Links to DU threads in other forums regarding cannabis issues

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002150003

Pot smokers don't puff away lung health: study
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101422478

Marijuana doesn't harm lung function, study found
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002150261

This study from 1975 demonstrated the use of cannabis for asthma.

(I'm posting a link that goes directly to the article but it you google the title, you can obtain the study as a pdf doc.)

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/medical/tashkin/tashkin1.htm

Effects of Smoked Marijuana in Experimentally Induced Asthma

After experimental induction of acute bronchospasm in 8 subjects with clinically stable bronchial asthma, effects of 500 mg of smoked marijuana (2.0 per cent Delta 9-tetrahydrodrocannabinol) on specific airway conductance and thoracic gas volume were compared with those of 500 mg of smoked placebo marijuana (0.0 per cent Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol), 0.25 ml of aerosolized saline, and 0.25 ml of aerosolized isoproterenol (1,250 ug).

Bronchospasm was induced on 4 separate occasions, by inhalation of methacholine and, on four other occasions, by exercise on a bicycle ergometer or treadmill. Methacholine and exercise caused average decreases in specific airway conductance of 40 to 55 per cent and 30 to 39 per cent, respectively, and average increases in thoracic gas volume of 35 to 43 per cent and 25 to 35 per cent, respectively.

After methacholine-induced bronchospasm, placebo marijuana and saline inhalation produced minimal changes in speci! fic airway conductance and thoracic gas volume, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana and isoproterenol each caused a prompt correction of the bronchospasm and associated hyperinflation. After exercise-induced bronchospasm, placebo marijuana and saline were followed by gradual recovery during 30 to 60 min, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana and isoproterenol caused an immediate reversal of exercise-induced asthma and hyperinflation.

Another study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1429361/

Abstract
1 delta1-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol, (delta1-THC) produces bronchodilatation in asthmatic patients. 2 Administered in 62 microliter metered volumes containing 50--200 microgram by inhalation from an aerosol device to patients judged to be in a steady state, it increased peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). 3 The rate of onset, magnitude, and duration of the bronchodilator effect was dose related.

Another one

Acute Effects of Smoked Marijuana on Specific Airway Conductance in Asthma Subjects
American Review of Respiratory Disease, Volume 109, 1974, p. 420-428

By Donald P. Tashkin, Bertrand J. Shapiro, and Ira M. Frank

SUMMARY: The acute effects of smoked 2 per cent natural marijuana (7 mg per kg) and 15 mg of oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on plethysmographically determined airway resistance (Raw) and specific airway conductance (SGaw) were compared with those of placebo in 10 subjects with stable bronchial asthma using a double-blind crossover technique. After smoked marijuana, SGaw increased immediately and remained significantly elevated (33 to 48 per cent above initial control values) for at least 2 hours, whereas Sgaw did not change after placebo. The peak bronchodilator effect of 1,250 mcg of isoproterenol was more pronounced than that of marijuana, but the effect of marijuana lasted longer.

After ingestion of 15 mg of THC, SGaw was elevated significantly at 1 and 2 hours, and Raw was reduced significantly at 1 to 4 hours, whereas no changes were noted after placebo. These findings indicated that in the asthmatic subjects, both smoked marijuana and oral THC caused significant bronchodilation of at least 2 hours' duration.

Introduction

In the nineteenth century, one of the medicinal uses of marijuana was in the therapy of bronchial asthma (1); however, no definite evidence of its effectiveness as a bronchodilator was adduced until recent studies demonstrated significant airway dilatation in healthy young men after both the smoking of marijuana (2,3) and the ingestion of its principal psychoactive ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (3). Whether similar effects could be elicited in subjects with bronchospastic disease was of interest because the irritant effect of marijuana smoke, which is probably responsible for the symptoms of bronchitis attributed to heavy or chronic marijuana smoking (4,5), might outweigh the bronchodilator properties of delta-9-THC, thereby resulting in bronchospasm in patients with hyper-reactive airways. Consequently, the acute effects of both inhaled marijuana smoke and oral delta-9-THC on specific airway conductance (SGaw) were investigated in a group of patients with clinically stable bronchial asthma.

It is counter intuitive to assume any smoked material might have a positive effect - with current uses of vaporizers or sublingual cannabis meds, tho, smoking can be avoided.

Cannabis that contains CBD as well as THC seems to be useful b/c of the anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties of CDB.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10168242#post13

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-case-for-treating-ptsd-in-veterans-with-medical-marijuana/251466/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002190289#post2

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/judge-to-gov-you-lose-on-medical-pot/article_e0842d28-b9dc-578e-942c-fa3add84cfc1.html

A state judge has ordered Gov. Jan Brewer to fully implement the 2010 voter-approved Medical Marijuana Act, saying she acted illegally by holding it up.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Richard Gama rejected the governor's argument that she has the discretion to delay enactment of parts of the law while she sought a ruling from another court about the liability of state workers under federal drug laws.

"Defendants cite no authority for this proposition, and the court has found none," Gama wrote in his ruling made public Wednesday.

... Gama also ruled state Health Director Will Humble illegally imposed some rules on who can and cannot have a license to operate a marijuana dispensary. The judge said nothing in the voter-approved law allows such restrictions.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002191255

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/20/poland-marijuana-law-janusz-palikot_n_1218490.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
<snip>
The leader of a new left-wing party in Poland threatened to light up a joint in Parliament on Friday – but just burned incense instead.

Janusz Palikot is campaigning to get soft drugs legalized and to otherwise liberalize the conservative country.

"We're trying to get into room 143 to burn some grass, in accordance with our announcement," Palikot told reporters in a news conference held in his Parliament office.

Palikot's plan, however, put him on a collision course with the speaker, Ewa Kopacz, who vowed not to let him break the law in parliament.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101432442

Pot-based prescription drug looks for FDA OK

By LISA LEFF, Associated Press – Sun Jan 22, 4:39 pm ET
SAN FRANCISCO – A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists.

A British company, GW Pharma, is in advanced clinical trials for the world's first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents_ a mouth spray it hopes to market in the U.S. as a treatment for cancer pain. And it hopes to see FDA approval by the end of 2013.

Sativex contains marijuana's two best known components — delta 9-THC and cannabidiol — and already has been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight European countries for a different usage, relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

FDA approval would represent an important milestone in the nation's often uneasy relationship with marijuana, which 16 states and the District of Columbia already allow residents to use legally with doctors' recommendations. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes pot as a dangerous drug with no medical value, but the availability of a chemically similar prescription drug could increase pressure on the federal government to revisit its position and encourage other drug companies to follow in GW Pharma's footsteps.

http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_bi_ge/us_marijuana_drug_development

It works for me... Lots better than all the drugs the VA gives me.

Hyper-vigilance, anxiety,night terrors, flash backs, sweats, rapid heart beat, panic attacks... U want to add pot? Thats a recipe for chaos and destruction. I have ptsd. I used to smoke pot, I used to think pot had no links to flip outs/agression, well it does. I found out personally just recently that it does. Brain chemistry is very complex, some people will never have a problem on pot, some will go nuts. And I think for ptsd pot is just fuel for the fire.

Part of the issue depends upon the person and a LARGE PART of the issue depends upon the ratio of THC to CBD. These two active cannabinoids buffer one another.

The indoor strains of cannabis that have been cultivated since the 1980s emphasized THC and decreased levels of CBD. Too much THC relative to CBD can and does cause paranoid thoughts and some symptoms of a panic attack.

Fortunately, there are strains for arthritis, etc. that are high in CBD (which doesn't provide the cerebral high of THC) that don't have any reactions like paranoia. CBD relaxes and helps with sleep.

So, having clearly labeled cannabis with ratios of THC to CBD is another value of legalization so that people can find what works for them. To have the positive effects of THC and CBD, people can have two strains that are mixed together.

Your opinion about the value of cannabis for PTSD isn't born out by studies into its usefulness for people who deal with depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and agitation b/c of PTSD. Tho, of course, everyone is different.

Your personal experience indicates you should not use cannabis - or not use it with the percentage of THC that was in the cannabis you had. But others have different experiences.

Just like with any other medicine.