Marijuana: A Potential Treatment for “Swine Flu”?
(4/29/09: update added to end of article)
(6/1/09: update added to end of article)
So as the world slowly but surely begins to freak out about the new swine flu going around, I came across an interesting article about Cannabis Science Inc. reporting on a “prospective life saving treatment for H1N1 Swine Flu and H5N1 Bird Flu”.
For those of you not aware, swine flu is highly virulent (meaning there is a reason behind the global interest in finding a way to stop it from spreading).
In walks Cannabis Science Inc. with their “whole-cannabis lozenge”. From the article:
Dr. Robert J. Melamede, Director and Chief Science Officer, stated, “The influenza virus has a unique genetic make up that, in combination with its replicative machinery, has an extraordinary capacity to mutate. As a result, the high lethality of some strains can be attributed to the resulting adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is caused by an excessive immune inflammatory response driven by Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) that leads to the death of respiratory epithelial cells and resulting organ failure. Endocannabinoids are nature’s way of controlling TNF activity. Existing peer reviewed publications have shown that phytocannabinoids can prevent this cell death by mimicking the endocannabinoids that nature has selected to prevent excessive inflammatory immune responses.”
In other words, the reason swine flu is so dangerous is because it causes your immune system to go into overdrive. Marijuana, however, is a proven immune system suppressant which, in this case, may aid in survival.
So we have a non-toxic, safe, cheap, potential-treatment for a disease that has some people using the word “pandemic”. On top of that, Cannabis Science Inc. has “offered to produce up to 1 million doses” of its lozenge and “provide them to HSA (Homeland Security Administration) for distribution at cost.”
What is there to lose?
(via MarketWatch)
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Update (4/29/09): Just to make it clear to anyone thinking, “Hey, smoking marijuana will keep me safe!” This research explicitly states that smoking marijuana will likely not provide the same medicinal affects that a lozenge would. The best affects are shown through absorption via the mouth (lozenge) or digestion (edibles).
Update (6/1/09): For those of you who are not aware–which based on the various comments made on this page is a lot of you–immune system suppression is not the same as a weakened immune system. The way the flu kills you is by causing your immune system to go into overdrive. Cannabinoids have been shown to keep the immune system from overreacting (supressing it) NOT by weakinging it by any means at all. So please stop making comments about this being “stupid” because it makes you weaker. If you belive this, you believe a fantasy.
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April 29th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
make sure to mention it should not be smoked!!!!!
April 29th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Good point. I don’t promote combustion at all, but I guess I should make sure to explicitly make it clear so people don’t assume smoking is as beneficial.
August 30th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Wow! This is ridiculously misleading. First of all, you can’t use it to treat flu by the most common method of smoking it. I’ve seen those vaporizers too; and you’re still inhaling smoke.
This story also states that marijuana is an immune system suppressant. Yet you’re promoting it for general medicinal use. What a scam!
If you really want to make this viable, lobby to get it tested through standard FDA protocols and monitored through the existing pharmacy system with limited, exact dosages. Dispensaries are just corner drug dealers with a license. Someone should take this system to the Supreme Court.
August 30th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Glad to see another comment, though I am sad to see you have yet to read my reply. I’ll shoot you an e-mail to let you know I’ve responded. Similar to my last response, I figure this would be easiest in a numbered format:
1. The only thing ridiculous is how you’ve managed to comment on an article you didn’t bother to read. I explicitly state that the treatment is via an oral lozenge and smoking will not affect anything. The article I link to says the same thing.
2. Vaporizers, by definition, do not produce smoke. They produce a vapor, similar to steam, by boiling the plant matter. The gas you see is a vapor, not a smoke. If you believe it is smoking, then you also believe that hot coffee smokes.
3. Again, had you actually bothered to read what you are commenting on, I explicitly explained what the term “immune system suppressant” refers to. The flu kills by causing your immune system to go into overdrive. By suppressing this, it is possible to save lives. What about that is bad?
4. People are lobbying for it to go through the FDA, but I’m confused why you believe that the lack of FDA support (a strictly-American system) somehow negates all the positive, global research into the plant.
5. Dispensaries are no more “corner drug dealers with licenses” than any other pharmacy. The difference is you can pick up things that can kill you at a pharmacy, while nothing at a dispensary will offer nearly the same danger.
6. As I said in my last comment, someone did take this system to the Supreme Court… and they lost. The supreme court of the united states upheld california’s medical marijuana system and rejected the appeals of those who wished to challenge it.