CANNABIS DESTROYS BRAIN TUMOURS

Chemicals in cannabis have destroyed brain tumours in laboratory rats, a
new study found.

Researchers at Complutense University in Spanish capital Madrid induced
tumours in 45 rats.

They treated a third with THC, the main active chemical in cannabis, and a
third with a synthetic cannabinoid while using a third as a control group.
The untreated rats died within 18 days while one third of those which
received THC and the man-made cannabinoid had their tumours destroyed and
the remaining third had their lives prolonged by up to six weeks.

The results indicate that THC halts the growth of malignant gliomas, deadly
cancerous growths in the brain.

Team leader Dr Manuel Guzman told The Daily Telegraph:"These results may
provide the basis for a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of
malignant gliomas."

Dr Daniele Piomelli, pharmacologist at the University of California at
Irvine, said: "Although incomplete, these findings must be seriously
considered as glial tumours are peculiarly resistant to traditional therapy."

The researchers believe that cannabinoids trigger the build-up of a
chemical messenger, ceramide, which in turn leads to programmed cell death
in the tumour. The chemicals were selective, only triggering death in
cancerous brain cells.

Future studies will focus on finding out why the cannabinoids appear to
have no effect on healthy brains and whether they can be used on people.

Gliomas are extremely difficult to treat. Even with surgery, radiation and
chemotherapy, the average survival rate is less than a year. There are
1,800 new cases in Britain each year.