MARIJUANA RESEARCH

Our government has been funding research on marijuana for years and
all the reports we have heard about are the harmful effects. Why
doesn't it ever do research to see if there might be positive effects?
Obviously, there must be a call for this type research since 13 states
have legalized it for medicinal purposes.

Dr. Donald Tashkin used to be one of the National Institute on Drug
Abuse's top researchers on marijuana. In his studies, he discovered
that THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) has been shown to
promote known apoptosis (damaged cells die instead of reproducing) and
to counter angiogenesis (the process by which blood vessels are formed
- - a requirement of tumor growth). He said that other antioxidants in
cannabis may also be involved in countering malignancy.

The attorney general and the president have said the federal
government will no longer do raids on medical marijuana patients and
dispensaries. Maybe with this new attitude it will help open the door
for more government research into the benefits of marijuana instead of
just the harmful effects.

Dawn Palmer

Tarrant