Random research, on marijuana - original post 02/16/2012

So usually, when I sit here, having a bad day, I do research about my condition. 

I guess, it helps make me feel better. 

The title of my blog contains the words medical marijuana, and I have only said that I use it to treat my Crohn's, I know from digging a bit, over a year ago, that it was just starting to be looked at as a treatment for IBD sufferes. 

Of course there is more information now.....

procon.org is a great place to do research, as they offer a fairly unbiased view, and is a source that college professors will let you site on a paper. Here they offer the views and opinions of doctors and research, as with any form of science, results are always disputed, questioned, and re-tested. On the site there is a whole list of pro's and con's, coming from medicine journals, and doctors to foundations and others. 

Aside from this site and a very few others, most of the information out there is hear say, on web sites from dispensaries, not from doctors, or research labs/universities. It took a lot of digging and I finally found some information, that again like procon.org, you are able to site on a college paper. 

"Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists." - ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2009) 

The article goes into further detail, and the research that was done. They found that two compounds found in the cannabis plant -- the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol -- interact with the body's system that controls gut function. 

Dr Karen Wright said: "The lining of the intestines provides a barrier against the contents of the gut but in people with Crohn's Disease this barrier leaks and bacteria can escape into the intestinal tissue leading to an inappropriate immune response. If we could find a way to restore barrier integrity in patients we may be able to curb the inflammatory immune response that causes these chronic conditions."

Dr Wright's research found that cells in the GI tract that interact with the cannabinoid compounds play an important role in normal GI function and as well as the immune systems response to inflammation.

You can read the article further here.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091220175502.htm

In the end this is one of the only articles to be found, on a reputable site, about any research that has been done pertaining to medical marijuana and IBD.

The bottom line is more research needs to be done, and not just for IBD sufferer's, but for cancer patients, head and neck injuries, etc. There are certainly medical properties to this plant, that we are purposely ignoring because our government has determined it a greater threat then cocaine, meaning it has no medical value, and very dangerous.

Marijuana needs to moved off as a schedule 1 drug. It is absolutely absurd to to classify marijuana as just as dangerous a drug as heroin. Even heroin/opium is used to make pharmaceuticals, that's what Oxycodone and Oxycontin are derived from.


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