Posted by stjames on August 25, 2003, at 23:47:04
In reply to Re: Medical Marijuana is Legal in California » Ed O`Flaherty, posted by Simcha on August 24, 2003, at 1:13:10
http://www.thecompassionclub.org/library/news/news335.html
One explanation for the higher levels in schizophrenics is that the brain is attempting to compensate for a hyperactive dopamine system. "It's the brain's response to bring this dopamine activity down," says Piomelli. But the brain cannot keep the amount of anandamide high enough to lower dopamine levels, he says.
This might also explain why schizophrenics often smoke marijuana. The drug's active agent, THC, and anandamide both bind to the same receptor, so patients might be treating themselves, he says. But because pot does not act selectively in the brain, Piomelli does not consider it a useful treatment for schizophrenia. "I don't think the patient wants to be high," he says. "I think the patient wants to feel better."
One weakness in the data so far is that five of the patients were taking medication for their symptoms and three others were using marijuana daily. The effects of these drugs on endogenous cannabinoid levels is not known. "It is imperative to continue with a Sarger sample," says Piomelli. The researchers are now testing fluid. from more patients to see if the correlation still holds true.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/activist/args1.htm
{{5. "In a Swedish study following a cohort of 45,540 male military conscripts for 15 years, heavier cannabis users had a nearly three times greater risk of death than nonusers....and had an elevated risk of schizophrenia compared with nonusers."}}
A Johns Hopkins study, just as credible, showed that marijuana smokers were more ambitious than their peers and usually succeeded better than the rest.
The question here is "Death from what?" Their cannabis users could have been concentrated in those areas with a higher risk of death, in light of the fact that they engage in somewhat more risk taking than their peers. Like, for instance, our soldiers who smoked pot in Vietnam.
As for schizophrenia -- Did the pot cause the schizophrenia, or would it be more likely that a person with severe mental problems would try all sorts of self-medication to stop the voices in their head? I have a relative with schizophrenia and I can tell you what the answer is.
And, if the person is developing schizophrenia -- for any reason -- how does it help the situation to throw them in jail?
http://www.ndsn.org/summer99/marij3.html
Marijuana-Like Chemical May Have Role in
Schizoprhenia; Findings Raise Questions of Treatment MARIJUANA
Summer 1999According to researchers at the University of California at Irvine (UCI), the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenics contains twice the normal levels of anandamide, a chemical that resembles THC, the active ingredient in marijuana (F.M. Leweke, A. Giuffrida, U. Wurster, H.M. Emrich, and D. Piomelli, "Elevated endogenous cannabinoids in schizophrenia," Neuroreport, vol. 10, no. 83, June 1999, pp. 1665-1669; "Cannabis May Help Combat Schizophrenia," Orange County Register, May 18, 1999; Jonathan Knight, "Are People With Schizophrenia Drawn to Smoking Pot?" New Scientist, May 29, 1999, p. 7; Reuters, "Schizophrenia Brain Chemical Like Marijuana," Toronto Star, June 12, 1999).
Anandamide is a naturally produced lipid that binds to the same receptors in the brain as marijuana. Previous research on animals has shown that anandamide blocks production of dopamine. Overactivity of the dopamine system is a suspected cause of schizophrenia, a disease that affects about 1% of the U.S. population. The higher levels of anandamide indicate that the body of schizophrenic patients may be producing the chemical to compensate for a hyperactive dopamine system. However, the brain cannot produce high enough levels of anandamide to lower dopamine levels, according to researchers. Persons who suffer from schizophrenia often smoke marijuana and some researchers believe patients may be treating themselves with the drug.
However, according to Daniele Piomelli, one of the UCI researchers, who conducted a study of 10 patients with schizophrenia, it is possible that anandamide might play a role in schizophrenia, rather than relieve its symptoms. "The idea is to develop novel medicines that use marijuana as a model without the side effects," he said. Piomelli's group plans to expand their study to 200 patients.
Daniele Piomelli, Associate Professor - U.C. Irvine, Pharmacology Dept., Room #311, 313 NRF, Irvine, CA 92697, Tel: (949) 824-6771, Fax: (949) 824-4855, E-mail: <piomelli@uci.edu>.•
poster:stjames
thread:252995
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030823/msgs/254149.html