I'm all for legalizing marijuana, but I have to take the claim that

[hedgehog]

it kills cancer cells with a grain of salt. As far as I know, chemotherapy interferes with all cells, cancerous and non-cancerous. It's largely a race to kill the cancer cells before too many normal cells are killed. So why should I believe that marijuana can somehow kill only cancer cells?

For the record, I think the reason to legalize marijuana is that the War on Drugs has caused far more damage than marijuana ever could, even if marijuana was as harmful as some claim. Alcohol has wreaked far more havoc with my family than marijuana ever could!

[PatrickforO]

1. I've always felt that it should never have been declared a schedule 1 narcotic.

That was just stupid, because it is not addictive and it does have some medical uses, particularly for chronic pain issues.

[hedgehog]

4. I think that it may very well be a good treatment for chronic pain -

too bad there are no studies on this.

[PatrickforO]

12. My understanding is that they've been suppressed, or are internal efforts by big pharma to develop

expensive THC based medicines. Doesn't matter though. Writing is on the wall. It will be on a bunch of ballots come 2016.

[TexasBushwhacker]

19. There is a synthetic THC drug

It's called Marinol. It's used for nausea from chemotherapy and to stimulate appetite in AIDS and cancer patients. But by being just THC, the high it produces is not as pleasant as from real hemp, and many people find it decidedly UNPLEASANT. Like marijuana, it can also cause paranoia.

Marijuana has many psychoactive compounds that work together.

[NightWatcher]

22. I'm currently conducting research on cannabis for Raynauds, reflux, and peripheral neuropathy

And the research is gooood.

Kidding, but in all honesty, it works on my Raynaud's, reflux, and what it does for my peripheral neuropathy is nothing short of amazing. I hope actual tests are done, so others can share in the good treatment.

[shenmue]

2. I think it would be good to legalize it

for similar reasons as you stated.

I do not necessarily think it is a magic cure-all for everything. But it has its uses.

[ellisonz]

3. There's some research, we need more!

It seems to inhibit tumor growth: http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/cannabinoids-as-cancer-hope

[hedgehog]

6. It's possible that it inhibits rapid cell division without attacking the bone marrow

I'm just dubious that it can treat tumors with no side effects.

[ellisonz]

9. Side Effects of Marijuana

[onehandle]

5. If it had always been legal, many of these specious 'pot can do anything' stories would not exist.

Last edited Sat Aug 22, 2015, 02:16 PM - Edit history (1)

If hamburgers had been criminalized decades ago, we would be hearing about the 'miracle effects' of hamburger usage.

Just legalize it and get these stupid stories off of media.

[hedgehog]

7. Exactly!

[Go Vols]

11. :/

[Rex]

8. Well you could go and read up on the research already done.

It seems silly NOT to go look for yourself, instead of forming a notion based on 'as far as you know' since chemo and MJ are not even in the same ballpark.

The evidence is out there, you just have to go read it for yourself.

[Oilwellian]

13. Indeed

The OP is silly.

[NathanSharp]

10. smoking it, alone, doesn't help kill cancer

Its not really the marijuana but concentrated extracts of certain cannabinoids that shrink the cancer. There's cannabinoid receptors all over the body. CB1 and CB2. Cancer may proliferate when these systems are out of balance, and the stimulation of these receptors via cannabinoids may be helpful. It makes sense since they are tied to immune function (namely the CB2 receptor which cannabidiol in particular stuimulates) which is important in fighting cancer.

Simply smoking marijuana isn't helpful in fighting cancer, because the dosage doesn't deliver a high enough concentration of the cannabinoids that would help in killing cancer. It is helpful, though, as an appetite stimmulant for chemotherapy patients though, which is actually very crucial for surviving the treatment.

http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq

There are a lot of medical benefits, so much that I don't even think it should be taxes for genuine medical use.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. What part of the East do you live in?

nt

[ellisonz]

17. ...

[wildbilln864]

15. educate yourself on the evidence thus far...

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2013/07/27/34-medical-studies-proving-cannabis-cures-cancer/

[nationalize the fed]

16. Dr. Christina Sanchez might be able to explain it

The Cancer.Gov page with the claims isn't new either. I've personally posted it numerous times here and it's usually ignored.
http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/cannabis-pdq#section/all

Antitumor activity

Studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells

Did you know the Feds own a patent on the use of the main ingredient in Cannabis? That's been posted since the mid 2000's and usually ignored. Why is that?
US Patent #6630507

[ismnotwasm]

18. It's medicinal properties are fascinating

But while it won't be a panacea, legalization or the pro-pot lobby has spurred research into several areas. I like to believe most people understand the smoking, eating or vaping pot isn't going to cure cancer, and if it turns out That properties in marijuana are a perfect treatment for some cancers, they know that cancer is so complex that it won't even be a good treatment for many cancers.

Just as I like to believe that people understand driving impaired is (I think driving and texting is a form of inpairment) dangerous. In Washington state--they just released new stats revealing increased driving deaths with positive toxicologies for THC --although the deaths were NOT just pot alone, so make of it what you will.

[XemaSab]

20. I'm not denying that DUIs have probably gone up

but I'm also noting the fact that weed stays in the system for a while, so determining whether someone toked an hour or a day before getting behind the wheel may be difficult.

[ismnotwasm]

21. This is true

There is a more definitive test that can be used for remote vs recent use--we use it on patients who have possible substance abuse issues during the pre or post transplant process, but I doubt they used it in this case.

Anyway-here's an article:

SEATTLE - The Washington Traffic Safety Commission says more marijuana-using drivers are getting into fatal crashes.

Data released Tuesday indicate that the number of Washington drivers involved in deadly crashes who tested positive for active marijuana doubled from 2013 to 2014 - the first year of legal marijuana sales in the state.

Commission member Shelly Baldwin says that's alarming - especially considering that the number of alcohol-related fatal crashes has been dropping.

The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for active THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, had held fairly steady from 2010 to 2013 - between 32 and 38 per year. That number jumped to 75 in 2014, and about half were above the state's legal limit for marijuana-impaired driving.

The commission says many of those drivers also tested positive for alcohol or other drugs.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/08/20/fatal-crashes-involving-marijuana-double-in-washington/32084631/

[eShirl]

23. because it likely does it in a different way

There's more than one way to skin an onion

[Logical]

24. I think the medical claims are exaggerated. But if Obama would take it off Schedule 1 we could....

do some real studies.

[PowerToThePeople]

25. I live in Washington

[orpupilofnature57]

26. It's less harmful than Booz .

[hollowdweller]

27. I can think of several friends who smoked who died of cancer. So it doesn't "cure cancer"

I think they are saying that maybe experimentally it shrinks some cancer cells.

I can think of friends who died of breast cancer, liver cancer, brain cancer and melanoma who were smokers so I think it's maybe something worthy of studying but not extrapolating into that it cures cancer.

I'm for full legalization though. Not because of any supposed health benefits but just because it is just not that dangerous and makes no sense to give somebody a criminal record for.

[virtualobserver]

28. chemotherapy is like a blunt instrument

cancer cells are dramatically different from healthy cells and THC apparently communicates with cancer cells using certain cell receptors.

It doesn't poison them.