General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Pregnant pot smokers can damage kids' brains [View all]RainDog
(28,784 posts)both sides can misrepresent things - sometimes unintentionally - but sometimes not. And, as you note - this is a relatively new field - and it's interesting simply because of that. It's also, imo, the field in which biotech will be very big once cannabis is decriminalized.
Robert Melamede, who was Dean of the U.CO biology dept and one of the leading researchers in the U.S. into biotech applications of cannabinoids compares endocannabinoids to regulators of the major bodily systems - and endocannabinoids in different locations, within different organs or systems have different functions. He says free radicals are the body's friction and endocannabinoids are the oil, in terms of ideas of systems/functions.
Something he has theorized that I also think would be really interesting research is the idea that placebos are successful because the body's own endocannabinoids become functional for this or that. If I were someone in the field, that's something I would think would be interesting research.
Anyway, Melamede is looking into the use of cannabis oil (what has long been known as "Rick Simpson Oil" as an ointment to apply to melanomas. No studies that would meet any criteria for a scientific experiment exist, but people have sent before and after pictures of reductions in melanomas by applying concentrated cannabis oil - super strong stuff - not anything for fun.
I hope he gets to do this work. I look forward to seeing the results - and, if the research does indicate cannabis oil shrinks or destroys melanomas - that's a huge, huge development in cancer treatment. And, if the research pans out, it will have been inspired by people with no scientific training, just trial and error attempts to treat melanomas.
My bias is toward seeing the potential medical benefit - because that's the trend, when research is allowed to go forward. I don't think it's magic - I think it has potential uses for a variety of medical issues because, as Melamedes notes, our endocannabinoid system impacts the functions of every major bodily system.
In order for us to progress as a nation, we have to at least decriminalize at the federal level to make it possible to do research. We need to remove cannabis from the oversight of the DEA, as well, because it is not an agency that can make valid judgments about research, and now we've got a circle jerk going on. The DEA defers to the FDA that defers to the DEA concerning medical value.
Personally, if I were wealthy and an investor, I would be all up in biotech related to cannabis.