MEDICAL MARIJUANA WITHOUT THE 'HIGH?'

New research shows that marijuana, long a symbol of tie-dyed
inebriation, could one day become a respectable prescription drug
with no intoxicating effects.

A Chapman University scientist reveals in two recent studies that
nausea-reducing chemicals in marijuana can be separated from the
chemicals that produce euphoria.

While use in humans is years away, the findings by Keun-Hang Susan
Yang and her fellow researchers could be especially good news for
chemotherapy patients, she says. Separate research has shown that
marijuana sharply curbs the nausea induced by chemotherapy.

Her recent work focuses on two major chemicals found in marijuana --
THC (tetraydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

"One of the things marijuana does is to reduce vomiting and nausea
problems," said Yang, a professor who specializes in bioscience and
computational biology. "People found out that THC is a problem
because of the psychological actions of it. But CBD alone can
potentially be used for treatment of this condition."

Yang's first paper, published last year in the Journal of
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, shows that CBD alone can
reduce vomiting by blocking serotonin receptors in the brain. The
second paper, published this month in Neuroscience, confirms that THC
has a similar effect.

Both papers lay the groundwork for future experiments on animals, and
perhaps one day for clinical trials in humans, to determine whether
CBD alone can be used to treat nausea -- potentially removing the
stigma surrounding medical use of marijuana.

More work is needed on the therapeutic potential of other chemicals
found in marijuana, Yang said.

She and her colleagues tested their idea on animal cells. The cells
contained a protein that acts as a chemical receptor in the human
brain and plays a role in the onset of vomiting and nausea.

By bathing the cells in the marijuana chemicals, they were able to
track the chemicals' effects on the receptors. They did it by
measuring tiny changes in electrical current -- a method called
electrophysiology.

THC, for example, showed reduced voltage compared to a control group
of cells that were not treated with chemicals, demonstrating that it
effectively blocked the receptors.

Blocking those receptors in the brain is a well-known method for
treating vomiting and nausea, and is already used to treat patients.

"The target for us is to conduct careful and well-controlled
experiments in humans, which will take some time," Yang said. But the
goal of her research group is to neutralize marijuana's troublesome
psychoactive effects while taking advantage of its potential medical benefits.

"That's what we're hoping for," she said.