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By Paul Armentano, 9/21/2007 11:20:38 AM -- Hawaii's ranchers may have a new
and unlikely ally in their battle against the spread mad cow disease: Pot.
According to a study found here:
http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/36/9537
which was published earlier this month in the Journal of Neuroscience,
investigators at the National Center for Scientific Research in France
determined that the administration of a non-psychoactive compound in pot can
increase the survival of animals diagnosed with the fatal brain disease.
Scientists remarked that the compound, known as cannabidiol, may also hold
the potential to halt the spread of similar neurodegenerative diseases in
humans, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other fatal brain disorders.
The study is not the first time that scientists have touted the therapeutic
potential of cannabidiol.
The compound has previously been linked to a reduction in the accumulation
of amyloid plaque -- the primary pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's
disease -- and has also been shown to dramatically halt the spread of
malignant cancer cells in mice.
(see http://www.nature.com/bjp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/0707446a.html)
Most recently, researchers at Italy's Instuto di Chemica Biomolecolare
recommended the use of cannabidiol in cancer therapy.
(See http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/jpet.106.105247v1)
Nevertheless, under U.S. federal law, cannabidiol remains classified as a
Schedule I prohibited substance -- despite its inability to get users high.
In fact, most scientists believe that cannabidiol actually offsets the
euphoric effects of pot's primary component, THC, dubbing it 'the
anti-marijuana marijuana.'
Fortunately, despite the continued federal prohibition of pot,
state-authorized patients in Hawaii may utilize the therapeutic benefits of
cannabidiol (which is present in low amounts in most varieties of
domestically grown cannabis) under state law.
Perhaps its time that local ranchers consider harnessing its potential
benefits for their livestock as well.
Paul Armentano is the senior policy analyst for NORML and the NORML Foundation
in Washington, DC. He is also the author of the booklet, "Emerging Clinical
Applications For Cannabis & Cannabinoids A Review of the Recent Scientific
Literature," which may be downloaded online at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7002.
He may be contacted via e-mail at: paul@norml.org
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?d237297f-860f-484c-9ebf-15915f8a86f2 |
