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New Research On Cannabidiol Offering Better Understanding
Of The Great Medical Potential Of Marijuana
A Personal Newsletter on the Cannabis Controversies
Richard Cowan, Editor and Publisher
March 6, 1998
I am indebted to Eric E. Skidmore of Alaska NORML
[17]http://www.alaska.net/~anc4hemp/ancnorml.html for sending me the
following material. There are links to other studies on the Alaska
NORML site at [18]http://www.alaska.net/~anc4hemp/skidmore.html .
It has been obvious for some time that THC alone was not the only
therapeutic ingredient in marijuana, but until recently there was
little research to back this up. New research on Cannabidiol and other
ingredients is offering a better understanding of the great medical
potential of marijuana, and greatly complicating the cover-up.
One of the abusrdities of the prohibitionist position on marijuana has
been the conflict between two of their sound bites:
1. There are hundreds of ingredients in marijuana about which we know
nothing, so it has unknown risks, and
2. There is no need for medical use of whole marijuana because we
have Marinol. (Synthetic THC). In short, "Stop vomiting and take
your pill and shut up!")
Marinol has always been more of political than pharmaceutical product.
As Eric Skidmore observes, even though CBD is of particular interest
it has to be ignored, "since it is missing from Marinol...the
governments main "excuse" for excluding marijuana from therapeutic
usage. CBD is not psycho-active but the government is afraid to
research it because it would paradigm shift their "all marijuana is
evil" fraud. Even if they approved of it they’d require drug
companies to make it from coal-tar at great expense. Marijuana gets
special treatment, different from opium derivatives and cocaine."
Cannabidiol: The Wonder Drug of the 21st Century?
The traditional use of Cannabis as an analgesic, anti-asthmatic, and
anti-rheumatic drug is well established. This British study also
suggests that cultivation of Cannabis plants rich in Cannabidiol (CBD)
and other phenolic substances would be useful not only as fiber
producing plants but also for medicinal purposes in the treatment of
certain inflammatory disorders. CBD was found to be more effective
than aspirin as an anti-inflammatory agent. "Analgesic and
Anti-inflammatory Activity of Constituents of Cannabis Sativa L.,"
E.A. Formukong, A.T. Evans, and F.J. Evans, Inflammation, Vol. 4,
1988, pp. 361-371.
Cannabidiol, CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid of Marijuana, was
given to 5 patients with dystonia disorders. Improvement occurred in
all 5 patients by 20-50%. "Open Label Evaluation of Cannabidiol in
Dystonic Movement Disorders," Consroe, et al, International Journal of
Neuroscience, 1986, Vol. 30, pp.277-282.
Three patients with Huntington’s Disease who had been previously
unresponsive to therapy with neuroleptics, were given Cannabidiol,
(CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid of Marijuana. After the second
week improvement in choreic movement occurred by 20-40%. Except for
transient, mild hypo-tension no side effects were recorded."Effects of
Cannabidiol in Huntington’s Disease," Sandyk, Consroe, Stern, and
Snider, Neurology, 36 (Suppl. 1) April, 1986, p.342.
In this Brazilian study of 8 Epileptic patients receiving Cannabidiol,
(CBD), 4 were free of convulsions, 3 had partial improvement, and 1
was unchanged. No serious side effects were found. This is quite
important, as complex partial seizures with secondary generalization
are difficult to treat with currently used drugs. The potential use of
CBD as an anti-epileptic drug and its possible potentiating effect on
other drugs are discussed. "Chronic Administration of Cannabidiol to
Healthy Volunteers and Epileptic Patients," Pharmacology, 21: 1980,
J.M. Cunha, et al, pp.175-185.
Subjects receiving 160 mg. Cannabidiol reported having slept
significantly more than those receiving placebo; seven out of eight
epileptics receiving Cannabidiol had improvement of their disease
state. (Brazil) "Hypnotic and Antiepileptic Effects of Cannabidiol,"
Carlini, E.A., and Cunha, J.A., Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 1981:
21: pp. 417S-427S.
Three patients with TS who experienced incomplete responses to
conventional anti-TS drugs but noted a significant amelioration of
symptoms when smoking marijuana. The effects of marijuana on TS may be
related to its anxiety-reducing properties, although a more specific
antidyskinetic effect cannot be excluded. Eliminating the psychoactive
properties of marijuana while retaining the antidyskinetic effects
(Cannabidiol) could prove beneficial. "Marijuana and Tourette’s
Syndrome," (letter), Sandyk and Awerbuch, Journal of Clinical
Psychopharmacology, Vol. 8, No. 6, Dec. 1988, pp.444-5.
"Anti-dyskinetic effects of cannabidiol," Conti, L.H., Johannesen, J.,
Musty, R.E., Consroe, P., Proceedings of the International Congress on
Marijuana. 1987: 21. Melbourne, Australia.
This Brazilian study Investigates the possible anti-psychotic activity
of CBD by studying the effect of this cannabinoid on animal models
used in research with potential anti-psychotic properties. CBD seems
to compare favorably with haloperidol as an anti-psychotic. "Effects
of CBD in animal models predictive of anti-psychotic activity,"
Zuardi, A.W., Rodrigues, J.A., Cunha, J.M., Psychopharmacology 1991:
104: pp. 260-264.
CBD blocks some of the effects of THC in mice but potentiates some
other effects. (Brazil)"Pharmacological Interaction between
Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol," Karniol, I.G., Carlini, E.A.,
Psychopharmacologia 1973: 33: pp. 53-70.
CBD was effective in blocking most of the effects of THC, increased
pulse rate, disturbed time tasks, and psychological reactions. CBD
also decreased the anxiety components of THC. (Brazil) "Cannabidiol
Interferes with the effects of Tetrahydrocannabinol in Man," Karniol,
I.G., Shirakawa, I., Kasinski, N., Pfeferman, A., Carlini, E.A.,
European Journal of Pharmacology 1974: 28: pp. 172-177.
One of the first studies that clearly shows that hemp grown for fiber
is very low in THC, the psychoactive component that gets people high.
The drug-type marijuana is very high in THC. Cannabidiol (CBD) which
is not psychoactive, is very high in fiber-type hemp but low in
drug-type marijuana. This is important as CBD is known to block the
effects of THC. This makes the hemp doubly useless for drug effects.
"Chemistry of Marijuana," Coy Waller. Pharmacological Reviews, Vol.
23, No. 4, 1971.
Wild ‘marijuana’ growing in Riley County Kansas was found to
be very low in THC content. (Below the European threshold for fiber
hemp.) The leaves and flowering tops averaged from 0.01-0.49% THC with
a mean of 0.14% THC. CBD, which blocks the psychoactive effects of
THC, was as high as 1.7%.
"Seasonal Fluctuations in Cannabinoid Content of Kansas Marijuana,"
R.P.
Latta, and B.J. Eaton. Economic Botany, 29: April-June, 1975, pp.
153-163.
Researchers for the Canadian Department of Agriculture tested over 350
varieties of Cannabis in Ottawa, Ontario. They determined that there
were two basic types of Cannabis based on genetic characteristics: a
drug-type which originates in hot climates such as India and is high
in THC but low in CBD and a fiber-type which originates in temperate
climates and is low in THC but high in CBD and is used industrially
for fiber and food. This awareness of the separateness of the two
phenotypes has vast agronomic potential. It means fiber hemp can be
grown without the drug effect of ‘marijuana.’"The Evolution
of Cannabinoid Phenotypes in Cannabis," Ernest Small, H.D. Beckstead,
and Allan Chan, Economic Botany, 29: 1975, pp. 219-232.
Ten mg. of THC is required to get a psychoactive effect from
‘marijuana.’ It would require 50-100 cigarettes of the
French hemp cultivated for paper to get a psychoactive high.
"Paper-making type of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivated in France:
Constituents compared to those of marijuana," Fournier and Paris,
(French) Plantes Medicinales et Phytotherapie, Vol. 13(2) April, 1979,
pp. 116-121.
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