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Drug Control is a Catholic Moral Imperative
Vivificat - from Contemplation to Action ^
| 9 September, 2013
| Teófilo de Jesús (@vivificat)
Posted on 09/09/2013 1:05:35 PM PDT by Teófilo
Teófilo de Jesús
Brethren: Peace be with you.
Drug control and enforcement what some call prohibition is necessary to protect freedom and liberty where it is most vulnerable: at the level of the individual human being. Thus, the dual exercise of freedom and responsibility constitute defining characteristics of human beings as distinct from brute animals. The abuse of legal and illegal drugs destroys individual freedom and also a persons ability to with full consciousness of ones personal responsibility to live in harmony with others in society. Liberalizing drug controls and decreasing enforcement will lead to a culture of tolerance toward those who profit from drug production and distribution. Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis have spoken very eloquently about the dangers of drug trafficking and the undesirability of drug liberalization. Therefore, Catholics in position of responsibility should know that drug control and law enforcement constitute a legitimate and desirable exercise of governmental power to protect society, our culture, and pursue the common good.
The public consensus in the United States, at least during the last 40 years, has maintained that there are substances unfit for human consumption due to the dangers those substances present to ones body and mind. This public consensus also maintained that the rights of the majority to health and welfare trumped the rights of any minority of free, consenting adults to use or abuse narcotics for personal recreation. This historic consensus is now under attack and in a number of states has been shattered, as the drive to legalize marijuana for medicinal use demonstrates. That these popular movements seeking to decriminalize, legitimize, or legalize either medicinal or recreational narcotics use or both appeal to apple pie American values such as individual freedom and choice, is ironic, for narcotics use destroy freedom and responsibility at a personal level.
The True Meaning of Freedom
1731 Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.
1732 As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.
1733 The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin."
1734 Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhance the mastery of the will over its acts.
1738 Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common good and public order.
Therefore, according to Catholic anthropology, human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, are called to exercise their freedom toward the good and in respect to the freedom of others. In other words, being free carries with it the concomitant responsibility to choose what is good for oneself, for other persons, and for the community.
Drug abuse and dependency destroys individual freedom
Though closely related, the terms drug abuse and drug dependency represent two distinct phenomena that often, though not always, overlap. According to the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH; here and here), drug abuse is the use of illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for at least a year with negative consequences. Whereas drug dependence means that a person needs a drug to function normally. Abruptly stopping the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms, "drug addiction" is the compulsive use of a substance, despite its negative or dangerous effects. A person may have a physical dependence on a substance without having an addiction. For example, certain blood pressure medications do not cause addiction but they can cause physical dependence. Other drugs, such as cocaine, cause addiction without leading to physical dependence.
The NIH also describes the symptoms often connected with drug abuse, as follows:
Confusion
Continuing to use drugs even when health, work, or family are being harmed
Episodes of violence
Hostility when confronted about drug dependence
Lack of control over drug abuse - being unable to stop or reduce alcohol intake
Making excuses to use drugs
Missing work or school, or a decrease in performance
Need for daily or regular drug use to function
Neglecting to eat
Not caring for physical appearance
No longer taking part in activities because of drug abuse
Secretive behavior to hide drug use
Using drugs even when alone
The symptoms of drug abuse listed above can also define a persons loss of individual liberty, as he or she becomes slaves to substance abuse. No person can be truly free, morally or as a citizen of free country, when that person is a slave to a substance sold by others for profit. The drug addict becomes a slave, not only of his narcotic of choice, but the person who sells the narcotics to him. Thus slavery is disguised as good, that of individual liberty and freedom, overlooking the addicts inability to live responsibly towards himself and others.
The Popes Speak on the Evils of Drug Trafficking and Abuse
The [ilegal] drug commerce has turned into an authentic commerce of liberty, since it leads to a most terrible form of slavery while sowing your land with corruption and death. Therefore, it is urgent not only to protect young people from drug consumption, but also combat the [drug] is trafficking itself, since this traffic is a disreputable activity under any light. It is also urgent, at the same time, to discern the causes or deep roots of this phenomenon in order to define efficacious paths of action
We know well all the beauties of Mexico, but also this serious problem of drug trafficking and violence. It is certainly a great responsibility for the Catholic Church in a country that is 80 per cent Catholic. We must do our utmost to combat this evil that destroys humanity and our young people. I would say that the first step would be to proclaim God: God is the Judge, God who loves us but who loves us in order to draw us to goodness, to truth against evil.
Thus the Church has the great responsibility to educate consciences, to teach moral responsibility and to expose evil, to expose this idolatry of mammon that only enslaves people; and to expose the false promises, untruthfulness and cheating that are behind drugs. We can see that human beings are in need of the infinite. If God does not exist, infinity creates its own paradises, an appearance of infinitude that cannot but be false. This is why Gods presence and approachability are so important. It is a great responsibility before God the Judge who guides us, who attracts us to truth and to goodness, and in this sense the Church must expose evil, must make Gods goodness present, his truth present, the true infinity for which we thirst. This is the Churchs important duty, so together let us all increasingly try to do all we can.
Today, in this place where people struggle with drug addiction, I wish to embrace each and every one of you, who are the flesh of Christ, and to ask God to renew your journey, and also mine, with purpose and steadfast hope.
To embrace we all have to learn to embrace the one in need, as Saint Francis did. There are so many situations in Brazil, and throughout the world, that require attention, care and love, like the fight against chemical dependency. Often, instead, it is selfishness that prevails in our society. How many dealers of death there are that follow the logic of power and money at any cost! The scourge of drug-trafficking, that favours violence and sows the seeds of suffering and death, requires of society as a whole an act of courage. A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America. Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future. We all need to look upon one another with the loving eyes of Christ, and to learn to embrace those in need, in order to show our closeness, affection and love
(The highlighted part is mine)
The duty of Catholic citizens in the United States is to uphold drug control
The Framers of the Constitution of the United States described in its preamble a number of values to be protected by our government:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Preventing Drug abuse and punishing the shameless profiteering derived from the illicit traffic in illegal and legal drugs, are rightful activities of a representative government instituted to insure our domestic tranquility, defending our communities, promoting the peoples welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty.
Liberty, personal freedom, and the exercise of civic and moral responsibility can only take place within minds and bodies free from the compulsion created by the abuse of powerful drugs and illegal narcotics. It is hypocritical to defend an individuals right to poison his mind and destroying his will in the name of freedom, when drug abuse and dependence denies and destroys that very freedom. In fact, the first act of smoking a marijuana joint, snorting a cocaine line, injecting heroin, etc. is often the very last free action that person may do, for slavery will be his lot from then on.
In a Nation where publicly-funded health care is increasing, further liberalization of drug laws can lead to increasing numbers of drug abusers and dependents, taxing the system beyond its design whatever that might be. The cost of caring for the newly addicted might be greater than the costs blamed on drug prohibition.
Therefore, it is our responsibility as Catholics and as citizens of the United States, to resist ill-considered efforts at relaxing drug controls, and to apply scientific skepticism to any claim of the medical or social desirability to do away with laws controlling illegal or pharmaceutical drugs and favoring a laissez faire drug regime.
What is a stake if our personal freedom. No society is truly free when the members of such a society are slaves to chemicals, as Pope Francis put it. The first front in our fight for true individual freedom starts with the singular, individual person: with his or her ability to choose the good and to be responsible to self and others in the pursuit of the common good.
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Typos. Blunders. Mine.
1
posted on
09/09/2013 1:05:35 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
To: YellowRoseofTx; Rashputin; StayoutdaBushesWay; OldNewYork; MotherRedDog; sayuncledave; ...
2
posted on
09/09/2013 1:06:33 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
(Visit Vivificat! - http://www.vivificat.org - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary and Opinion)
To: Teófilo
The RCC has always been a friend of tyranny.
3
posted on
09/09/2013 1:11:22 PM PDT
by
ClaytonP
To: Teófilo
Including legal drugs makes this interesting and provocative. More people are harmed by legal than illegal drugs now.
Maybe the pope should take on BigPharma.
4
posted on
09/09/2013 1:11:49 PM PDT
by
Veto!
(Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
To: ClaytonP
5
posted on
09/09/2013 1:13:00 PM PDT
by
ClaytonP
To: Teófilo
Assuming that all the article is true, it still isn’t working
I attended a funeral service Saturday for a friend’s kid who was a user.
Drugs have devastated the town they live in. Evil results, but evil results despite our drug control.
I’ve concluded there is a group of people who are predisposed to abuse drugs or alcohol. Prohibition didn’t change the group of alcoholics. Drug control hasn’t changed the group of addicts. Both groups ruin their lives. Both do it despite the laws, the militarization of police, the incarceration of a generation, the rampant crime and murder that has shifted overseas to control the supply of drugs that responds to the demand in our country.
I don’t like it, but there it is. I no longer support it, or incarceration for recreational use. At some point, if someone wants to drink themselves to death, they do. If they want to blot out all reality and pain in their lives through drug use, they do.
It might be money better spent to send special forces to hunt down and kill the cartels that grow, ship and smuggle drugs to us. But even then, it won’t stop the problems.
6
posted on
09/09/2013 1:14:43 PM PDT
by
aMorePerfectUnion
(The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws - Tacituss)
To: ClaytonP
The RCC has always been a friend of tyranny.Please, explain.
~Theo
7
posted on
09/09/2013 1:14:56 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
(Visit Vivificat! - http://www.vivificat.org - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary and Opinion)
To: Teófilo
Legalizing drugs does not legitimize drugs. The legal prohibition of drugs drive the price up and causes the high profits which make traffickers so vicious. The Holy Father is spot on about drugs being a moral issue, but he is wrong to delegate those moral issues to secular governments.
8
posted on
09/09/2013 1:19:26 PM PDT
by
Bertram3
(What difference, at this point, why yes I would like a fried pie.)
To: Veto!; aMorePerfectUnion
What many people don’t seem to understand is that outright legalization would not only mean that the traffickers down south would become legitimate businessmen, but that Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, and every beer and rum maker would also be free to produce and market their own “safer” brands.
It is true that many people would just go ahead and kill themselves by drowning in their drug of choice. But things like marijuana - today’s marijuana is not the 60’s weed - cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine as well designer drugs and of course, diverted pharmaceuticals used inappropriately create their own demand, enslaving their users forever.
Put in another way: entropy happens, and it will happen whether we attempt to control it or not. But we don’t have to help entropy, not when a human soul is at stake.
+JMJ,
~Theo
9
posted on
09/09/2013 1:22:17 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
(Visit Vivificat! - http://www.vivificat.org - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary and Opinion)
To: aMorePerfectUnion
-— I dont like it, but there it is. I no longer support it, or incarceration for recreational use ——
St. Thomas believed that vices, as bad as prostitution, could be tolerated.legally, if the vice resulting from criminalization outweighed the vice resulting from toleration.
I agree that we seem to have reached that point with respect to the drug war.
10
posted on
09/09/2013 1:22:22 PM PDT
by
St_Thomas_Aquinas
(Isaiah 22:22, Matthew 16:19, Revelation 3:7)
To: Bertram3
Legalizing drugs does not legitimize drugs.Really? Google "Molly" and say, Madonna, Hollywood, concert, rap and see what you get.
In the minds of our kids drugs are already legitimate, legal or not.
+JMJ,
~Theo
11
posted on
09/09/2013 1:24:42 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
(Visit Vivificat! - http://www.vivificat.org - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary and Opinion)
To: Teófilo
“not when a human soul is at stake.”
And yet rock bottom does lead a human soul to seek Christ.
What is at stake is the body...
12
posted on
09/09/2013 1:24:51 PM PDT
by
aMorePerfectUnion
(The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws - Tacituss)
To: Teófilo
Now that CO and WA have legalized mj, do you support their 10th Amendment authority to carry out the policy?
13
posted on
09/09/2013 1:30:09 PM PDT
by
Ken H
(First rule of gun safety - have a gun)
To: Ken H
I *tolerate* their 10th Amendment authority to legislate on this issue, yes.
+JMJ,
~Theo
14
posted on
09/09/2013 1:34:53 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
(Visit Vivificat! - http://www.vivificat.org - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary and Opinion)
To: aMorePerfectUnion
And yet rock bottom does lead a human soul to seek Christ.Many times it does, yes.
What is at stake is the body...
Which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
+JMJ,
~Theo
15
posted on
09/09/2013 1:36:20 PM PDT
by
Teófilo
(Visit Vivificat! - http://www.vivificat.org - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary and Opinion)
To: Teófilo
“Which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. “
... but only for believers. Those who need Christ are different.
16
posted on
09/09/2013 1:38:13 PM PDT
by
aMorePerfectUnion
(The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws - Tacituss)
To: Teófilo
The war on drugs has prevented some research on compounds that show a lot of promise for some of my patients:
Autoimmunity. 2006 Mar;39(2):143-51.
Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice.
Source
Hadassah University Hospital, Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cancer Immunotherapy, POB 12000, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.
Abstract
Cannabidinoids are components of the Cannabis sativa (marijuana) plant that have been shown capable of suppressing inflammation and various aspects of cell-mediated immunity. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabidinoid has been previously shown by us to suppress cell-mediated autoimmune joint destruction in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. We now report that CBD treatment significantly reduces the incidence of diabetes in NOD mice from an incidence of 86% in non-treated control mice to an incidence of 30% in CBD-treated mice. CBD treatment also resulted in the significant reduction of plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Th1-associated cytokine production of in vitro activated T-cells and peritoneal macrophages was also significantly reduced in CBD-treated mice, whereas production of the Th2-associated cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, was increased when compared to untreated control mice. Histological examination of the pancreatic islets of CBD-treated mice revealed significantly reduced insulitis. Our results indicate that CBD can inhibit and delay destructive insulitis and inflammatory Th1-associated cytokine production in NOD mice resulting in a decreased incidence of diabetes possibly through an immunomodulatory mechanism shifting the immune response from Th1 to Th2 dominance.
Neuropharmacology. 2008 Jan;54(1):244-9. Epub 2007 Jul 17.
Cannabidiol arrests onset of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.
Source
Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. lolaw@hadassa.org.il
Abstract
We have previously reported that cannabidiol (CBD) lowers the incidence of diabetes in young non-obese diabetes-prone (NOD) female mice. In the present study we show that administration of CBD to 11-14 week old female NOD mice, which are either in a latent diabetes stage or with initial symptoms of diabetes, ameliorates the manifestations of the disease. Diabetes was diagnosed in only 32% of the mice in the CBD-treated group, compared to 86% and 100% in the emulsifier-treated and untreated groups, respectively. In addition, the level of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-12 produced by splenocytes was significantly reduced, whereas the level of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 was significantly elevated following CBD-treatment. Histological examination of the pancreata of CBD-treated mice revealed more intact islets than in the controls. Our data strengthen our previous assumption that CBD, known to be safe in man, can possibly be used as a therapeutic agent for treatment of type 1 diabetes.
Pre-Clinical Research | December 14, 2010
Cannabidiol Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, and Inflammatory and Cell Death Signaling Pathways in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy FREE
Mohanraj Rajesh, PhD; Partha Mukhopadhyay, PhD; Sándor Bátkai, MD, PhD; Vivek Patel; Keita Saito, PhD; Shingo Matsumoto, PhD; Yoshihiro Kashiwaya, MD, PhD; Béla Horváth, MD, PhD; Bani Mukhopadhyay, PhD; Lauren Becker; György Haskó, MD, PhD; Lucas Liaudet, MD; David A. Wink, PhD; Aristidis Veves, MD; Raphael Mechoulam, PhD; Pál Pacher, MD, PhD
[+-] Author Information
Drs. Rajesh and Partha Mukhopadhyay contributed equally to this article. This study was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH/NIAAA (to Dr. Pacher) and NIDA Grant DA9789 (to Dr. Mechoulam). Dr. Horváth is a recipient of a Hungarian Research Council Scientific Research Fund Fellowship (NKTH-OTKA-EU, MB08-80238). Dr. Veves receives funding from Novartis for an investigator-initiated research grant, unrelated to this study. Dr. Mechoulam is a consultant for GW Pharmaceuticals, United Kingdom, which is not involved in this publication and is unaware of it. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships to disclose.Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Pál Pacher, Section on Oxidative Stress Tissue Injury, Laboratory of Physiological Studies, National Institutes of Health/NIAAA, 5625 Fishers Lane, MSC-9413, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9413
American College of Cardiology Foundation
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;56(25):2115-2125. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.07.033
Published online
Objectives In this study, we have investigated the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on myocardial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative/nitrative stress, cell death, and interrelated signaling pathways, using a mouse model of type I diabetic cardiomyopathy and primary human cardiomyocytes exposed to high glucose.
Background Cannabidiol, the most abundant nonpsychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) plant, exerts anti-inflammatory effects in various disease models and alleviates pain and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis in humans.
Methods Left ventricular function was measured by the pressure-volume system. Oxidative stress, cell death, and fibrosis markers were evaluated by molecular biology/biochemical techniques, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and flow cytometry.
Results Diabetic cardiomyopathy was characterized by declined diastolic and systolic myocardial performance associated with increased oxidative-nitrative stress, nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p-38, p38α) activation, enhanced expression of adhesion molecules (intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1), tumor necrosis factor-α, markers of fibrosis (transforming growth factor-β, connective tissue growth factor, fibronectin, collagen-1, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9), enhanced cell death (caspase 3/7 and poly[adenosine diphosphate-ribose] polymerase activity, chromatin fragmentation, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling), and diminished Akt phosphorylation. Remarkably, CBD attenuated myocardial dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis, oxidative/nitrative stress, inflammation, cell death, and interrelated signaling pathways. Furthermore, CBD also attenuated the high glucose-induced increased reactive oxygen species generation, nuclear factor-κB activation, and cell death in primary human cardiomyocytes.
Conclusions Collectively, these results coupled with the excellent safety and tolerability profile of CBD in humans, strongly suggest that it may have great therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic complications, and perhaps other cardiovascular disorders, by attenuating oxidative/nitrative stress, inflammation, cell death and fibrosis.
Laboratory/Animal/Preclinical Studies
Antitumor Effects
Appetite Stimulation
Analgesia
Cannabinoids are a group of 21-carboncontaining 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 (CBD), cannabichromene, cannabigerol, tetrahydrocannabivarin, and delta-8-THC. CBD, 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 (HCC) 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 invasion and metastasis.[9-12] One review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of action of cannabinoids as antitumor agents.[13] 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.[14]
The effects of delta-9-THC and a synthetic agonist of the CB2 receptor were investigated in HCC.[15] Both agents reduced the viability of HCC cells in vitro and demonstrated antitumor effects in HCC subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice. The investigations documented that the anti-HCC effects are mediated by way of the CB2 receptor. Similar to findings in glioma cells, the cannabinoids were shown to trigger cell death through stimulation of an endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway that activates autophagy and promotes apoptosis. Other investigations have confirmed that CB1 and CB2 receptors may be potential targets in non-small cell lung carcinoma [16] and breast cancer.[17]
An in vitro study of the effect of CBD on programmed cell death in breast cancer cell lines found that CBD induced programmed cell death, independent of the CB1, CB2, or vanilloid receptors. CBD inhibited the survival of both estrogen receptorpositive and estrogen receptornegative breast cancer cell lines, inducing apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner while having little effect on nontumorigenic, mammary cells.[18]
CBD has also been demonstrated to exert a chemopreventive effect in a mouse model of colon cancer.[19] In the experimental system, azoxymethane increased premalignant and malignant lesions in the mouse colon. Animals treated with azoxymethane and CBD concurrently were protected from developing premalignant and malignant lesions. In in vitro experiments involving colorectal cancer cell lines, the investigators found that CBD protected DNA from oxidative damage, increased endocannabinoid levels, and reduced cell proliferation.
Another investigation into the antitumor effects of CBD examined the role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1).[12] ICAM-1 expression has been reported to be negatively correlated with cancer metastasis. In lung cancer cell lines, CBD upregulated ICAM-1, leading to decreased cancer cell invasiveness.
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.[20] 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. However, research with immunocompetent murine tumor models has demonstrated immunosuppression and enhanced tumor growth in mice treated with THC.[21,22]
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.[23] As a result, a hypothesis that phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids may be useful in the risk reduction and treatment of colorectal cancer has been developed.[24-27]
CBD may also enhance uptake of cytotoxic drugs into malignant cells. Activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 (TRPV2) has been shown to inhibit proliferation of human glioblastoma multiforme cells and overcome resistance to the chemotherapy agent carmustine.[28] In an in vitro model, CBD increased TRPV2 activation and increased uptake of cytotoxic drugs, leading to apoptosis of glioma cells without affecting normal human astrocytes. This suggests that coadministration of CBD with cytotoxic agents may increase drug uptake and potentiate cell death in human glioma cells. 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.[29] Moreover, CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus may be involved in the motivational or reward aspects of eating.[30] 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 regions of the brain that regulate nociceptive processing.[31] 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.[32,33]
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.[34-36] One study reported that the efficacy of synthetic CB1- and CB2-receptor agonists were comparable with the efficacy of morphine in a murine model of tumor pain.[37] 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]
- Ramer R, Bublitz K, Freimuth N, et al.: Cannabidiol inhibits lung cancer cell invasion and metastasis via intercellular adhesion molecule-1. FASEB J 26 (4): 1535-48, 2012. [PUBMED Abstract]
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To: Teófilo
I'm pleased to hear that, because you must know the floodgates for mj legalization are wide open, now that fedgov won't interfere.
Your position is one of respect for the Constitution, something which most Drug Warriors lack.
18
posted on
09/09/2013 1:50:31 PM PDT
by
Ken H
(First rule of gun safety - have a gun)
To: Teófilo
The duty of Catholic citizens in the United States is to uphold drug control The Framers of the Constitution of the United States described in its preamble a number of values to be protected by our government...
What is a stake if our personal freedom.
LOL, gotta love the Jesuits.
No one, and I mean absolutely no one, can do to words, what Jesuits can do to words.
Even Satan stands in awe.
19
posted on
09/09/2013 1:52:54 PM PDT
by
Talisker
(One who commands, must obey.)
To: Teófilo
What is a stake if our personal freedom. No society is truly free when the members of such a society are slaves to chemicals
Ditto to this.
Druggies don’t live in isolation. Their addiction always impacts others. Taxpayers foot the healthcare bill of poor druggies. Taxpayers pay for social services which are used when druggies neglect & abuse children.
I never see drug legalazation advocates mention how others are negatively by a druggie
20
posted on
09/09/2013 1:59:03 PM PDT
by
RginTN
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