[HappaGuy]

What the Government Knows About Cannabis and Cancer – and Isn't Telling You

by Paul Armentano


...

Senator Ted Kennedy is putting forward a brave face following his recent surgery but the sad reality remains. Even with successful surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatment, gliomas – a highly aggressive form of brain cancer that strikes approximately 10,000 Americans annually – tragically claim the lives of 75 percent of its victims within two years and virtually all within five years.

But what if there was an alternative treatment for gliomas that could selectively target the cancer while leaving healthy cells intact? And what if federal bureaucrats were aware of this treatment, but deliberately withheld this information from the public?

Sadly, the questions posed above are not entirely hypothetical. Let me explain.

In 2007, I reviewed over 150 published preclinical and clinical studies assessing the therapeutic potential of marijuana and several of its active compounds, known as cannabinoids. I summarized these numerous studies in a book, now in its third edition, entitled Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A Review of the Scientific Literature. (NORML Foundation, 2008) One chapter in this book, which summarized the findings of more than 30 separate trials and literature reviews, was dedicated to the use of cannabinoids as potential anti-cancer agents, particularly in the treatment of gliomas.

Not familiar with this scientific research? Your government is.

In fact, the first experiment documenting pot's potent anti-cancer effects took place in 1974 at the Medical College of Virginia at the behest federal bureaucrats. The results of that study, reported in an Aug. 18, 1974, Washington Post newspaper feature, were that marijuana's primary psychoactive component, THC, "slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent."

Despite these favorable preliminary findings (eventually published the following year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute), U.S. government officials refused to authorize any follow-up research until conducting a similar – though secret – preclinical trial in the mid-1990s. That study, conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program to the tune of $2 million, concluded that mice and rats administered high doses of THC over long periods had greater protection against malignant tumors than untreated controls.

However, rather than publicize their findings, the U.S. government shelved the results, which only became public after a draft copy of its findings were leaked to the medical journal AIDS Treatment News, which in turn forwarded the story to the national media.

In the years since the completion of the National Toxicology trial, the U.S. government has yet to authorize a single additional study examining the drug's potential anti-cancer properties. (Federal permission is necessary in order to conduct clinical research on marijuana because of its illegal status as a schedule I controlled substance.)

Fortunately, in the past 10 years scientists overseas have generously picked up where U.S. researchers so abruptly left off, reporting that cannabinoids can halt the spread of numerous cancer cells – including prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and brain cancer. (An excellent paper summarizing much of this research, "Cannabinoids for Cancer Treatment: Progress and Promise," appears in the January 2008 edition of the journal Cancer Research.) A 2006 patient trial published in the British Journal of Cancer even reported that the intracranial administration of THC was associated with reduced tumor cell proliferation in humans with advanced glioblastoma.

Writing earlier this year in the scientific journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, Italian researchers reiterated, "(C)annabinoids have displayed a great potency in reducing glioma tumor growth. (They) appear to be selective antitumoral agents as they kill glioma cells without affecting the viability of nontransformed counterparts." Not one mainstream media outlet reported their findings. Perhaps now they'll pay better attention.

What possible advancements in the treatment of cancer may have been achieved over the past 34 years had U.S. government officials chosen to advance – rather than suppress – clinical research into the anti-cancer effects of cannabis? It's a shame we have to speculate; it's even more tragic that the families of Senator Kennedy and thousands of others must suffer while we do.

June 26, 2008

Paul Armentano [send him mail] is the senior policy analyst for NORML and the NORML Foundation in Washington, DC. He is the author of "Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A Review of the Scientific Literature" (2007, NORML Foundation).

Copyright © 2008 Paul Armentano

Source:
" http://www.lewrockwell.com/armentano...ntano-p29.html "
MORE kudos to NORML, and to www.lewrockwell.com for publishing this.

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Try Googling " They knew in 74 " if you haven't already.

This is a crime against the people.

How many among We the People have died and suffered unspeakably as a direct consequence of the fact that our government knowingly denied a vital medicine to treat cancer to those it is mandated to "serve and protect" for decades?

I know two personally. One was my Grandma. Another is one of the two most extraordinary women it is my privilege to know.

This is no secret. But people are so busy entertaining comforting lies so we may ignore even more and more pressing "inconvenient truths" that we filter it out as just more anxiety-provoking noise. People are so preoccupied with just getting by that we don't feel we have time for political concerns.

People think "you can ignore politics - until it kicks down your door", or murders your grandma. The folks that run our government like that just fine. They can commit crimes with impunity.

Y'know, I think there might be something amiss here. Don't you?

Thank you. This is a great article.

[tokermom]

Thanks Happa- Such a Shame!!

[pasteisme]

god damnit i am so fucking angry right now at THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT. i found out a buddy has prostate cancer and I know that all those fucking cocksuckers who are concerned with the bottom line are taking those away from me that are close. FUCK YOU.

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by pasteisme

god damnit i am so fucking angry right now at THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT. i found out a buddy has prostate cancer and I know that all those fucking cocksuckers who are concerned with the bottom line are taking those away from me that are close. FUCK YOU.

Sorry to hear about your friend. If you feel cannabis will help him, by all means go ahead and help him. You might want to take a deep breath and be comforted by the fact that here in California your friend can qualify for MMJ patient status and get safe access. Best wishes to your friend.

[HappaGuy]

Last night I heard a radio news article about the parents of a child that died from cancer getting convicted for some degree of murder for failing to ensure their child ate all his chemotherapy pills and showed up for all his treatments.

You'd think the same legal standard would hold for our government. But the government has gotten away with the same crime - withholding MMJ cancer meds - for seventy years now. And they've known it for sure since 1974.

"Democracy" is working splendidly, wouldn't you agree? The vigilance of We the People never fails. You couldn't slip a lie or injustice or crimes against humanity past us at 3 in the morning after a wild Saturday night.

Not.

Happy fourth of July.

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by HappaGuy

Last night I heard a radio news article about the parents of a child that died from cancer getting convicted for some degree of murder for failing to ensure their child ate all his chemotherapy pills and showed up for all his treatments.

You'd think the same legal standard would hold for our government. But the government has gotten away with the same crime - withholding MMJ cancer meds - for seventy years now. And they've known it for sure since 1974.

"Democracy" is working splendidly, wouldn't you agree? The vigilance of We the People never fails. You couldn't slip a lie or injustice or crimes against humanity past us at 3 in the morning after a wild Saturday night.

Not.

Happy fourth of July.

Any parent who would do that to a child deserves punishment. I don't know the circumstances so I won't comment on the murder charge. Children have no real consent legally, so parents need to step back and let the professionals work when their child becomes seriously ill. MJ is far from proven as a cancer treatment, but shows some promise.

[drew1503]

I believe the parents were totally justified. It is the parents responsibility to ensure the child is getting the best care and you think a doctor cares more for the child? Have you looked a the side effects of chemo and the success rate? It is VERY controversial, chemo destroys white blood cells and most of the time your body is fighting that more than the cancer. Doctors are not supposed to make the decisions, they are supposed to offer an education opinion to let you decide your medical treatment. Parents will make the best decisions for their kids and when we start letting the state decide we are no longer a free country. That is why parents have a choice if they want to vaccinate their kids in California and almost every other state except New York I believe. There are messed up parents out there and there will always be no matter how many CPS workers or police you have. Your kids are 5 times more likely to be abused in State custody, did you know that? Have you ever watched your child dying in front of you begging you the parent to save her? You really think that parent meant harm to their child?

[cannadyke]

thanx for posting this happa!

just amazing how full of shit our govt. is. we can spend our money invading foreign countries and killing their people, but we can't spend the money to help people who are dying and live right here----not to mention helping people who live w/ pain and are suffering every day. the govt. spending priorities are so out of wack with the actual day-to-day lives of average americans.