New Non-Addictive, Anti-Pain Compound Discovered in Marijuana Michelle Schoffro Cook - Care2
go to original November 13, 2015

Marijuana's effects may vary from person to person, and scientists are not quite sure what to make of the common distinction users and growers make between cannabis sativa and cannabis indica. (The New York Times)

While the use of marijuana has been studied in the past for the treatment of many health conditions and especially pain-related disorders, exciting new research has identified a before-unknown compound in cannabis that can significantly alleviate inflammation, without causing people to feel “high.”

Published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, researchers at the Institute for Drug Research, Lautenberg Center for Immunology and Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology have discovered a new compound in cannabis, which they called HU-444. HU-444 demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects without the likelihood of the mind-altering effects commonly attributed to cannabis use. The study authors “believe that HU-444 represents a potential novel (treatment) for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.”

As most people are aware, the controversy over the use of marijuana has been longstanding, but polls show a continued increase in support of it over the years. In a Gallup poll asking Americans: “Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?” 58 percent of Americans said “yes” this year compared to 51 percent a year earlier. It has been a mostly linear increase since 1969 when Gallup first started polling Americans about legalizing marijuana. At that time, only 12 percent thought marijuana use should be legal.

Perhaps the increasing number of studies around marijuana’s potential for medical applications has played a role in the support for legalizing the herb. New Canadian research might help further that trend. In a new study published in the Journal of Pain by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, researchers showcased the results of the world’s first long-term study of marijuana for pain to determine the potential for harmful side-effects from long-term use.

Read the rest at Care2

Related: US Drug War Ally Colombia Will Legalize Medicinal Marijuana (Latin Dispatch)

Related: DEA Finds That Marijuana Is Considered Lowest Threat by Police Officers (The Fix)

Related: Senator Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill to Legalize Pot (The Fix)

Related: Hillary Clinton Wants to Remove Marijuana's Schedule I Classification (The Fix)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!