoke anymore although I did for four years; pretty sure xanax ruined that for me.

[charmando]

Sgreger. Who deleted the information about cannabinoids compounds? Is there an article about it?

[sgreger1]

Laboratory/Animal/Preclinical Studies
Antitumor Effects
Appetite Stimulation
Analgesia

Cannabinoids are a group of 21 carbon terpenophenolic compounds produced uniquely by Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica species.[1,2] These plant-derived compounds may be referred to as phytocannabinoids. Although delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive ingredient, other known compounds with biologic activity are cannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabichromene, cannabigerol, tetrahydrocannabivirin, and delta-8-THC. Cannabidiol, in particular, is thought to have significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity without the psychoactive effect (high) of delta-9-THC.

Antitumor Effects
One study in mice and rats suggested that cannabinoids may have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumors. [3] During this 2-year study, groups of mice and rats were given various doses of THC by gavage. A dose-related decrease in the incidence of hepatic adenoma tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma was observed in the mice. Decreased incidences of benign tumors (polyps and adenomas) in other organs (mammary gland, uterus, pituitary, testis, and pancreas) were also noted in the rats. In another study, delta-9-THC, delta-8-THC, and cannabinol were found to inhibit the growth of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo .[4] In addition, other tumors have been shown to be sensitive to cannabinoid-induced growth inhibition.[5-8]

Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. [9-11] Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death. These compounds have been shown to induce apoptosis in glioma cells in culture and induce regression of glioma tumors in mice and rats. Cannabinoids protect normal glial cells of astroglial and oligodendroglial lineages from apoptosis mediated by the CB1 receptor. [10,11]

In an in vivo model using severe combined immunodeficient mice, subcutaneous tumors were generated by inoculating the animals with cells from human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines.[12] Tumor growth was inhibited by 60% in THC-treated mice compared with vehicle-treated control mice. Tumor specimens revealed that THC had antiangiogenic and antiproliferative effects.

In addition, both plant-derived and endogenous cannabinoids have been studied for anti- inflammatory effects. A mouse study demonstrated that endogenous cannabinoid system signaling is likely to provide intrinsic protection against colonic inflammation. [13] As a result, a hypothesis that phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids may be useful in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer has been developed.[14]

Another study has shown delta-9-THC is a potent and selective antiviral agent against Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8.[15] The researchers concluded that additional studies on cannabinoids and herpesviruses are warranted, as they may lead to the development of drugs that inhibit the reactivation of these oncogenic viruses. Subsequently, another group of investigators reported increased efficiency of KSHV infection of human dermal microvascular epithelial cells in the presence of low doses of delta-9-THC.[16]

Appetite Stimulation
Many animal studies have previously demonstrated that delta-9-THC and other cannabinoids have a stimulatory effect on appetite and increase food intake. It is believed that the endogenous cannabinoid system may serve as a regulator of feeding behavior. The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide potently enhances appetite in mice.[17] Moreover, CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus may be involved in the motivational or reward aspects of eating.[18]

Analgesia
Understanding the mechanism of cannabinoid-induced analgesia has been increased through the study of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and synthetic agonists and antagonists. The CB1 receptor is found in both the central nervous system (CNS) and in peripheral nerve terminals. Similar to opioid receptors, increased levels of the CB1 receptor are found in sections of the brain that regulate nociceptive processing.[19] CB2 receptors, located predominantly in peripheral tissue, exist at very low levels in the CNS. With the development of receptor-specific antagonists, additional information about the roles of the receptors and endogenous cannabinoids in the modulation of pain has been obtained.[20,21]

Cannabinoids may also contribute to pain modulation through an anti-inflammatory mechanism; a CB2 effect with cannabinoids acting on mast cell receptors to attenuate the release of inflammatory agents, such as histamine and serotonin, and on keratinocytes to enhance the release of analgesic opioids has been described.[22-24]

References

Adams IB, Martin BR: Cannabis: pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans. Addiction 91 (11): 1585-614, 1996. [PUBMED Abstract]

Grotenhermen F, Russo E, eds.: Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press, 2002.

National Toxicology Program .: NTP Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of 1-Trans-Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (CAS No. 1972-08-3) in F344 Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies). Natl Toxicol Program Tech Rep Ser 446 (): 1-317, 1996. [PUBMED Abstract]

Bifulco M, Laezza C, Pisanti S, et al.: Cannabinoids and cancer: pros and cons of an antitumour strategy. Br J Pharmacol 148 (2): 123-35, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]

Sánchez C, de Ceballos ML, Gomez del Pulgar T, et al.: Inhibition of glioma growth in vivo by selective activation of the CB(2) cannabinoid receptor. Cancer Res 61 (15): 5784-9, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]

McKallip RJ, Lombard C, Fisher M, et al.: Targeting CB2 cannabinoid receptors as a novel therapy to treat malignant lymphoblastic disease. Blood 100 (2): 627-34, 2002. [PUBMED Abstract]

Casanova ML, Blázquez C, Martínez-Palacio J, et al.: Inhibition of skin tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo by activation of cannabinoid receptors. J Clin Invest 111 (1): 43-50, 2003. [PUBMED Abstract]

Blázquez C, González-Feria L, Alvarez L, et al.: Cannabinoids inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway in gliomas. Cancer Res 64 (16): 5617-23, 2004. [PUBMED Abstract]

Guzmán M: Cannabinoids: potential anticancer agents. Nat Rev Cancer 3 (10): 745-55, 2003. [PUBMED Abstract]

Blázquez C, Casanova ML, Planas A, et al.: Inhibition of tumor angiogenesis by cannabinoids. FASEB J 17 (3): 529-31, 2003. [PUBMED Abstract]

Vaccani A, Massi P, Colombo A, et al.: Cannabidiol inhibits human glioma cell migration through a cannabinoid receptor-independent mechanism. Br J Pharmacol 144 (8): 1032-6, 2005. [PUBMED Abstract]

Preet A, Ganju RK, Groopman JE: Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits epithelial growth factor-induced lung cancer cell migration in vitro as well as its growth and metastasis in vivo. Oncogene 27 (3): 339-46, 2008. [PUBMED Abstract]

Massa F, Marsicano G, Hermann H, et al.: The endogenous cannabinoid system protects against colonic inflammation. J Clin Invest 113 (8): 1202-9, 2004. [PUBMED Abstract]

Patsos HA, Hicks DJ, Greenhough A, et al.: Cannabinoids and cancer: potential for colorectal cancer therapy. Biochem Soc Trans 33 (Pt 4): 712-4, 2005. [PUBMED Abstract]

Medveczky MM, Sherwood TA, Klein TW, et al.: Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) inhibits lytic replication of gamma oncogenic herpesviruses in vitro. BMC Med 2: 34, 2004. [PUBMED Abstract]

Zhang X, Wang JF, Kunos G, et al.: Cannabinoid modulation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection and transformation. Cancer Res 67 (15): 7230-7, 2007. [PUBMED Abstract]

Mechoulam R, Berry EM, Avraham Y, et al.: Endocannabinoids, feeding and suckling--from our perspective. Int J Obes (Lond) 30 (Suppl 1): S24-8, 2006. [PUBMED Abstract]

Fride E, Bregman T, Kirkham TC: Endocannabinoids and food intake: newborn suckling and appetite regulation in adulthood. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 230 (4): 225-34, 2005. [PUBMED Abstract]

Walker JM, Hohmann AG, Martin WJ, et al.: The neurobiology of cannabinoid analgesia. Life Sci 65 (6-7): 665-73, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]

Meng ID, Manning BH, Martin WJ, et al.: An analgesia circuit activated by cannabinoids. Nature 395 (6700): 381-3, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]

Walker JM, Huang SM, Strangman NM, et al.: Pain modulation by release of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96 (21): 12198-203, 1999. [PUBMED Abstract]

Facci L, Dal Toso R, Romanello S, et al.: Mast cells express a peripheral cannabinoid receptor with differential sensitivity to anandamide and palmitoylethanolamide. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 92 (8): 3376-80, 1995. [PUBMED Abstract]

Ibrahim MM, Porreca F, Lai J, et al.: CB2 cannabinoid receptor activation produces antinociception by stimulating peripheral release of endogenous opioids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102 (8): 3093-8, 2005. [PUBMED Abstract]

Richardson JD, Kilo S, Hargreaves KM: Cannabinoids reduce hyperalgesia and inflammation via interaction with peripheral CB1 receptors. Pain 75 (1): 111-9, 1998. [PUBMED Abstract]

[precious007]

Precious go back and read the article haha. The study demonstrates the anti-tumor and ant-cancer effect of THC. The mice weren't smoking blunts either they were being hand fed THC. I don't know about the extraction process or if eating pot brownies/ or inhaling THC would have the same effects but this is amazing nonetheless. I also don't smoke anymore although I did for four years; pretty sure xanax ruined that for me.

lol I only read the first two paragraphs and I guess I have omitted some words

.... I get it now.... sgreger do you have some cannabis? :^)

[sgreger1]

I'm with you on this one.

I've read dozens of articles on cannabis where cancer is the main target from the high level of carbon monoxide (higher than in cigarettes) and the THC.

Luckily I don't smoke cannabis, not even occasionally.

Precious, the national cancer institute article in question is talking about how marijuana stops tumor growth and kills cancer by inducing cell death (while at the same time not harming healthy cells that surround it). It is literally praising the anti-cancer effects of marijuana and saying that there is NO increased risk of cancer and in fact a DECREASED risk, that's a better batting average than even SNUS can claim.

[precious007]

Precious, the national cancer institute article in question is talking about how marijuana stops tumor growth and kills cancer by inducing cell death (while at the same time not harming healthy cells that surround it). It is literally praising the anti-cancer effects of marijuana and saying that there is NO increased risk of cancer and in fact a DECREASED risk, that's a better batting average than even SNUS can claim.

I've read the article now, so it may induce and stop the cells from spreading.

But how about this article here.... ?!

The substances in cannabis smoke
Cannabis smoke contains many of the same cancer causing substances (carcinogens) as tobacco - at least 50 of them. In addition, cannabis is often mixed with tobacco when smoked.

One of these carcinogens is benzyprene. Benzyprene is in the tar of both tobacco and cannabis cigarettes. We know that benzyprene causes cancer. It alters a gene called p53, which is a tumour suppressor gene. We know that 3 out of 4 lung cancers (75%) occur in people who have faulty p53 genes. The p53 gene is also linked to many other cancers.

Cannabis also contains a substance called THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It is the THC in the cannabis that changes your mood and behaviour. The amount of THC in a cannabis cigarette varies considerably. Researchers have shown that THC causes benzpyrene to promote the p53 gene to change. But other researchers have looked at the effects of pure THC on brain tumour cells and found that it killed them in laboratory tests. This is a long way from using it as a treatment. But you can see from this that the evidence on cannabis causing cancer is confusing.

Evidence on cannabis and cancer
Several research studies have shown a link between cannabis and cancer. But other studies have shown no link. This makes it difficult to say exactly what the risk is. There have been a couple of systematic reviews that have tried to draw some conclusions on this.

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-c...s-cause-cancer

Here's just my two cents......... there's not enough evidence............. to prove cannabis causes cancer because

1) people have to live a life ... they can't go around smoking cannabis all their life hence they're not that exposed to the THC in cannabis
2) there's not as many cannabis smokers as cigarette smokers
3) there's not that many studies on cannabis as there are made on cigarette smoking
4) Cancer particularly is an illness that is genetically transmitted.....

Out of hmm ... hundreds of my relatives that I know... only two died of cancer...... (and a lot of them smoke) ........

One of my relatives that died of cancer (colon-cancer) was never a smoker and the other relative was my grandfather that died of cancer at the age of 72 ....... what I'm saying is that cancer is particularly transmitted through geness just like many other illneses ..................

[sgreger1]

Sgreger. Who deleted the information about cannabinoids compounds? Is there an article about it?

Here are some links from mainstream media outlets:


The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has removed information about the anti-tumor effects of marijuana from its online treatment database just eleven days after becoming the first federal agency to formally recognize marijuana’s medicinal properties.

National Cancer Institute Says Marijuana Is a Cancer-Fighter, Then Backpedals

National Cancer Institute posted just last week that cannabinoids have "anti-tumoral" effects. Today -- 7 days later -- the paragraph was rewritten to remove such claims

[precious007]

Here are some links from mainstream media outlets:


The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has removed information about the anti-tumor effects of marijuana from its online treatment database just eleven days after becoming the first federal agency to formally recognize marijuana’s medicinal properties.

National Cancer Institute Says Marijuana Is a Cancer-Fighter, Then Backpedals

National Cancer Institute posted just last week that cannabinoids have "anti-tumoral" effects. Today -- 7 days later -- the paragraph was rewritten to remove such claims

This might be a bit of topic..

Sgreger do you feel psychologically addicted to cannabis ? Do you crave smoking cannabis?

I know it's not addictive as a substance but I know people that are literally devasted and their life is a mess due to smoking legal buds.......... there was a story a few weeks ago in Romania where thi 17 year old kid asked his mom to tie him up in chains in the house to stop him from going to the herbal shop and smoking legal buds all day long.... so there is some kind of connection and strong psychological addicition................ after all

[sgreger1]

I've read the article now, so it may induce and stop the cells from spreading.

But how about this article here.... ?!



http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-c...s-cause-cancer

Here's just my two cents......... there's not enough evidence............. to prove cannabis causes cancer because

1) people have to live a life ... they can't go around smoking cannabis all their life hence they're not that exposed to the THC in cannabis
2) there's not as many cannabis smokers as cigarette smokers
3) there's not that many studies on cannabis as there are made on cigarette smoking
4) Cancer particularly is an illness that is genetically transmitted.....

Out of hmm ... hundreds of my relatives that I know... only two died of cancer...... (and a lot of them smoke) ........

One of my relatives that died of cancer (colon-cancer) was never a smoker and the other relative was my grandfather that died of cancer at the age of 72 ....... what I'm saying is that cancer is particularly transmitted through geness just like many other illneses ..................

Your article is bogus and has no references to support it. Here I have the highest voice in the land, a federal agency and the national cancer institute pronouncing on a government website that there is no cancer, yet you insist that there is?

1) people have to live a life ... they can't go around smoking cannabis all their life hence they're not that exposed to the THC in cannabis

Wait what? We are talking specifically about the demographic that does consume cannabis, so yes we are talking about people who go around ingesting cannabis all day. The compounds we are discussing here are not psychoactive and do not get you high at all. By preparing it properly there is no buzz or psychoactive effects, you don't have to smoke it.

2) there's not as many cannabis smokers as cigarette smokers

That doesn't mean anything, in the studies they get 10 cig smokers and 10 MJ smokers, so for the purpose of the study it is exactly the same number of cig smokers as MJ smokers...

3) there's not that many studies on cannabis as there are made on cigarette smoking

Correct, but the body of research that has been conducted on the topic has yielded a clear patter of positive effects from cannabis, there seems to be no trend of cancer or anything else nasty, but every study seems to indicate a benefit of some sort. Like with all thing, it is a risk/benefit decision, and with the risk being nearly 0 and the benefit potential being huge, I hate to see people see this issue in such a small minded manner.

4) Cancer particularly is an illness that is genetically transmitted.....

True, my mother was just diagnosed with cancer and she never smoked cigs or mj or drank or did anything else, she was health and exercised her whole life, the picture of health. Still got cancer. The point is that MJ can help treat it, it can help stop tumor growth and kill active cancer cells without impacting the surrounding "good" cells. It needs to be a tool in our arsenal to fight this thing.