Louis Armstrong ~ 4 August 1901 to 6 July 1971


Adapted excerpt from The Book of the Is (2013)
Section 12 (of 16), Chapter 4 Epimorphosis

You might not miss jazzercise if it disappeared, but I hear it’s good exercise. Many would miss Jazz though, as it was a pretty good invention. In today’s world, Louis Armstrong might be labeled a marijuana addict and perhaps even put into coerced treatment. What an odd political thought: no Jazz because all the jazzers were sent to treatment and cured. Armstrong was a cannabis consumer, that’s for sure, and he wouldn’t understand today’s cannabis fuss.

It’s been said that Armstrong told stories with his cornet. At the 2001 tribute, From Lincoln Center – Louis Armstrong: Master Interpreter, Ed Bradley (of 60 Minutes fame) said these kind words about Armstrong’s Chicago music-making days:

"On a series of records made in Chicago during the 1920s, Louis Armstrong almost single-handedly set out the foundations of Jazz. Some of the most fertile and overwhelming music in all of recorded Jazz gushes from those old discs by Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven Bands."

Later on in the tribute, when they are talking about the great Joe “King” Oliver and the New Orleans roots of Jazz, Bradley tells us about how Oliver and Armstrong wowed’em in Chicago:

"Oliver taught Armstrong about breaks – short unaccompanied solos played at the end of a musical phrase. When Armstrong played with Oliver, the sound of their two powerful horns playing breaks – in unison – amazed the crowd that packed Chicago’s Lincoln Gardens. The secret? Oliver would tip Armstrong off by surreptitiously fingering what he was going to play."

When it comes to Armstrong, his music, and his cannabis use, the show brings them together but only in a general way. Here’s what Bradley said:

"Alcohol and drugs figure into the story of many a Jazz musician but Armstrong was very health-conscious. He didn’t drink heavily, but acknowledged an affection for marijuana, which he found soothing and medicinal. Armstrong and Earl Hines named one of their collaborations after one of marijuana’s more closely-held nicknames, 'Muggles.'”

Armstrong wore a Star of David from his childhood; he wore it in remembrance of something he learned while growing up in New Orleans: how to live peacefully and well.

Happy Birthday Ambassador Armstrong!
Muggles ~ First Recorded in Chicago, 7 December 1928.                         Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

Just as America plants new seeds for a new harvest, we need some new words for understanding all the kinds of cannabinoid businesses forming. It’s already clear the cannabinoid system (CS) is fundamental to health: now CS economics are taking place.

One key to understanding this new economy: synthetic cannabinoids are simply misplaced pharmaceutical cannabinoids and they work great in one place: research laboratories.

Cannabinoids are in our research labs, sold in white powders by pharmaceutical companies, and now there are pharmaceutical companies placing “green” cannabinoids in pills and sprays and ointments. Suddenly, even for those of us somewhat familiar with the terrain, all the words started blending together like a smoothie.

Publius of The Cannabis Papers found these distinctions useful:

Three Types of Cannabinoid Businesses
I.
Pharmaceutical cannabinoids
These businesses use synthetic cannabinoid in research and in products like Marinol, a synthetic-THC available as a prescription pharmaceutical.

II.
Herbiceutical cannabinoids
These are new businesses like GW Pharmaceutical; their product Nabiximols (Sativex) is made from plant cannabinoids-yet-pharmaceutical-grade.

III.
Herbaceutical cannabinoids
This would be perhaps the most varied business group; it would include hemp foods, such businesses as Dr. Bronner's hemp oil soaps, herbal (raw, phyto-) cannabinoid medical dispensaries, as well as all collective and individual home-grow businesses.

Standardization is the next issue for green cannabinoids, and it’s trifold: the plant varies as well as one’s CS (biology) and the human condition (physiology and psychology). As herbaceutical companies grow and prosper, the listing of the cannabinoids in the product implies (and requires) a basic knowledge of one’s CS; that’s when cannabinoids will not only be a source of bodily health – they’ll also become a source of economic health.

Tomorrow: An update on Cannabinoids and Passing the Alzheimer’s Test.
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius

Here are seven 2014 findings on how the cannabinoid system (CS) modulates homeostasis and other systems in our bodies: the roundup links to recent PubMed articles on the physiology, digestive, hypothalamic neurohypophyseal, vanilloid, dopamine, reproductive, and nervous systems.

I. Physiology System (Aging) and the CS
“2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is one of the principal endocannabinoids involved in the protection against neurodegenerative processes. … Taken together, the results of the present study show that CB1 and/or CB2 receptor antagonists trigger a significant modulation of 2-AG metabolism, underlining their relevance as therapeutic strategy for controling endocannabinoid levels in physiological aging.”

Cannabinoid receptor-dependent metabolism of 2-arachidonoylglycerol during aging.
Pascual AC, Gaveglio VL, Giusto NM, Pasquaré SJ.
Exp Gerontol. 2014 Apr 24. pii: S0531-5565(14)00129-6. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2014.04.008. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24768821 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations


II. Digestive System (Arachidonic Acid) and the CS
“The endogenous ligands of type-1 and type-2 cannabinoid receptors, N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, are arachidonic acid (AA) derivatives whose levels are regulated by the activity of metabolic enzymes, as well as by AA availability. Since the only sources of AA in mammals are diet and the enzymatic production in the liver from shorter-chain essential fatty acids like linoleic acid, it is realistic to hypothesize that endocannabinoid levels might be modulated by fatty acid composition of food.”

Endocannabinoid signaling and its regulation by nutrients.
Bisogno T, Maccarrone M.
Biofactors. 2014 Apr 21. doi: 10.1002/biof.1167. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24753395 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations


III. Hypothalamic Neurohypophyseal System (Pituitary Stalk) and the CS
“Endocannabinoids (ECBs) are considered ubiquitous lipophilic agents, and this is a characteristic that is consistent with the wide range of homeostatic functions attributed to the ECB system. There is an increasing number of reports showing that the ECB system affects neurotransmission within the hypothalamic neurohypophyseal system.”

The endocannabinoid system and the neuroendocrine control of hydromineral balance.
Ruginsk SG, Vechiato FM, Elias LL, Antunes-Rodrigues J.
J Neuroendocrinol. 2014 Apr 17. doi: 10.1111/jne.12158. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24750469 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations


IV. Vanilloid System (Retrograde Signaling) and the CS
“One of the two major endocannabinoids, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), serves as a retrograde messenger at various types of synapses throughout the brain. … Whereas 2-AG primarily transmits a rapid, transient, point-to-point retrograde signal, the other major endocannabinoid, anandamide, may function as a relatively slow retrograde or non-retrograde signal or as an agonist of the vanilloid receptor.”

Endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde modulation of synaptic transmission.
Ohno-Shosaku T, Kano M.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2014 Apr 16;29C:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.03.017. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
PMID: 24747340 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations


V. Dopamine System (Hedonistic Aspects) and the CS
“The endocannabinoid (ECB) system has emerged recently as a key mediator for reward processing. … Our data further indicate that the ECB system, and in particular CB1 receptor signaling, appear to be highly important for the mediation of hedonic aspects of reward processing.”

The CB1 Receptor as an Important Mediator of Hedonic Reward Processing.
Friemel CM, Zimmer A, Schneider M.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014 Apr 10. doi: 10.1038/npp.2014.86. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24718372 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations


VI. Reproductive System (Sperm) and the CS
“In human spermatozoa, which exhibit a completely functional endocannabinoid system, the activation of cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) inhibited sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). … In conclusion, E. coli LPS inhibited sperm ΔΨm through the activation of CB1, but this effect was not accompanied to the activation of mitochondrial dysfunction-related apoptotic/oxidative mechanisms, which could affect sperm motility and genomic integrity.”

Involvement of cannabinoid receptor-1 activation in mitochondrial depolarizing effect of lipopolysaccharide in human spermatozoa.
Barbonetti A, Vassallo MR, Costanzo M, Battista N, Maccarrone M, Francavilla S, Francavilla F.
Andrology. 2014 Apr 1. doi: 10.1111/j.2047-2927.2014.00210.x. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24692267 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations


VII. Nervous System (Pain) and the CS
“We investigated the effects of anandamide on 4 neuronal sodium channel α subunits, Nav1.2, Nav1.6, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8, to explore the mechanisms underlying the antinociceptive effects of anandamide. … Anandamide inhibited the function of α subunits in neuronal sodium channels Nav1.2, Nav1.6, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8. These results help clarify the mechanisms of the analgesic effects of anandamide.”

The endocannabinoid anandamide inhibits voltage-gated sodium channels Nav1.2, Nav1.6, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8 in Xenopus oocytes.
Okura D, Horishita T, Ueno S, Yanagihara N, Sudo Y, Uezono Y, Sata T.
Anesth Analg. 2014 Mar;118(3):554-62. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000000070.
PMID: 24557103 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Related citations

~'~

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

As a member of the 502nd Infantry, US Army 101st Airborne, my unit was deployed to the kingdom of Jordan in the late 1980s. Soon after, I found myself diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) awaiting a medical discharge instead of starting my second enlistment.

I’ve presently had MS for over 25 years. Each time I went to the doctor with spasms or atrophy that was bending my body into painful and unnatural positions, I’d walk out with a new muscle relaxer or pain pill. By 2003 I found myself taking a cocktail of approximately 59 pills a day which did little for the pain and spasms, and instead turned me into what felt like a sleeping zombie. I’d literally fall asleep in the middle of a conversation! I was a prisoner in my own body.

Later that year I had a muscle spasm that lasted for days. Nothing I did or took would stop it. My cousin came over and convinced me to try cannabis. By the time we finished, my body had stopped twitching and I felt relaxed for the first time in a long time! I was also experiencing another strange sensation: I was hungry! At first, my wife was worried about my smoking on top of all the pills I was taking, but cannabis was providing unparalleled relief from the spasms and atrophy. No spasms or atrophy, no pain! After discussing it with her, we took inventory of my pills and began tapering down the ones I no longer needed thanks to the relief provided by one cannabis cigarette a day! We not only reduced the overall number of pills to just 24 per day, we were able to eliminate some intoxicating medicines all together. By the time we were finished I no longer took Valium, Xanax for tremors, Gabapentin, morphine and Vicodin for breakthrough pain, and several others. Also I reduced the methadone I take every day.

Since that time I have literally been a new man! I used to lay in bed for weeks at a time. I neither had the energy nor desire to ever leave my house. The pills had been making me sicker and weaker. Now I only stay in bed at night and go outside often (when it’s warm outside) and do the things I love – attending Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, and Cubs games when I choose.

While the Medical Cannabis bill had passed in the Illinois legislature we had all been waiting for the Governor to sign it. My wife saw Governor Quinn at the Lincoln Hotel in Springfield and wanted him to meet me. He had to leave the Lincoln but told her he’d meet me in his office the next morning! He was on time and very nice. He was concerned with what I had to say. I told him about our Medical Cannabis bill and he said he would seriously consider it. When the signing came about I was asked to not only attend but to speak and I received the first pen he signed the bill with. Along with Governor Quinn, Senator William Haine was instrumental in getting Representative Lou Lang’s bill passed and signed. All of us patients who need this medicine are now waiting for the particulars such as dispensary locations, ID registration, and other necessary components of this newly legalized medicine to take effect so we can avail ourselves access.

We now know that this medicine may come in edibles, in vaporizers, tinctures and other ways of dispensing the product that we so seriously need; this personal journey, from Airborne to MS to Activism, has taught me much – mostly, how to think through stress, prepare for contingencies, and deal with life’s obstacle course.

Jim Champion

Edited by William Abens
Posted by bwb     

Cannabinoid System Video:
Three Veterans with PTS: Cannabis Therapy 2013   

In attending a hemp film showing, I got surprised.

I hadn’t read anything about the movie and didn’t even look up the title; you know, I thought I was just going to see a hemp film (and I’ve seen lots).

It was March, near Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, and I knew it wouldn’t be a bunch of farmers; I knew it would be city folk in a collective space with walls of art and a view of Chicago.

Jack Herer was the surprise; he wasn’t there of course (1939-2010), yet the night was his. Bringing it Home: industrial hemp, healthy houses and a greener future for America (2013), a documentary by Linda Booker and Blaire Johnson, would have inspired an activist like Herer – also known as The Hemperor.

Herer authored The Emperor Wears No Clothes (1985), the best hemp book ever: it tells the political economic story of America’s hemp war and argues (shows really) that hemp can save our home – planet earth.

The Wicker Park crowd though was different than the one Herer wrote for; his audience didn’t know hemp was great. This group, about 25 people, all activists really, in one way or another, arrived already knowing hemp is great; most seemed to be there in support of hemp ~ you know, to show support and see a new show.

Then the movie started … sort of.

What began was a few seconds about a father discussing his ill daughter and her special health needs. The person monitoring said something like, “Oops ~ wrong spot.” I thought that meant we’d see the hemp film now …

The movie started and again it was about a father’s efforts to help his ill child, and it wasn’t about eating hemp: it was about living inside of hemp – in a hemp house – and the environmental (and economic) protection and benefits for individual and community.

Bringing It Home is not an individual health care story: the film is about the revolution that Herer talked about ~ the one with hemp saving the planet ~ and the documentary shows a Herer-like reality.

Here’s a Hemperor inspired Bringing it Home synopsis:

Seed ~
A father in search for the safest and cleanest building material for his environmentally sensitive child: he finds hemp.

Generation ~
No hemp in America to show so the movie goes to Europe. Here we find British farmers (not hippies mind you) working with the government to monitor the fields and the 16 types of industrial hemp that can be grown for seed and fiber.

Pollination ~
Hemp’s not just for breakfast anymore; the 21st century hempvolution is in housing: specifically, building materials.

Flower ~
Food, jobs, clothing, environmentally sound, and now eco-friendly housing … in Europe and the rest of the world. The movie notes the lack of American hemp and highlights the need to grow our own.

Harvest ~
Bringing It Home makes the point that hemp is too expensive to ship to America; not growing our own looks like an economic and environmental failure. From a business and government angle, the film shows America needs hemp investment for infrastructure; most notably, networks of fiber processing plants near the hemp fields in order to turn the green plant into the other green (cash).

Hemp and Earth Day go together, each one for the other one. Hemp offers us an earth gift: an economically environmental revolution that can help the earth get ready for what’s coming … and that’s the 22nd Century. So, like Bringing It Home teaches, let’s begin (and finish) the building with hemp.

Happy Earth Day 2014 Everyone!

Bonus Video:
HempCrete: Strongest & Greenest Building material in Nature

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius

Here are seven 2014 findings on how the cannabinoid system (CS) modulates homeostasis and other systems in our bodies: the roundup links to recent PubMed articles on the vanilloid, neurological, dopamine, visual, skeletal, and endocrine systems.

I. Vanilloid System and the CS
“These data indicate that the eCB system can modulate inflammatory activation of the endothelium and may have important implications for a variety of acute inflammatory disorders that are characterized by EC [Endothelial Cell] activation.”
The endocannabinoid/endovanilloid N-arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA) and synthetic cannabinoid WIN55,212-2 abate the inflammatory activation of human endothelial cells.
Wilhelmsen K, Khakpour S, Tran A, Sheehan K, Schumacher M, Xu F, Hellman J.
J Biol Chem. 2014 Mar 18. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24644287 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free Article
Related citations

II. Neurological System (Migraines) and the CS
“These findings suggest that the pharmacological manipulation of the CB2 receptor may represent a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of migraine.”
Activation of CB2 receptors as a potential therapeutic target for migraine: evaluation in an animal model.
Greco R, Mangione AS, Sandrini G, Nappi G, Tassorelli C.
J Headache Pain. 2014 Mar 17;15(1):14. doi: 10.1186/1129-2377-15-14.
PMID: 24636539 [PubMed - in process] Free Article
Related citations

III. Dopamine System and the CS
“The endocannabinoid system regulates feeding behavior through a modulatory action on different neurotransmitter systems, including the dopaminergic system.”
Involvement of the Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor in Modulation of Dopamine Output in the Prefrontal Cortex Associated with Food Restriction in Rats.
Dazzi L, Talani G, Biggio F, Utzeri C, Lallai V, Licheri V, Lutzu S, Mostallino MC, Secci PP, Biggio G, Sanna E.
PLoS One. 2014 Mar 14;9(3):e92224. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092224. eCollection 2014.
PMID: 24632810 [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article
Related citations

IV. Neurological System (Alzheimer’s disease) and the CS
“Moreover, endocannabinoid signaling has been demonstrated to modulate numerous concomitant pathological processes, including neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress.”
Cannabinoids for treatment of Alzheimer's disease: moving toward the clinic.
Aso E, Ferrer I.
Front Pharmacol. 2014 Mar 5;5:37. eCollection 2014. Review.
PMID: 24634659 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free PMC Article
Related citations

V. Visual System and the CS
“Our findings provide neurophysiologic evidence for a link between cannabinoid-signaling, network dynamics and the function of a canonical cortical circuit.”
Cannabinoid neuromodulation in the adult early visual cortex.
Ohiorhenuan IE, Mechler F, Purpura KP, Schmid AM, Hu Q, Victor JD.
PLoS One. 2014 Feb 19;9(2):e87362. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087362. eCollection 2014.
PMID: 24586271 [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article
Related citations

VI. Skeletal System (Osteoarthritis) and the CS
“The ubiquitous distribution of cannabinoid receptors, together with the physiological role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of pain, inflammation and even joint function further support the therapeutic interest of cannabinoids for osteoarthritis.”
Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in osteoarthritis pain.
La Porta C, Bura SA, Negrete R, Maldonado R.
Eur J Neurosci. 2014 Feb;39(3):485-500. doi: 10.1111/ejn.12468.
PMID: 24494687 [PubMed - in process]
Related citations

VII. Endocrine System (HP-axis) and the CS
“Since the endocannabinoid system components are present at sites involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis regulation, several studies were performed in order to investigate the endocannabinoid-mediated neurotransmitters and hormones secretion under physiological and pathological conditions.”
Role of the Endocannabinoid System in the Neuroendocrine Responses to Inflammation.
De Laurentiis A, Araujo HA, Rettori V.
Curr Pharm Des. 2014 Jan 30. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24588819 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Related citations

~’~
posted by bwb

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius

Cancer prevention awareness and the cannabinoid system are the focus of February’s health update from Publius and The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011). This month: PubMed science on inflammation, a unique receptor, GPR55, and the ability of one’s cannabinoid system to induce apoptosis, programmed cancer cell death.

2014 ~ Inflammation (HIV-1) and CS/GPR55
“Receptors for THC, CB1, CB2, and GPR55, are differentially expressed on multiple cell types including monocytes and macrophages, which are important modulators of inflammation in vivo and target cells for HIV-1 infection.”

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Treatment During Human Monocyte Differentiation Reduces Macrophage Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection.
Williams JC, Appelberg S, Goldberger BA, Klein TW, Sleasman JW, Goodenow MM.
J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2014 Feb 23. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24562630 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]


2013 ~ Alcohol, Dentric Cells and CS/GPR55
"Our results provide insights into alcohol mechanisms of DC [dentric cell] regulation and show, for the first time, that alcohol is inducing CNR2 [CB2] and GPR55 in human DCs."

Differential expression and functional role of cannabinoid genes in alcohol users.
Agudelo M, Yndart A, Morrison M, Figueroa G, Muñoz K, Samikkannu T, Nair MP.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013 Dec 1;133(2):789-93. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.08.023. Epub 2013 Sep 5.
PMID: 24060590 [PubMed - in process]


2013 ~ Inflammation (Cancer) and CS/GPR55
“GPR55 has been shown to have a role in cancer and gastrointestinal inflammation, as well as in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).”

A potential role for GPR55 in the regulation of energy homeostasis.
Simcocks AC, O'Keefe L, Jenkin KA, Mathai ML, Hryciw DH, McAinch AJ.
Drug Discov Today. 2013 Dec 24. pii: S1359-6446(13)00423-6. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2013.12.005. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
PMID: 24370891 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]


2013 ~ CS Synergistic Against Cancer
“The observed synergistic effect with cannabinoid agonists implicates an involvement of the cannabinoid system.”

Cytotoxic effect of efavirenz is selective against cancer cells and associated with the cannabinoid system.
Hecht M, Harrer T, Büttner M, Schwegler M, Erber S, Fietkau R, Distel LV.
AIDS. 2013 Aug 24;27(13):2031-40. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e3283625444.
PMID: 23612009 [PubMed - in process]


2011 ~ GPR55 Driving Cancer Cell Migration
“It has now been revealed that LPI [L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol] activates GPR55, a G protein-coupled receptor that couples to G(12/13) and G(q) proteins, which direct oncogenic signalling. New evidence indicates that LPI and GPR55 are key partners in driving cancer cell proliferation and migration.”

L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol meets GPR55: a deadly relationship.
Ross RA.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2011 May;32(5):265-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2011.01.005. Epub 2011 Mar 1.
PMID: 21367464 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


2010 ~ Breast Cancer and CS/GPR55
“LPI and GPR55 play a role in the modulation of migration, orientation and polarization of breast cancer cells in response to the tumour microenvironment.”

A role for L-alpha-lysophosphatidylinositol and GPR55 in the modulation of migration, orientation and polarization of human breast cancer cells.
Ford LA, Roelofs AJ, Anavi-Goffer S, Mowat L, Simpson DG, Irving AJ, Rogers MJ, Rajnicek AM, Ross RA.
Br J Pharmacol. 2010 Jun;160(3):762-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00743.x.
PMID: 20590578 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article


2006 ~ Evolution and CS/GPR55
“Within this limited number of twelve organisms, the endocannabinoid genes exhibited heterogeneous evolutionary trajectories, with functional orthologs limited to mammals (TRPV1 and GPR55), or vertebrates (CB2 and DAGLbeta), or chordates (MAGL and COX2), or animals (DAGLalpha and CB1-like receptors), or opisthokonta (animals and fungi, NAPE-PLD), or eukaryotes (FAAH).”

Evolutionary origins of the endocannabinoid system.
McPartland JM, Matias I, Di Marzo V, Glass M.
Gene. 2006 Mar 29;370:64-74. Epub 2006 Jan 23.
PMID: 16434153 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

~ posted by bwb

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
by Publius

Here are a few recent 2013-14 findings on how cannabinoids modulate homeostasis and other systems in our bodies: the roundup links to seven recent PubMed articles on the central nervous, reproductive, neuromodulatory, limbic and opioid systems.

I. Nervous System (Alzheimer’s/Dementia) and CS
“The results confirm the constitutive role of the CB2 receptor system both in reducing amyloid plaque pathology in AD [Alzheimer’s disease] and also support the potential of cannabinoid therapies targeting CB2 to reduce Aβ; however, the results suggest that interventions may have a divergent effect on tau pathology.”

CB2 Receptor Deficiency Increases Amyloid Pathology and Alters Tau Processing in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
  Koppel J, Vingtdeux V, Marambaud P, D'abramo C, Jimenez H, Stauber M, Friedman R, Davies P.
  Mol Med. 2013 Nov 8;19:357-64. doi: 10.2119/molmed.2013.00140.
  PMID: 24408112 [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article

II. Reproductive System (Male) and CS
“Together with their receptors and metabolic enzymes, they form the "endocannabinoid system" (ECS). In male reproductive tracts, they affect Sertoli cell activities, Leydig cell proliferation, germ cell differentiation, sperm motility, capacitation, and acrosome reaction.”

The Endocannabinoid System and Spermatogenesis.
  Grimaldi P, Di Giacomo D, Geremia R.
  Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2013 Dec 16;4:192. eCollection 2013. Review.
  PMID: 24379805 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free PMC Article

III. Neuromodulatory System and CS
“Emerging findings suggest the existence of a cross-talk between hypocretinergic and endocannabinoid systems. Although few studies have examined this relationship, the apparent overlap observed in the neuroanatomical distribution of both systems as well as their putative functions strongly point to the existence of such cross-modulation.”

Cannabinoid-hypocretin cross-talk in the central nervous system : what we know so far.
  Flores A, Maldonado R, Berrendero F.
  Front Neurosci. 2013 Dec 20;7:256. eCollection 2013. Review.
  PMID: 24391536 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free PMC Article

IV. Limbic System (Emotions) and CS
"Based on the evidence reviewed here, we propose that the endocannabinoid system is an emotional buffer that moderates the effects of environmental context and stress on cognitive processes."

The endocannabinoid system: An emotional buffer in the modulation of memory function.
  Morena M, Campolongo P.
  Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2013 Dec 29. pii: S1074-7427(13)00266-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.12.010. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24382324 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

V. Central Nervous System (Nicotine/Acetylcholine) and CS
“Furthermore, it seems that there is a functional interaction between the BLA cannabinoid receptors and nicotine in producing the rewarding effects.”

Basolateral amygdala CB1cannabinoid receptors mediate nicotine-induced place preference.
  Hashemizadeh S, Sardari M, Rezayof A.
  Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Jan 24. pii: S0278-5846(14)00011-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.01.010. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24468643 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VI. Homeostasis and the CS
“The endocannabinoid system is present in stress-responsive neural circuits and it is emerging as a homeostatic system.”

Regulatory role of the Cannabinoid-2  receptor in stress-induced neuroinflammation in mice.
  Zoppi S, Madrigal JL, Caso JR, García-Gutiérrez MS, Manzanares J, Leza JC, García-Bueno B.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2014 Jan 28. doi: 10.1111/bph.12607. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24467609 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VII. Opioid System and CS
“These results enhance our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the peripheral effect of crotalphine an antinociceptive peptide, as well as the interaction between the opioid and cannabinoid systems.”

Peripheral interactions between cannabinoid and opioid systems contribute to the antinociceptive effect of crotalphine.
  Machado FC, Zambelli VO, Fernandes AC, Heimann AS, Cury Y, Picolo G.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2014 Feb;171(4):961-72. doi: 10.1111/bph.12488.
  PMID: 24460677 [PubMed - in process]

~
Bryan w. Brickner

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius

Cervical cancer awareness and one’s cannabinoid system are the focus of this month’s health update from Publius of The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011). January's highlighted message is the ability of one’s cannabinoid system, using the endocannabinoid anandamide, to induce apoptosis ~ programmed cancer cell death.

2004
The endocannabinoid Anandamide (arachidonyl ethanolamide) inducing apoptosis of uterine cervix cancer cells via another type of receptor ~ the vanilloid receptor-1.

Arachidonyl ethanolamide [Anandamide] induces apoptosis of uterine cervix cancer cells via aberrantly expressed vanilloid receptor-1.
Contassot E, Tenan M, Schnüriger V, Pelte MF, Dietrich PY.
Gynecol Oncol. 2004 Apr;93(1):182-8.
 

2009
The stable analogue of the endocannabinoid Anandamide, R(+)-methanandamide, inducing apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma cells.

R(+)-methanandamide-induced apoptosis of human cervical carcinoma cells involves a cyclooxygenase-2-dependent pathway.
Eichele K, Ramer R, Hinz B.
Pharm Res. 2009 Feb;26(2):346-55. doi: 10.1007/s11095-008-9748-3. Epub 2008 Oct 28.


2012
The ability of the endocannabinoid Anandamide to induce apoptosis is enhanced by blocking fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).

Arachidonoyl ethanolamide [Anandamide] (AEA)-induced apoptosis is mediated by J-series prostaglandins and is enhanced by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) blockade.
Kuc C, Jenkins A, Van Dross RT.
Mol Carcinog. 2012 Feb;51(2):139-49. doi: 10.1002/mc.20770. Epub 2011 Mar 22.


2013
The cannabinoid system and omega-3/6 endocannabinoids noted for their anticancer modulation.

Cannabinoids and omega-3/6 endocannabinoids as cell death and anticancer modulators.
Brown I, Cascio MG, Rotondo D, Pertwee RG, Heys SD, Wahle KW.
Prog Lipid Res. 2013 Jan;52(1):80-109. doi: 10.1016/j.plipres.2012.10.001. Epub 2012 Oct 26.


2013
The cannabinoid system and cannabidiol inhibiting colon carcinogenesis.

Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by a standardized Cannabis sativa extract with high content of cannabidiol.
Romano B, Borrelli F, Pagano E, Cascio MG, Pertwee RG, Izzo AA.
Phytomedicine. 2013 Dec 24. pii: S0944-7113(13)00472-8. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2013.11.006. [Epub ahead of print]

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

Bryan W. Brickner

Flags

We’ll get to the “Free Markets Cannabis Act” below – first a Veterans Day flag note.

Flags are signs. The flags of the US Armed Forces show the story of each branch; for example, the year of our rebellion, 1775, emblazons the center of the US Army flag, highlighting a principle of our political heritage: force precedes morality.

Recent Pot-Polity

The past two weeks have seen an interesting warm-up to reforming our cannabinoid (pot) laws, and it reads like an autumn assault on federal complacency:

• 22 October: “Gallup Poll Finds 58% of Americans Support Marijuana Legalization,” Jacob Sullum ~ Reason
  

• 26 October: “Why Pot Legalization Is The Most Important Issue Voters Face This Election,” Nick Gillespie ~ Huffington Post (Reason)
  

• 30 October: “Why It’s Always Been Time to Legalize Marijuana,” Katrina vanden Heuvel ~ The Nation
  

• 31 October: “The Reality of Permissive Pot Laws,” Steve Chapman ~ Chicago Tribune
  

• 31 October: “Special Issue: Marijuana Wars,” The Nation
  

• 1 November: “Pot Goes Legit,” Reason Magazine
  

• 2 November: “DC on Fast Track to Decriminalizing Pot Possession,” Ben Nuckols ~ Boston Globe
  

• 4 November: “New International Study: Herbal Cannabinoids More Effective Than Pharmaceutical Cannabinoids,” National Institutes of Health ~ The Weed Blog
  

• 6 November: “Colorado Voters Approve Hefty Taxes on Marijuana by Large Margins,” Jacob Sullum ~ Forbes (Reason)
  

• 6 November: “Measures to Legalize Marijuana are Passed,” Dan Frosch ~ New York Times 
  

270 + 51 + 1 = Free Markets Cannabis Act

Now, how to harness that energy for political change: something like the Free Markets Cannabis Act (FMCA) would clear the federal way for making cannabis legal again (it’s only been illegal, federally, since 1937). Loving Congress the way we all do, perhaps a one sentence law, in honor of veterans, would be best; laws, like military commands, should be clear and easy to understand. The ratifiers of our Constitution knew this and intended laws to be read and easily understood – not interpreted by lawyers and courts – interpreted and understood by We the People.

For the legal language in FMCA, here’s a KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) offering: “Cannabis is legal (again).”

Politically, if we want end pot prohibition, and a Gallup number of 58% foretells of this coming change, We the People will not want to include much federal regulation in our FMCA. We need 270 “Yes” votes from the current number of Representatives in the US House; that being the facts on the ground, we’ll need to be as free market-based as possible for the Republican majority.

In the Senate, 51 votes to end the ban on herbal cannabinoids seems easy compared to the 270 in the House; yet, if those two things happen, a President Obama would gain nothing politically from being against such a thing as cannabis is legal (again).

In our post-Gupta age with pot’s legitimacy growing, we’d be wise to let the states and locals handle the cannabis issue – they’re already doing it – and we might see something akin to alcohol’s wet and dry counties develop. Plus, federal income tax revenues will likely increase (free markets do that) and we’ll save money by lightening the nonviolent drug offenses burdening our judicial system – mostly at the local level.

Is that Victory? It’ll look something like that even if the language is a little different. Changing a federal law has a known and constitutional pathway. Creating that change involves many unknowns, one of which is sort of clear: in 36 months we’ll have a new President and Commander-in-Chief. That’s when we’ll know if the seeds of change blowing around today grow into a new cannabinoid law for We the People.

Happy Veterans Day Everyone ~ Peace-up!