Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 10 Feb 2015 04:20:21 PST
Study: History Of Cannabis Use Associated With Reduced Bladder Cancer Risk
"In this multiethnic cohort of 82,050 men, we found that cannabis use alone was associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer"
Los Angeles, CA: Cannabis use is inversely associated with incidences of bladder cancer in males, according epidemiological findings published in the February issue of the journal Urology.
Investigators at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Department of Neurology assessed the association of cannabis use and tobacco smoking on the risk of bladder cancer in a multiethnic cohort of more than 80,000 men aged 45 to 69 years old over an 11-year period.
Researchers determined that cannabis use was associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer. By contrast, tobacco use was associated with an increased risk of cancer.
"After adjusting for age, race or ethnicity, and body mass index, using tobacco only was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer (hazard regression 1.52) whereas cannabis use was only associated with a 45 percent reduction in bladder cancer incidence (HR 0.55)," investigators reported.
Subjects who reported using both tobacco and cannabis possessed a decreased risk of cancer (HR 1.28) compared to those subjects who used tobacco only (HR 1.52).
The study is the first to indicate that cannabis use may be inversely associated with bladder cancer risk.
Authors concluded: "In this multiethnic cohort of 82,050 men, we found that cannabis use alone was associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer. ... [M]en who used tobacco alone were 1.5 times more likely to develop bladder cancer when compared with men who did not use tobacco or cannabis. ... However, among men who used both substances, this risk of bladder cancer was mitigated. ... If this represents a cause and effect relationship, this pathway may provide new opportunities for the prevention and/or treatment of bladder cancer."
In 2009, Brown University researchers similarly reported that the moderate long-term use of marijuana was associated with a reduced risk of head and neck cancers in a multi-center cohort involving over 1,000 subjects. Investigators further reported that marijuana use "modified the interaction between alcohol and cigarette smoking, resulting in a decreased HNSCC (head and neck squamous cell carcinoma) risk among moderate smokers and light drinkers, and attenuated risk among the heaviest smokers and drinkers."
Full text of the study, "Association between cannabis use and the risk of bladder cancer: Results from the California Men's Health Survey," appear in Urology.
Poll: Plurality Of Minnesotans Support Legalizing Cannabis
Minneapolis, MN: More Minnesotans support legalizing and regulating the social use of marijuana by adults than endorse maintaining its criminal prohibition, according to statewide survey data released by Public Policy Polling and commissioned by the Minnesota affiliate of NORML (MN NORML).
Forty-nine percent of respondents said that they support legalizing the retail production and sale of marijuana. Forty-four percent of respondents opposed the idea.
A supermajority (76 percent) of respondents expressed support for allowing qualified patients legal access to cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Last year, state lawmakers approved limited legislation permitting qualified patients to possess concentrated formulations of cannabis extracts, but not the plant itself.
Fifty-two percent of respondents said that the decision to legalize marijuana ought to be decided by voters. Only 35 percent said that politicians should decide marijuana policy.
"These polling numbers show that Minnesotans' views on cannabis are well ahead of those of their elected officials," said Randy Quast, founding board member of MN NORML. "More Minnesotans now support legalizing the plant than endorse maintaining the status quo, criminalization, and a super-majority of Minnesotans want patients to have far broader access to the plant for therapeutic purposes than is presently provided by state lawmakers."
The poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.
Study: Synthetic Cannabinoid Relieves PTSD-Associated Nightmares
Ottawa, Canada: The administration of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, mitigates the frequency and intensity of trauma-related nightmares in military personnel suffering from treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Investigators from the Canadian Forces Health Services Group and the Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centre in Ottawa assessed the efficacy of nabilone, an FDA-approved selective CB1 agonist, versus placebo over a 16-week period in a cohort of Canadian military personnel diagnosed with PTSD.
Nabilone administration was associated with greater likelihood of nightmare suppression and general well being as compared to placebo.
"In this small sample NAB (nabilone capsules) provided significant relief for military personnel with PTSD, indicating that it shows promise as a clinically-relevant treatment for patients with nightmares and a history of non-response to traditional therapies," authors concluded.
A 2009 Canadian Forces Health Services study similarly reported that adjunctive treatment with nabilone was associated with nightmare cessation and a significant reduction in nightmare intensity in a cohort of 47 PTSD patients with treatment-resistant nightmares.
Full text of the study, "The efficacy of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, in the treatment of PTSD-associated nightmares: A preliminary randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design study," appears in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
(c) Copyright 2006-2420 - WeedConnection LLC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
#Support Your #OG @WeedConnection! (Click Here)
