Medical Cannabis and Cancer Research A Little Cannabis History... Cannabis has been used for medical purposes dating back at least 3,000 years.It was in the 1840s when cannabis was first introduced to Western medicine by W.B. O'Shaughnessy, a medical doctor who worked in India for the British East Indies Company. Back then cannabis was a useful treatment option for analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and anticonvulsant benefits. The United States Treasury Department introduced the Marihuana Tax Act in 1937. This Act enforced a levy of $1 an ounce of medical cannabis and $100 an ounce for recreational use. In the United States, the medical doctors were the principle opponents of this Act.The American Medical Association (AMA) opposed the Act since physicians were had to pay a special tax for recommending medical cannabis, use special order forms to obtain it, and extra record-keeping for prescribing it. Also, the AMA rejected the “idea” that cannabis was harmful and they knew that by adopting the Act it would further impede scientific research into cannabis’ medicinal value. In 1942, cannabis was eliminated from the United States’ Pharmacopoeia.Then in 1951, Congress passed the Boggs Act, which classified cannabis with illegal and dangerous narcotic drugs. And in 1970, with the adoption of the Controlled Substances Act, cannabis was then classified as a Schedule 1 Drug by Federal Law. Drugs that are classified as a “Schedule 1” Drug are illegal and said to have “no accepted medical use,” and other drugs in this category include heroin, mescaline, cocaine, meth, and many more.Cannabis was (and still is) classified as having no medical use by the United States government, even though cannabis was distributed to patients in a federal project established in 1978 called the Compassionate Use Investigational New Drug program.The program was discontinued in 1992. What Are Cannabinoids and How Do They Work? "Cannabinoids" is a blanket term covering a “family” of complex-chemicals that lock onto cannabinoid receptors (which are protein molecules on the surface of cells). The cannabis plant produces a resin, which contains this large, psychoactive “cannabinoid family” of chemical compounds.For 1000s of years humans have used cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes, but cannabinoids themselves were first extracted from cannabis plants in the 1940s. The structure of the main ingredient of cannabis - delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - was discovered in the 1960s. It had not been till the late 1980s that scientist discovered the first cannabinoid receptor, quickly followed by another discovery: humans develop cannabinoid-like chemicals within our bodies, called endocannabinoids.The strongest potency of cannabinoids is found in the female flowers of the cannabis plant. Learn More At: http://www.GreenCulturED.co

1. Medical Cannabis
and
Cancer Research

2. A Little Cannabis History...

3. Cannabis has been used for medical
purposes dating back at least 3,000
years.
It was in the 1840s when cannabis was
first introduced to Western medicine
by Dr. W.B. O'Shaughnessy, a physician
who worked in India for the British East
Indies Company.
Back then cannabis was a useful treatment
option for analgesic, sedative, anti-
inflammatory, antispasmodic, and
anticonvulsant benefits.

4. The United States Treasury Department
introduced the Marihuana Tax Act in
1937.
This Act enforced a levy of $1 an ounce of
medical cannabis and $100 an ounce for
recreational use.
In the United States, the medical doctors
were the principle opponents of this Act.
The American Medical Association
(AMA) opposed the Act since physicians
were had to pay a special tax for
recommending medical cannabis, use special
order forms to obtain it, and extra record-
keeping for prescribing it.

5. Also, the AMA rejected the “idea” that
cannabis was harmful and they knew that by
adopting the Act it would further impede
scientific research into cannabis’ medicinal value.
In 1942, cannabis was eliminated from the
United States’ Pharmacopoeia.
Then in 1951, Congress passed the Boggs Act,
which classified cannabis with illegal and
dangerous narcotic drugs.
And in 1970, with the adoption of the Controlled
Substances Act, cannabis was then classified as a
Schedule 1 Drug by Federal Law.

6. Drugs that are classified as a “Schedule
1” Drug are illegal and said to have “no
accepted medical use,” and other drugs in
this category include heroin, mescaline,
cocaine, meth, and many more.
Cannabis was (and still is) classified as
having no medical use by the United
States government, even though
cannabis was distributed to patients in a
federal project established in 1978 called
the Compassionate Use Investigational
New Drug program.
The program was discontinued in
1992.

7. What Are Cannabinoids
and
How Do They Work?

8. "Cannabinoids" is a blanket term covering a
“family” of complex-chemicals that lock
onto cannabinoid receptors (which are protein
molecules on the surface of cells).
The cannabis plant produces a resin, which
contains this large, psychoactive “cannabinoid
family” of chemical compounds.
For 1000s of years humans have used cannabis for
medicinal and recreational purposes, but
cannabinoids themselves were first extracted
from cannabis plants in the 1940s. The
structure of the main ingredient of cannabis - delta-
9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - was discovered in
the 1960s.

9. It had not been till the late
1980s that scientist
discovered the first
cannabinoid receptor, quickly
followed by another
discovery: humans develop
cannabinoid-like
chemicals within our
bodies, called
endocannabinoids.
The strongest potency of
cannabinoids is found in the
female flowers of the cannabis
plant.

10. "Cannabinoid Family“
&
Cannabis and Cancer
Research

11. Cannabis cancer research and clinical trials
have been limited since the plant is a Schedule
1 drug as well as the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has not
approved the use of cannabis as a treatment
option for any medical condition.
Recently, recognition has been made by
the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) acknowledging the benefits of using
cannabis for people living with cancer include
appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved
sleep.

12. The NCI is a leader introducing patient to clinical
research to help ensure that new treatment
discoveries are translated into potential
cannabis and cancer therapies.
This recognition has helped support a “new world”
of herbal medicines starting with cannabis to be
commonly accepted as a medical treatment option.“
When cannabis regains its place in the United
States Pharmacopeia, a status it lost after the
passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, it will be
seen as one of the safest drugs in that
compendium,” according to Lester
Grinspoon, Associate Professor Emeritus of
Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

13. Let’s Recap
This summary will provide a quick overview of
medical cannabis and it being available for patients as an
herbal therapy option for cancer.

14. Some key details to recap:
Cannabis has actually been used for medicinal purposes for centuries.
The possession and use of cannabis is illegal by federal law in the United
States (and many places around the world as well).
Chemical components of cannabis, called cannabinoids, trigger specific
receptors located throughout the body to create pharmacologic response,
particularly in the central nervous system and the immune system.
Medical cannabis has NOT been approved by the FDA as a treatment
option for cancer nor any other medical conditions.
Cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical drugs are commercially available are
APPROVED by the FDA (!?!?) to be prescribed by doctors as a medical
treatment.

15. There are important legal differences
between medical cannabis at the federal and
state levels in the United States of America.
Still at the federal level cannabis has been
made illegal by the Controlled Substances
Act, but as of 2009, new federal guidelines
have been enacted.
According to United States Attorney
General Eric Holder, "it will not be a
priority to use federal resources to prosecute
patients with serious illnesses or their
caregivers who are complying with state
laws on medical marijuana."

16. Let us know what you think.