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Marijuana-like drug eludes scientists

By JACOB GOLDSTEIN | Kentucky.com

Ricky Williams' claim that marijuana helps stave off social anxiety may have scientific merit, but developing a drug that could produce similar results will take years, medical experts said Thursday.

In lab animals, higher levels of cannabinoids -- the compounds found in marijuana, and which occur naturally in the brain -- sometimes decrease anxiety.

Scientists are trying to develop a drug that would replicate this effect in humans. But even under the rosiest circumstances, it will take nearly a decade to bring the drug to market.

In the meantime, scientists recommend against smoking marijuana to relax.

''One of the reasons humans use marijuana is because it reduces anxiety,'' said Cecilia Hillard, a professor of pharmacology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

"On the other hand, the reason most often cited for stopping using marijuana is that it causes anxiety.''

Daniele Piomelli, the scientist who is developing the cannabinoid-based drug, is more blunt.

''Cannabis is not a very good medicine,'' he said.

[Greenbudnote: Seems to work just fine for the medical marijuana patients who swear by it. Maybe he's talking about the schwaggy ditchweed the government supplies the federally-funded researchers. Or maybe he's just bitter because the government won't let him develop any medicine derived from the actual plant.]

PROMISING TESTS

A compound Piomelli developed at the University of California at Irvine slows the breakdown of the cannabinoids that occur naturally in the brain.

Tests in mice and rats suggest this may reduce anxiety without causing the memory loss, appetite increase and decrease in cognitive function associated with smoking marijuana. Human trials of the compound are slated to begin within two years, Piomelli said.

But drugs that work in mice often fail in people, and several experts said they were not aware of any studies that used marijuana to treat anxiety in humans.

Scientists following federal recommendations have studied marijuana to treat multiple sclerosis, advanced HIV and cancer-related pain. The government has approved a marijuana-like drug to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea.

[Greenbudnote: Synthetic, of course.]

It's more difficult for psychiatrists to study marijuana.

''It's kind of hard to do that research, because of the illegal nature of the drug,'' said Dianne Chambless, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist who studies social-anxiety disorder.

THERAPY

Chambless said therapy for social-anxiety disorder often helps patients relax by understanding that the whole world is not judging their every move -- which might not be the case for a star running back like Williams.

''For most people with social anxiety everybody really isn't watching you or judging you, but for people in his position, people really are,'' she said. "It's a very tough position to be in.''

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xxdr_zombiexx

Stupid scientists.

When I saw the title I said to myself: "Hell...I have a marijuana-like drug right here......Marijuana!".



In lab animals, higher levels of cannabinoids -- the compounds found in marijuana, and which occur naturally in the brain -- sometimes decrease anxiety.

"On the other hand, the reason most often cited for stopping using marijuana is that it causes anxiety.''


I believes we is jest a bit more complexer than a lab rat.

or - medications work one way for X% of people and paradoxically for another X% of people. Shirly they would consider this phenomena.....


''It's kind of hard to do that research, because of the illegal nature of the drug,'' said Dianne Chambless, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist who studies social-anxiety disorder.

Mission Accomplished! We AREN'T SUPPOSED to be studying any potential 'goodness" of cannabis. It's a threat to hoarded corporate profits and concentrated political power..... And will ruin 70 years of perfectly good lies and propaganda.

Supporting marijuana prohibition is not only wrong...it's stupid.

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Alien Space Signal

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Fear became the ultimate tool of this government - V.

Medicalman

One of the biggest problems with this research is that anxiety is a very broad term that covers many root causes and is mostly guesswork and human judgement when it comes to diagnoses. PTSD based anxiety is related to physical changes in the part of the brain called the amigdyla (sp?) while other forms of anxiety are psychologically based, not psychiatrically or neurologically based. Next to depression, anxiety is probably the most misdiagnosed and misunderstood of the mental "illnesses".

How can you develop a medicine for a condition that has multiple possible causes, and no definitive objective diagnosing criteria? Two of the only methods I'm aware of that even comes close to finding the cause (or ruling out certain causes) of anxiety involves either multiple spinal punctures every day for weeks to determine brain chemical levels, or even worse, open brain proceedures to directly measure those chemicals and where they are present and in what levels. Even the open brain proceedure leaves some guesswork since truly measuring certain things requires a dead patient who can't report symptoms. Did these researchers do those things to hundreds of patients? I doubt it.

Natural cannabis is likely so effective on anxiety in general because of the different specific actions of the different specific cannabinoids and flavinoids present in the plant. There are dozens of compounds that could each benefit different root causes of anxiety. Some, like CBD, desensitize certain parts of the brain and neural system and sedate others, other cannabinoids, like THC, activate certain "euphoria" centers in the brain. The anti-oxidant and neuroprotectant qualities of flavinoids and related compounds also likely effect different body functions and systems.

This shows one of my biggest hangups with science in regards to cannabis medicines. They do not really use a true scientific method to do much of the research being done. There are too many undocumented variables in much of the research. What strains are being used? What methods were used to grow the plants? What are the levels of each specific cannabinoid and flavinoid in the samples used for the research? What is the specific biological mechanism that is malfunctioning to cause the "illness" in the first place?

I can't wait to get to the research phase of my education.

Best
MM

TrippinBTM

Hmm, here's a thought. Rather than go to all the trouble to create a drug that impersonates marijuana, why not just use what nature or God (depending on your preference) gave us, and legalize it? Seems like the obvious solution to me...
-B

melanotaenia

well, I can speak from experience because my doctor has diagnosed me with chronic anxiety problems, and recommends Xanax to help; but guess what? Xanax does not help at all; I have tried it without smoking any weed and it does not help me at all. Then I tried an experiment with using MJ and not taking the Xanax prior to going to sleep and guess what? The MJ worked. So now I have to tell my doctor, who is an M.D. with over 20 years in the medical field, that her prescriptions do nothing for me and that a simple weed from the earth does more than any drug she can prescribe me. Of course, I am not going to tell her I smoke, but it sucks that anxiety, something that can harm you in you life everyday, can only be curbed by a couple of bong hits; no expensive drug will help me. Oh well, I am going to take a bong hit right now; screw the anti-anxiety medicines. While this may sound kind of like a rant, I have realized that nothing that my doctor can prescribe me can compare to a simple smoke off of my pipe or bong, which relieves my anxiety each and every time

Gotta love that wonderful weed God put on the earth for US.

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StonedOne420

''One of the reasons humans use marijuana is because it reduces anxiety,'' said Cecilia Hillard, a professor of pharmacology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

"On the other hand, the reason most often cited for stopping using marijuana is that it causes anxiety.''

Hmmm... one rather obvious reason for this seems to be the fact that smoking the wonderful herb requires breaking the law... why wouldnt that cause anxiety in your average citizen who wants nothing more than to relax, without having to worry about some DEA thugs bashing down the door or landing a helicopter in the front yard?

Damn I'm glad I live in Canada