Madison NORML

The article discussed how the federal government suppressed evidence that marijuana could be a vital weapon against gliomas, and how this marijuana-prohibition related suppression could mean and has meant the difference between life and death for brain cancer patients like Sen. Kennedy.

The recent sudden death of NBC television’s Tim Russert from a heart attack at only 58 reminded me of Paul’s post. While news reports indicated Russert was being treated with conventional medications, his abrupt demise suggests they weren’t working. As one who has endured a lifetime of heart problems due to a congenital condition, I’m very aware of the medical value of cannabis for cardiac patients firsthand.

There is science to back it up too. In 2004, a study by a group of Swiss and German researchers, “Low dose oral cannabinoid therapy reduces progression of atherosclerosis in mice,” detailed how cannabinoids protects against heart attack, stroke and other heart disease. It’s interesting that the dosage required to attain the protective effect was less than the amount required for a psychoactive effect. So, cannabinoids could offer a heart medication that not only works, but has few side effects, certainly much fewer than the toxic standard pharmaceuticals commonly used to treat heart disease.

Here’s the study, as published in the Journal Nature, followed by a BBC article about the findings, which like most studies finding benefit from cannabis, did not receive much play in mainstream media.

Letters to Nature click here Nature 434, 782-786 (7 April 2005) | doi:10.1038/nature03389; Received 26 October 2004; Accepted 21 January 2005

There is a Corrigendum (26 May 2005) associated with this document.
Low dose oral cannabinoid therapy reduces progression of atherosclerosis in mice

Sabine Steffens1, Niels R. Veillard1,5, Claire Arnaud1,5, Graziano Pelli1, Fabienne Burger1, Christian Staub3, Andreas Zimmer4, Jean-Louis Frossard2 and François Mach1
1. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Foundation for Medical Research, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
2. Division of Gastroenterology, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
3. Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
4. Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
5. These authors contributed equally to this work
Correspondence to: François Mach1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to F.M. (Email: Francois.Mach@medecine.unige.ch).

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, and is the primary cause of heart disease and stroke in Western countries1. Derivatives of cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) modulate immune functions2 and therefore have potential for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. We investigated the effects of THC in a murine model of established atherosclerosis. Oral administration of THC (1 mg kg-1 per day) resulted in significant inhibition of disease progression. This effective dose is lower than the dose usually associated with psychotropic effects of THC. Furthermore, we detected the CB2 receptor (the main cannabinoid receptor expressed on immune cells2, 3) in both human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques. Lymphoid cells isolated from THC-treated mice showed diminished proliferation capacity and decreased interferon- secretion. Macrophage chemotaxis, which is a crucial step for the development of atherosclerosis1, was also inhibited in vitro by THC. All these effects were completely blocked by a specific CB2 receptor antagonist4. Our data demonstrate that oral treatment with a low dose of THC inhibits atherosclerosis progression in the apolipoprotein E knockout mouse model, through pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects on lymphoid and myeloid cells. Thus, THC or cannabinoids with activity at the CB2 receptor may be valuable targets for treating atherosclerosis.

BBC article on study:

Cannabis chemical 'helps heart' click here

A chemical in cannabis can help ward off strokes and heart disease, scientists believe.

Swiss researchers found THC, one of 60 cannabinoids in the drug, helped stop the narrowing of arteries to the brain and heart in a study of mice.

But the team, from Geneva University Hospital, said smoking cannabis did not produce the same effect.

However UK experts warned more research was needed before firm conclusions could be drawn.

Deaths

Blocked arteries - a condition known as atherosclerosis - are estimated to be responsible for up to 50% stroke and heart disease deaths in developing countries each year.

In the study, published in the Nature journal, mice were fed a high cholesterol diet to make them develop atherosclerosis and then given THC, which causes the high during cannabis use.

The Swiss researchers found THC stopped inflammation of blood vessels, which is largely responsible for blocking arteries.

The chemical worked by suppressing the immune system's response to a protein which is responsible for inflammation.

We certainly hasten to advise against people smoking cannabis to protect their heart health Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation

Lead researcher Francois Mach said while drugs such as statins which lower blood pressure and cholesterol had proved extremely effective the findings were still of "great medical interest".

And he added: "The dose [used] is lower than the dose usually associated with psychotropic effects of THC."