Health & Medicine
New Jersey School Becomes First In U.S. To Allow Medical Marijuana For Students
Thanks to the recent enactment of New Jersey Assembly Bill 4587, an elementary school that caters to children with disabilities has become the first in the country to permit disabled students to legally consume medical marijuana to alleviate their symptoms.
Per New Jersey Assembly Bill 4587:
“1. (New section) a. A board of education or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school shall develop a policy authorizing parents, guardians, and primary caregivers to administer medical marijuana to a student while the student is on school grounds, aboard a school bus, or attending a school-sponsored event.”
Larc School, which specializes in educating schoolchildren “suffering a wide range of disabilities,” agreed to new guidelines for its students to use medical marijuana on Wednesday night. This historic decision came only a few short days after New Jersey’s Gov. signed A4587. With Chris Christie signature at the bottom of A4587, private schools and their instructors in the Garden State are now protected from any legal ramifications should a sick or disabled student consume medical marijuana during school hours.
Read more at NJ.com
(Photo Courtesy of Larc School)
Liver Cancer and Cannabis: Study Finds Cannabinoids Have Anti-Tumoral Effect on HCC
A new report published on PubMed.gov demonstrates that cannabinoids from the marijuana plant could provide a new choice of treatment for those suffering from one of today’s deadlier forms of liver cancer.
HCC – also known as Hepatocellular Carcinoma – is one of the most common forms of liver cancer affecting men over the age of 50. Long considered to be one of the more lethal cancer-related illnesses, HCC accounts for roughly 75% of all liver cancers.
HCC, unlike metastatic liver cancer, starts and remains in the liver, and is caused by scarring within this vital organ. While there may be many root sources of this deadly scarring within the liver (a.k.a. cirrhosis of the liver), the primary players are; alcohol abuse, autoimmune diseases of the liver, and the hepatitis B or C virus.
Currently only a few viable treatment options are offered by Western medicine, but according to an October 23rd report published by The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, cannabinoids may soon provide a treatment option for this insidious disease.
According to the study’s abstract, “The present study aimed to investigate the effects of cannabinoids as novel therapeutic targets in HCC.” By utilizing synthetic cannabinoids on the damaged cell lines, the scientists discovered that even man-made cannabinoids inhibited the growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, leading to a healthier liver and cell cycle arrest.
Leaving the report to conclude: “These results suggested that cannabinoid receptor agonists, including WIN, may be considered as novel therapeutics for the treatment of HCC.”
The below video is Michael Cutlers’ story on beating liver cancer with cannabis oil.
Science: 2015’s 5 Most Significant Cannabinoid Studies
With just over two months to go before we ring in 2016, this has been another stealer year for cannabinoid research. One in which countless studies have provided new and compelling evidence that marijuana’s cannabinoids offer an incredibly wide spectrum of safe, non-addictive, and effectual remedies for many of today’s more perplexing health issues.
While there have been several cannabinoid related studies performed in 2015, below are my top 5 choices for the most compelling studies/news stories published so far this year.
Research Shows THC Could Inhibit Organ Rejection in Transplant Patients:
In this September 2015 study performed by scientists at the University of South Carolina, researchers were more than pleasantly surprised when they discovered that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) worked wonders for inhibiting organ rejection in transplant patients. Potentially planting the seed of a whole new anti-rejection therapy for patients who have recently undergone organ transplants.
Research Shows Aggression Reduced by Cannabinoids:
This important nugget of research demonstrates, I think, why most young males are drawn towards smoking weed as a means of coping with an onslaught of rage inducing news on a daily basis. Or, as PubMed.gov dubbed it in their July 2015 report – “the role of CB2 receptors in social and aggressive behavior.”
Research Shows CBD Cannabinoid May Prevent Broken Bones:
In this July 22, 2015 study, the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research reported that marijuana’s CBD cannabinoid had yet another miracle cure in it’s bag of tricks; helping broken bones heal faster and making them harder to break in the future.
Research Shows Marijuana Cannabinoids are Safe, and Help with Chronic Pain:
While not summarized exactly the same way, an October 2nd study from the Great White North suggested that 2 1/2 grams of cannabis a day was a perfectly sensible and safe way of managing chronic pain. According to the research published in the Journal of Pain, small daily doses of marijuana can be safely utilized as part of a pain management program; minus the fear of addiction, mood swings, or a diminished IQ.
The National Cancer Institute Updates FAQ Page: ‘Cannabinoids Kills Cancer’:
An August 2015 update from the National Cancer Institute to their ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page noted that “Cannabinoids Kill Cancer” by inhibiting tumor growth and restricting the necessary blood vessel development required for tumors to spread within the host.
As the 2015 harvest season begins for outdoor cultivators, who knows what kind of scientific miracles they’ll attribute to marijuana’s myriad of beneficial cannabinoids by the end of the year?
Fingers crossed…