Thursday, April 6, 2017

Cannabis Oil Testimonials

Cannabis Oil Cures Lung & Brain Cancer:
The Stan Rutner Story

Stan and Barb Rutner are no strangers to cancer. <

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Medical Marijuana's effects on Parkinson's

Please watch this very short clip.

Watch Medical Marijuana's effect on Parkinson's, Part 3 of 3. Aided by a fellow Parkinson's patient and marijuana advocate, Larry tries medical marijuana for the first time. With a few drops of cannabis oil under his tongue, Larry's severe dyskinesia (uncontrolled movements), loss of voice, and tremors are calmed within in minutes! We didn't even edit the footage because the results were so startling. Please share this to help educate the public. This isn't about politics, people need to see how medical marijuana works on very real patients with very real problems!

I have seen the effects of cannabis on seizures, Parkinson's, PTSD and cancer.

Cannabis does not nor should it need to be monetized or monopolized by the government on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. Not by your govt or any govt. Cannabis belongs in the public domain.
Why? Because the human body arrives delivered with an immature nervous system and a mature cannabinoid receptor pathway built in.

When you buy a computer it comes with a full operating system built in and you don't expect to have to license and gain approval for a component to enable the proper functioning of your computer after delivery to your home, do you? No. Well now, the body is your fully functioning operating self modulating machine and cannabis ( oil and fresh juice) is integral to its high speed performance value. It's not the wifi, it's the code enabling function modulator.

The US govt has given the patent rights to Big Pharma while the FDA has now rewritten the cannabis scheduling laws to include the extracts of cannabis on its Scheduke 1 list. The FDA does not have subject matter jurisdiction to write or pass laws or amend laws to include previously unlisted components without due process and public input.

The FDA under the Dept of Human Resources is a Racketeering and Criminal Enterprise, engaging in collusion with Criminal Intent to Influct Criminal Abuse Criminal Harm and by Malice protect Special Interests in violation of its corporate mandates to serve the public health and to regulate for purposes of safety.

As such the FDA is a criminal violator of Public Trust.

You think about that.

You think about the reach of the FDA and its serial complicity against Public Health, Wellness and its collusion with principals and agents above and below its authority.

You think about the many thousands of victims caught in the crosshairs of the FDAs over reach and criminal protection racket.

You think about the victims of legislature enforced to protect that criminal protection racket
You think about the cronyism of the private for profit prison system benefitting from the cronyism of that criminal protection racket.

You watch this clip and think of the hundreds of thousands, millions of people suffering from seizure disorders, PTSD, cancer and many associative disorders and illness who are unable to access cannabis oil and fresh juice because of the criminal cronyist racketeering of the FDA and you remember that the govt of the US has owned the patents and research knowledge of this in full measure since before the first patent application on behalf of the US govt in 1974.

42 years.... Of racketeering and collusion to deny human benefits to something so simple.
42 years.....Of racketeering and collusion to feed a private for profit prison system.
42 years is a lifetime. It's more time than many needy patients were granted under this system of predatory corporate racketeering and collusion to protect special interests instead of human interest.
Patient Right to Access.
42 years is 42 years too long.

For those who are jumping on the bandwagon of rhetoric regarding cannabis medical approval by states... Save it. Your ignorance is astounding. GMO cannabis is no different to GMO corn, sugar beets, pineapples, potatoes, rice, soybeans and rape seed.

There is not a pharmaceutical on the market whose original benefits were not derived from the Botanical World. Synthetic derivatives are not the original compound and do not offer the same benefits. On the contrary synthetics come with risk benefit ratios you are not informed of but bear the burden of.

There is no informed consent to treatments. None.

Now please watch the clip.
DES.

Monday, October 10, 2016

How To: Rick Simpson Recommendation

For those of you who have watched the documentary “Run from the Cure“, this should answer any questions about producing your own hemp oil aka cannabis oil, not ‘hemp seed oil’ that can bought in health shops.

Caution: Oils that drug dealers sell can have many contaminants and often little or no THC. From my experience, most hemp oil available on the street should be avoided for medicinal use. Make your own oil or have someone you trust produce the oil to assure a very pure, high quality oil is produced.

How much to make and take?
One pound (500g) of bone-dry hemp buds will usually produce about 2 ounces (55 – 60 mL) of high-grade oil. This amount of oil will cure most serious cancers; the average person can ingest this amount in about three months. This oil is very potent so one must begin treatment with small doses. A drop of oil about half the size of a grain of rice, two to four times a day is a good beginning. After four or five days, start increasing your daily dosage very gradually. As time goes on the body builds a tolerance to the oil and more and more can be taken. In cases where people are in a great deal of pain, I recommend that their dosage be quickly increased until it kills the pain. High quality hemp oil will stop pain even when morphine is not effective. The oil can be applied to external injuries for pain relief in minutes.

Will I get high?
Following the dosage previously described, many people can take the full treatment and never get high. In regards to hemp, getting “high” is a joke, even if a person does take too much oil the effect wears off quickly and no harm is done. No one has ever died from the use of hemp medicine.

Will I become addicted?
Hemp oil does not cause your body to crave more. It is non-addictive, harmless and effective for practically any medical condition.

Is this the same as hemp seed oil?
No! This is hemp oil, made from the bud and small leaves of the hemp plant. It is the essential oil of the hemp plant. Health food store sells oil made from hemp seed that is often mislabeled as hemp oil. Although seed oil is very beneficial, it does not contain enough THC to have any effect on cancer and other serious illnesses.

Are hemp and marijuana the same?
The word marijuana is one of over four hundred slang terms used worldwide to describe the cannabis and/or hemp plant.

Are all hemp plants the same?
When buying or growing hemp, procure a strain that has the highest possible THC content. To energize someone suffering from depression, I recommend a good Sativa strain. For most other medical conditions, I strongly suggest that Indica strains be used. Indicas relax a person and provide them with more rest and sleep.

How do I use it?
High quality hemp oil can be vapourized, ingested or used topically. Add the oil to creams and salves for external use.

Where can I get information about making the oil?
The process in the video could only be described as crude at best, but the oil that is produced will cure cancer. In reality, this medicine should be produced in a controlled environment, using distilling equipment, etc. to reclaim the solvent and to purify the oil. Most people do not understand distilling and do not have access to the required equipment. This is the reason such a simple method is descried in the documentary, so if need be just about anyone can produce the oil. As in the video, again we stress that this process, if not done properly can be dangerous and we bear no responsibility if this educational information is misused.

Rick Simpsons process of making hemp oil

Starting material:

I generally work with a pound or more of good grade hemp starting material. You can use just one ounce. An ounce will usually produce 3 or 4 grams of oil. The amount of oil produced per ounce of hemp will vary from strain to strain, but it all has that wonderful healing power.
1 – Place the completely dry starting material in a plastic bucket.
2 – Dampen the material with the solvent you are using. Many solvents can be used. You will require about two gallons of solvent to strip the THC off one pound of dry starting material. 500 milliliters of solvent should be more than enough to strip the THC from one ounce of starting material. (Editors note: For more information about which solvent to use visit the Facebook group Cannabis Oil Success Stories)
3 – Crush the plant material using a stick of clean untreated (chemical free) wood or some such device. Even though the starting material has been dampened with the solvent, you will find that the material can be readily crushed.
4 – Add solvent until the starting material is completely covered.
Use the stick to work the plant material. As you are doing this, the THC dissolves off the plant material into the solvent.
5 – Continue this process for about 3 minutes.
6 – Pour the solvent-oil mix off the plant material into another bucket. You have just stripped the plant material of about 80% of its THC.
7 – Second wash – again add solvent to the plant material and work it for another 3 minutes to get the other 20%.
8 – Pour this solvent-oil mix into the bucket containing the first mix that was poured off previously.
9 – Discard the twice-washed plant material.
10 – Pour the solvent-oil mix through a coffee filter into a clean container.
11- Boil the solvent off. I have found that a rice cooker will do this boil off very nicely. The one I have has two heat settings – high and low – and will hold over a half gallon (2.5 liters) of solvent-oil mix.
12- Add solvent-oil mix to the rice cooker until it is about ¾ full.

Make sure you are in a very well ventilated area and set up a fan to carry the solvent fumes away. The fumes are very flammable. Be sure to stay away from red-hot elements, sparks, cigarettes etc. that could ignite the fumes.

13 – Plug the rice cooker in and set it on high heat.
14 – Continue adding solvent-oil mix as the level in the rice cooker decreases until it is all in the cooker.
15 – Add a few drops of water to the solvent-oil mix as the level comes down for the last time. The amount of water added depends on how much starting material you had in the beginning. If I am producing oil from a pound of good bud, I usually add about ten drops of water.
16 – When there is about one inch of solvent-oil-water mix left in the cooker, put on your oven mitts, pick the unit up and gently swirl the contents.
17 – Continue swirling until the solvent has been evaporated off. The few drops of water help release the solvent residue and protect the oil somewhat from too much heat. When the solvent has been boiled off, the cooker that I use automatically goes to low heat. This avoids any danger of overheating the oil. At no time should the temperature of the oil go over 290F degrees (140 C).
18 – Put on your oven mitts and remove the pot containing the oil from the rice cooker.
19 – Gently pour the oil into a small stainless steel container.
20 – Place this container in a dehydrator or put in on a gentle heating device such as a coffee warmer. It may take a few hours but the water and volatile turpines will be evaporated from the oil. When there is no longer any activity on the surface of the oil the medicine is ready for use.
21 – Pour the hot oil into a bottle; or as in the video suck it up into a plastic syringe. Putting the oil in a plastic syringe makes it very easy to dispense the medicine.
When the oil cools off it has the consistency of thick grease. Some strains will produce very thick oil and you may have trouble squeezing it out of the syringe. If this happens, place the syringe in warm water a few minutes prior to use.

To anyone starting to use hemp oil as a medication, here are some simple facts.

Hemp oil will lower blood pressure and if you are on blood pressure medication, you may find that this medication is no longer needed. The same is true for diabetics. I have seen hemp oil control blood sugar to the extent that insulin was no longer needed.

I am not a doctor and I do not have the right to tell people what they should do. Personally, I would not consider taking any cancer treatments currently in use by our medical system, I do not recommend that hemp oil be taken along with chemotherapy. What would be the sense of making your own cure and then allowing the medical system to give you massive doses of poison?

From my experience with hemp medicine, I have found that most pharmaceutical medications are no longer needed once a person starts using hemp oil. Hemp oil seems to mix well with most natural medications but I have had a few reports from people trying to take hemp oil and pharmaceuticals who experienced stomach pain etc. All problems ceased when they stopped taking the prescription drugs.

To anyone who is going to act on this information to help a loved one, I welcome you to the world of real medicine. Again, I caution you to be very careful when boiling the solvent off. The fumes are very flammable. Be sure to stay away from red-hot elements, sparks, cigarettes etc. that could ignite the fumes.

I wish you the best luck and health.
Warmest regards,
Rick Simpson.

Source www.phoenixtears.ca

Friday, October 7, 2016

PARKINSON'S DISEASE

As of October 2015 - States That Have Approved Medical Marijuana for Parkinson’s Disease

Currently, 10 states have approved medical marijuana for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. These states include Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
A number of other states will consider allowing medical marijuana to be used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease with the recommendation from a physician. These states include: California (any debilitating illness where the medical use of marijuana has been recommended by a physician), Nevada (other conditions subject to approval), Oregon (other conditions subject to approval), Rhode Island (other conditions subject to approval), and Washington (any “terminal or debilitating condition”).
In Washington D.C., any condition can be approved for medical marijuana as long as a DC-licensed physician recommends the treatment.
In addition, several states have approved medical marijuana specifically to treat “chronic pain,” a symptom that can arise in people with Parkinson’s. These states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The states of Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Vermont allow medical marijuana to treat “severe pain.” The states of Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington have approved cannabis for the treatment of “intractable pain.”
Also, 17 states have approved medical marijuana specifically for the treatment of nausea, which can develop from medications used to treat Parkinson’s. These states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

Source: Medical Marijuana Inc

25237116

Cannabis (medical marijuana) treatment for motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease: an open-label observational study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24614667

Studies on Cannabis and Parkinson's Disease

Study Name, Description & Year

Potential Of The Cannabinoid CB(2) Receptor As A Pharmacological Target Against Inflammation In Parkinson's Disease
Animal study (mice) — 2016

ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM: A Multi-facet Therapeutic Target
Review — 2016

Cannabinoid-dopamine Interactions In The Physiology And Physiopathology Of The Basal Ganglia
Review — 2016

Amyloid Proteotoxicity Initiates An Inflammatory Response Blocked By Cannabinoids
Laboratory Study — 2016

Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibition For The Symptomatic Relief Of Parkinson's Disease
Animal study (mice) — 2016

Cannabinoid Type 2 (CB2) Receptors Activation Protects Against Oxidative Stress And Neuroinflammation Associated Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration In Rotenone Model Of Parkinson's Disease
Animal study (Wistar rats) — 2016

Promising Cannabinoid-based Therapies For Parkinson’s Disease: Motor Symptoms To Neuroprotection
Review — 2015

Cannabinoids In Neurodegenerative Disorders And Stroke/Brain Trauma: From Preclinical Models To Clinical Applications
Review — 2015

Cannabinoid Receptors And Endocannabinoids: Role In Neuroinflammatory And Neurodegenerative Disorders
Literature review — 2010

Cannabidiol: A Promising Drug For Neurodegenerative Disorders?
Meta-analysis — 2009

Treatment Of A Hyperkinetic Movement Disorder During Pregnancy With Dronabinol
Human case study — 2009

WIN55,212-2, A Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist, Protects Against Nigrostriatal Cell Loss In The MPTP Mouse Model Of Parkinson’s Disease
Animal study (mice) — 2009

Cannabinoids And Neuroprotection In Basal Ganglia Disorders
Review — 2007

Survey On Cannabis Use In Parkinson's Disease: Subjective Improvement Of Motor Symptoms
Patients with Parkinson's — 2004

US Patent 6630507: Cannabinoids As Antioxidants And Neuroprotectants
Meta-analysis — 2003

View All Conditions

View All Cannabis Studies for Symptoms and Conditions

Source: Cannabis Reports

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Cannabis Periodic Table

A glimpse of possibility!

What our Health Care System will be in the near future.

To Order Your Copy Click Below

What A GREAT Conversation Piece!

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Cannabis Is In Your DNA

Please Share This Video Far and Wide

For A More Fully Informed Public

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aWXuaMXfbJA

Published on Apr 22, 2016

The nutritional and healing powers of fresh raw Cannabis is one of of the best kept secrets of the last century. Because Cannabis is, essentially, a wonder plant, it was only a matter of time before the anti-cannabis propaganda machine would fall apart. That is what is happening today. This video calls out the "authorities" who do nothing but harm the public for enrichment and corruption of the state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgEP9... (Dr. William Courtney, Cannabis Therapies)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttdD... (How Cannabis Cures Cancer)

https://www.leafly.com/news/health/a-...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsDic... (Documentary on Cannabis)

http://www.naturalnews.com/035759_can...

http://montanabiotech.com/2011/03/26/...

Excellent documentary on Cannabis from British Columbia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1F2N...

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Congress Just ENDED THE BAN On Medical Marijuana

NEWS: Please do share this information as Mainstream Media has not picked up this story. There are many suffering only because they still believe that although their state has approved medical marijuana that the federal government will not allow them to use this most effective means to regain health.

The federal ban on medical marijuana is finally a thing of the past. Slipped inside a major budgetary spending bill that was purported to prevent the government from shutting down, is an interesting earmarked section that finally lifts the federal ban on medical marijuana.
The relevant excerpt of bill H.R. 83 text reads as follows:

“Sec. 538. None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana. Sec. 539. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used in contravention of section 7606 (“Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research”) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79) by the Department of Justice or the Drug Enforcement Administration.”

Cassandra Fairbanks, of the Bipartisan Report, notes that “The measure allows states to implement their own policies regarding medical marijuana, meaning the Department of Justice is now barred from interfering with state medical cannabis laws.”

“For a long time,” Fairbanks explains, “the federal government refused to respect the will of the voters in states with legalized medical marijuana, leading to raids and arrests of doctors, growers, and dispensaries.”

This bill was sponsored by Democrat representatives Dana Rohrabacher and Sam Farr. We reported on its passage last year, that was on a temporary basis. But over the summer it was approved over the summer by the House, with 242 votes to 186.

Finally, “the Senate Appropriations Committee subsequently passed the same amendment sponsored by Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski, by a vote of 21 to 9.”

“The renewal of this amendment should bring relief for medical marijuana patients and business owners,” Michael Collins, Deputy Director of National Affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance said. “For decades Congress has been responsible for passing disastrous drug laws. It’s encouraging to see them starting to roll back the war on drugs by allowing states to set their own medical marijuana policies.”

Earlier this year, two congressmen just filed two separate House Bills on Friday that together would legalize marijuana at the federal level. That means an effective end to the U.S. government’s prohibition policy on the plant.

Representative Jared Polis (D-Colorado) recently introduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act. This Bill proposes just what it sounds like. Marijuana would be legal, but regulated like alcohol. The Bill would completely remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act’s schedules.

The Drug Enforcement Administration would no longer have any say or oversight in policing and regulating the plant. Instead, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, would handle regulation of legal marijuana in the same way they regulate alcohol.

Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) also introduced the separate Marijuana Tax Revenue Act, which imposes a federal excise tax for regulated marijuana. While that might sound like a huge bummer to marijuana users, it provides a big incentive for politicians to make a progressive move on legalization.

States could still enact their own, individual prohibitions, but the federal ban that exists today would be gone.

Four states as well as the District of Columbia have completely legalized recreational marijuana. Washington DC still prohibits the sale of the plant, however. But beyond that, there are 23 states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Proponents of legalization say it is only a matter of time before there is federal legalization… so what better time than now?

“While President Obama and the Justice Department have allowed the will of voters in states like Colorado and 22 other jurisdictions to move forward, small business owners, medical marijuana patients, and others who follow state laws still live with the fear that a new administration — or this one — could reverse course and turn them into criminals,” Representative Polis explained in a statement released on Friday.

“It is time for us to replace the failed prohibition with a regulatory system that works and let states and municipalities decide for themselves if they want, or don’t want, to have legal marijuana within their borders.”

Representative Blumenauer said that the federal prohibition of marijuana has been “a failure” and a profound waste of tax dollars that have needlessly ruined lives.

“As more states move to legalize marijuana as Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Alaska have done,” Blumenauer added, “it’s imperative the federal government become a full partner in building a workable and safe framework.”

(Article by M. David and Jackson Marciana)
Source: http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/12/congress-just-lifted-the-ban-on-medical-marijuana/

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Phytocannabinoids in the Treatment of Melanoma

Study: Cannabinoids Found in Cannabis May Decrease the Viability of Melanoma Cells

An in-vitro and in-vivo study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in February 2015 found that treatment with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) helped to decrease the viability of melanoma cells.

Cells perform autophagy, a process designed to clean out intracellular debris (e.g. old cell parts [organelles], proteins that are no longer needed, etc.) with the help of lysosomes (organelles that contain enzymes that help to break down proteins, fats, sugars, DNA and RNA building blocks, etc.). Previously collected evidence has shown that in the first phases of cancer development, autophagy is useful in helping to prevent cancerous growth. However, in later stages, autophagy may actually contribute to the formation of cancer by providing resources to cancer cells that help in maintaining survival. In this study, researchers explored whether or not cannabinoids could induce apoptosis (i.e. programmed cell death), and what role autophagy played in this induction, in melanoma cells.

What is Melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, caused by an overproliferation of abnormal melanocytes (cells of the skin that produce melanin, a skin pigment), and is often the result of damage caused by the sun’s UV rays. Although cell abnormality begins in the skin, in later, more advanced stages, cancerous cells can metastasize (i.e. invade distant organs), causing extensive damage and, if uncontrolled, death.
doyou

Other types of skin cancer include basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. Although melanoma cases make up only 2% of skin cancer cases, due to the fact that death as a result of BCC is highly unlikely and as a result of SCC is fairly unlikely given that skin lesions grow large and painful (helping in early diagnosis), melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2014, about 76,100 new melanoma cases were expected to be diagnosed, and about 9,710 people were expected to pass away as a result of melanoma.

In men, melanoma most commonly occurs on the chest and back, and in women, the most common site is the legs. Melanoma is also frequently found on the neck and face.

Skin cancer is much more common in individuals with lighter skin, who have less melanin. However, it is vital that individuals with darker skin tones also be regularly monitored by their health care provider for skin cancer (because it is often assumed that individuals with darker skin will not get skin cancer, when indeed present, the skin cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, when chances of remission [i.e. cancer non-detectable] are less likely).

Melanoma cases have been rising over the past 30 years. While new discoveries are helping to increase success in the treatment of melanoma, some patients do not respond. Therefore, development of novel treatment options are imperative in helping to increase remission rates for patients with melanoma, especially since melanoma cases are increasing.

How Can You Detect Melanoma?

The most effective way to detect melanoma is to attend annual visits with your dermatologist, who will monitor any unusual or new growths and perform biopsies on skin lesions that have the potential of being skin cancer. Individuals with a family history of melanoma should especially make sure to schedule and attend these yearly visits.

In between visits, it is important to self-monitor your skin (using another person’s help for locations that are hard to see yourself, if possible). Make sure to check all of your skin, including behind your ears, the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, between fingers and toes, under nails, on your scalp, eyelids, and around your genitals and anal region. Frequent self-monitoring will make it easier to notice when a growth seems unusual.

stages

You can use the following guidelines to determine whether or not a mole or patch may need further evaluation by a health care provider:

A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.
Other warning signs are:
- A sore that does not heal
- Spread of pigment from the border of a spot to surrounding skin
- Redness or a new swelling beyond the border
- Change in sensation – itchiness, tenderness, or pain
- Change in the surface of a mole – scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a bump or nodule

If you find a spot that may be abnormal (in accordance with the above guidelines, or unusual/different from your other skin markings in any other way) make an appointment with your dermatologist. Sometimes skin lesions look a little strange, but end up being benign (i.e. not harmful), but the only way to be certain is to visit your dermatology-trained health care provider. Catching melanoma early, before it has the potential to spread to other organs, is essential in increasing chances of remission and decreasing chances of death as a result of melanoma.

Results of the Study

Studying human melanoma cells in-vitro (i.e. outside of the body), researchers found that administration of THC helped to increase melanoma cell death by way of autophagy-dependent apoptosis, possibly by way of the following pathway:

THC leads to creation of a fat called sphingolipid ceramide.
Sphingolipid ceramide leads to (1) stress on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER; the smooth ER is a part of the cell involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as detoxification, and the rough ER is a part of the cell involved in protein synthesis) and (2) prevention of the Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathways (which prevent apoptosis by inhibiting autophagy, and lead to increased protein production, helping to keep cells alive and functioning properly) through activation of the protein TRIB3.
This stress and prevention of pathways leading to increased cell survival may lead to increased death of melanoma cells.

The researchers note, “when lower doses of THC are combined with CBD the anti-tumour effect was enhanced in vitro”. While the use of THC alone helped to decrease melanoma cell survival, use of a caspase inhibitor (i.e. an agent that prevents activation of enzymes that induce apoptosis) helped to increase melanoma cell death even further. Importantly, while THC helped to increase cell death in melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner (i.e. the higher the concentration used, the more cell death that occurred), there was no increase in cell death in normal melanocytes (up to a THC concentration of 6 µM, which is beyond the concentration needed to induce cancer cell death). Therefore, THC treatment destroyed abnormal/cancerous melanocytes, but, importantly, did not destroy normal cells.

Using mice as models for humans with melanoma, researchers evaluated the use of whole-plant cannabis extract with a 1:1 ratio of THC (similar to Sativex) for the treatment of BRAF wildtype melanoma, which is a form of the disease that has limited treatment options. They found that treatment with the 1:1 THC:CBD extract, at a concentration of 1 µM of each, helped to decrease melanoma cell survival, even more than treatment with THC alone. In contrast, temozolomide, a chemotherapy agent used to treat glioblastoma multiforme, had a small effect. According to the researchers, “Collectively these data suggest THC and Sativex-like are more effective than temozolomide in terms of apoptosis induction and anti-tumour response, further validating the therapeutic relevance of cannabinoid treatment for melanoma.”

These results are particularly impressive given that alkylating agents, like temozolomide (that work by damaging DNA), although effective in reducing cancer cell growth/increasing cancer cell death in certain types of cancer, can have severely harmful side effects, which may include the formation of new types of cancer. The use of cannabinoids, on the other hand, has been shown to be generally well-tolerated with minimal negative side effects.

Additionally, according to the researchers, “CBD induces apoptosis via the production of reactive oxygen species [agents that cause cell and tissue damage] and caspase activation in cancer cells… indicating THC and CBD engage different molecular machinery which cooperate to promote tumour cell death.”

Conclusion

These results add to a growing body of evidence that suggests that cannabinoids may be useful for the treatment of various types of cancer (breast, prostate, lung, skin, pancreatic, brain, bladder cancer, leukemia). Specifically, they demonstrate that the use of phytocannabinoids may be useful in the treatment of both BRAF-mutated and BRAF-wildtype (i.e. “normal” BRAF) melanoma. This is especially important for patients with BRAF-wildtype melanoma, given the limited treatment options for this form.

In contrast to alkylating agents used in chemotherapy treatment, phytocannabinoids have so far shown to have a highly favorable safety profile, which provides an additional rationale for increasing research on whether or not cannabinoid therapies are effective for the treatment of cancer, including melanoma.

Source and Full Story: http://www.medicaljane.com/2015/02/18/whole-plant-cannabis-extract-in-the-treatment-of-melanoma/

Water-Wise Cultivation Workshop - Nevada County California

Workshop focuses on sustainable cannabis cultivation

"California’s current “Green Rush” has attracted many farmers to grow medical marijuana, or cannabis, in Nevada County where land is relatively cheap, water seems plentiful and the sun shines 250 days out of the year. By some accounts, the county may be producing $50 million to $600 million worth of cannabis annually, according to event organizers.

“While most of the attention surrounding cannabis cultivation has focused on economic, medical or social issues, we call upon our community to make sure that the negative environmental impacts to the Yuba River are not overlooked,” said Caleb Dardick, executive director of the South Yuba River Citizens League.

“Every new economic ‘rush’ from hydraulic mining to clear-cutting has had profound impacts on the Yuba River over the past 160 years. Maybe this time we can find collaborative, local solutions to protect this watershed we all love so much,” said Hank Meals, local historian, author and member of SYRCL’s Community Advisory Board.

On March 21, the public is invited to attend “Growing Green for the Yuba,” SYRCL’s daylong informational workshop, to learn from local and regional experts about practices for cultivation that will safeguard the Yuba watershed.

The presenters will address a variety of topics, including water management systems, soil health and nutrient use, pest management and alternative energy.

There will also be two panel discussions focused on “Local Growers Issues” and “Local Grow Shop Issues,” including local and statewide regulations and products that are available locally.

“With this event, we hope to draw attention to the cumulative impact of small growers across our watershed, which is already starting to have a visible impact on the Yuba and its tributaries from dry creek beds to toxic algae blooms,” said Rachel Hutchinson, SYRCL’s science director.

“People will come away from this workshop with the tools they need to grow cannabis in a way that does not harm the water quality, fish and wildlife we cherish here in the Yuba watershed,” said Amigo Bob Cantisano, a renowned leader in the organic gardening movement and a confirmed speaker at the workshop. “If all growers agreed to farm using environmentally sustainable methods, we can foster a truly ‘green’ Green Rush in the foothills.”

“As responsible business owners in the Yuba, we want to encourage cannabis cultivators to be sustainable. There should be no controversy between thriving farms and a healthy river,” said Darlene Markey, owner of Sweetland Garden Supply and a sponsor of SYRCL’s workshop.
SYRCL is not taking a position — pro or con — on cultivation, organizers said.

“We’re simply saying that if you are going to grow, adopt best practices and do it in a way that doesn’t harm our waterways,” said Holly Mitten, SYRCL vice president and chair of the Marijuana is a Watershed Issue Committee.

The “Growing Green for the Yuba” workshop is sponsored by Forever Flowering, Vital Garden Supply, Sweetland Garden Supply and Americans for Safe Access-Nevada County."

SOURCE: http://www.theunion.com/news/15336333-113/workshop-focuses-on-sustainable-cannabis-cultivation

Friday, January 2, 2015

What Helps With What?

A quick visual overview of the many benefits of cannabis.

The medicinal value compliments our bodies' own abilities.

Help us help others research the facts.

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To learn more about the many strains of cannabis please be sure to visit http://www.leafly.com/explore

Thursday, January 1, 2015

121 Studies Cannabinoids Kill Cancer cells

1992, Judge Jim Gray

In 1992, Judge Jim Gray, held a press conference during which he recommended that we rethink our drug laws. Back then, it took a great deal of courage to suggest that the war on drugs was a failed policy.

Today, more and more Americans are coming to the realization that prohibition's costs—whether measured in lives and liberties lost or dollars wasted—far exceed any possible or claimed benefits.

Judge Jim Gray is the author of Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs.

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