SCIENCE IS CLEAR - WHY AREN'T WE PAYING ATTENTION?

The Record Searchlight's call for further scientific study on the
safety and efficacy of marijuana (editorial, Tuesday) as a medicine is
commendable, but hardly goes far enough. The real challenge is
demanding that pundits, politicians, and the media actually pay
attention to the research that is presently available.

For example, in February investigators from the University of
California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research publicly announced
the findings of a series of randomized, placebo-controlled clinical
trials on the medical utility of inhaled cannabis. The studies, which
for the first time in over two decades utilized the standardized FDA
clinical trail design, concluded that marijuana ought to be a "first
line treatment" for patients with neuropathy and other serious illnesses.

Among the numerous studies conducted by the center, four assessed
smoked marijuana's ability to alleviate neuropathic pain, a
notoriously difficult to treat type of nerve-pain associated with
cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, spinal cord injury, and many other
debilitating conditions. Each of the trials found that cannabis
consistently reduced patients' pain levels to a degree that was as
good or better than currently available medications.

Another study conducted by the center's investigators assessed the use
of marijuana as a treatment for patients suffering from multiple
sclerosis. That study determined that "smoked cannabis was superior to
placebo in reducing spasticity and pain in patients with MS, and
provided some benefit beyond currently prescribed treatments."

Yet another clinical trial challenged the long-held myth that smoking
cannabis damages the immune system. Researchers found that, contrary
to popular opinion, inhaled marijuana fails to suppress human immune
function. "There was no evidence of acute impairment of immune
function," investigators reported.

Around the globe similarly controlled trials are also taking place.
Most recently, a review by researchers in Germany reported that since
2005 there have been 37 controlled studies assessing the safety and
efficacy of marijuana and its naturally occurring compounds, involved
a total of 2,563 subjects. By contrast, most FDA-approved drugs go
through far fewer trials involving far fewer subjects.

According to a recent meta-analysis published in the scientific
journal Medicinal Research Reviews, "Research on the chemistry and
pharmacology of cannabinoids (the uniquely active compounds in the
marijuana plant) and endocannabinoids (receptors in the human body
that interact with these cannabinoids) has reached enormous
proportions." A keyword search on the search engine PubMed proves this
point, revealing over 2,700 separate papers published on cannabis in
2009 and another 900 published just this year alone.

Two notable preclinical trials appeared in press just last week.
Researchers at the State University of New York in Syracuse reported
in the journal Pharmacology that the administration of the plant
cannabinoids delta-8-THC and delta-9-THC halted cellular respiration
and tumor growth in human oral cancer cells. Specifically,
investigators reported that cannabinoids were a "potent inhibitor" of
Tu183 human cancer cells, a notoriously difficult to treat type of
oral cancer.

A separate preclinical study published online last week in the journal
Cell Communication and Signaling reported that the administration of
the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol increases adult
neurogenesis (the active production of new neurons) in laboratory
animals. Authors speculated that cannabis' pro-neurogenic effects may
explain why the plant appears to be useful in the treatment of certain
neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease or Lou Gehrig's
disease. Predictably, neither the editors of the Record Searchlight
nor any other mainstream U.S. publication felt compelled to report on
these results.

Ultimately, calls for further research ring hollow if so few
decision-makers are willing to acknowledge the abundant scientific
evidence that is already out there.