Medical Uses of Cannabidol

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users feel sleeping, while other strain cause users to feel awake and energized. CBD has also been proven to counteract the anxiousness and paranoia caused by THC. It has even been used as an “antipsychotic medicine for people with schizophrenia” (truthonpot.com). Currently there is a UK based pharmaceutical company, GW Pharmaceuticals, which is funding clinical trials on CBD as a treatment for schizophrenia” (leafscience.com).

What I, as well an increasing amount of scientists and doctors, believe is CBD’s most powerful application is in the treatment of tumors and cancer. A study on rats and mice “suggested that cannabinoids may have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumors” (cancer.gov). More specifically hepatic adenoma tumors and hepatocellular carcinoma. CBD has to power to fight cancer in several different ways “including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition on tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis” (cancer.gov). In some cases CBD has even been shown to protect healthy non-cancerous cells from cell death while still killing tumor cells around them. Specific example include a study on mice and rats in which CBD was able to “induce apoptosis in glioma cells in culture and induce regression of glioma tumors” while still being able to protect “normal glial cells of astrogial and oligodendroglial lineages from apoptosis mediated by the CB1 receptor” (cancer.gov). As we learn in our previous modules, apoptosis is the tightly regulated process of cell suicide or programmed cell death. This ability for CBD to be able to control process which is normally controlled by genes is a scientific breakthrough in the cancer community because if we are able to control the programmed death of a cell then have the ability to stop cancer cells from spreading throughout the body (Elbaz, 2015). CBD has shown to inhibit the metastasis of certain types of cancers. Another term from the modules, metastasis is the process by which cancer cells spread from the primary tumors to other places in the body (medicinenet.com). In a study employing two aggressive forms of high aggressive breast cancer cell line (4T1.2 and MVT-1) were treated with CBD. After three weeks, when compared to the control group, those subjects treated with CBD showed “significantly less number of metastatic nodules and less total lung weight” (Howard, 2013). This is likely due to CBD’s anti-proliferative, anti-migratory, and anti-invasive properties. For these reasons the study even “advocates the use of CDB in breast cancer patients especially those with high aggressive and metastatic cancer cells” (Howard, 2013).

Cannabidol has recently made it into the main stream after its success in treating Charlotte Figi’s seizures caused by Dravet Syndrome. Dravet Syndrome, sometimes called myoclonic epilepsy of infancy or SMEI, is a neurological disorder caused by a mutation in the SCN1A gene, which normally causes carriers of the gene to have intense seizures throughout the day (cnn.com). Dravet Syndrome has caused Charlotte had over 300 grand mal seizures a week and had caused he to lose the ability to walk, talk, and eat. After hearing about CBD in the treatment of Dravet Syndrome, Charlotte’s parents began giving her twice daily doses of 4 milligrams CBD oil with her meals, and the result were shocking. Immediately after ingesting the CBD oil Charlotte’s seizures had stopped completely. CBD is thought to quiet the excessive electrical and chemical activity in the brain that causes seizures (cnn.com). Today Charlotte is 6 years old and is still on her CDB oil regiment and only suffers from 2 to 3 seizures of month, compared to her 300 a week before CBD. Charlotte’s success story has also inspired other parents with children suffering from pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy to begin using CBD as a safe alternative to the chemical cocktails of modern medical science. In a study of 12 children suffering from Dravet’s Syndrome 53% of parents reported an 80% reduction in seizure frequency, while 11% of children reported being seizure free during the 3-month trial (Cilio, 2014). However unfortunately since marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug, according to the federal government it currently has no accepted medical treatment in the U.S. (drugs.com). This makes clinical research on CBD limited by legal restrictions due to the use of cannabis-derived medicine. For these reasons I believe that the federal government should reclassify marijuana.

Flow Chart on Classification of Marijuana

I chose this topic because I felt like not too many have heard of the benefits of cannabidiol. Although I don’t have anybody in my family or friends who have had to use CBD to treat any diseases I would like to help inform anybody who does need the help of CBD. I feel like in our time too many people are becoming dependent on pharmaceutical drugs that often lead to more problems than the original problem. Dr. Pozos I hope you enjoyed this paper and hope that this information leaves an impact on your life as well as your research.

Bibliography

"Marijuana Stops Child’s Severe Seizures - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Roberta Cilio, Maria. "The Case for Assesing Cannabidiol in Epilepsy." Epilepsia 55.6 (2014): 787-90. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"Metastasis." MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Elbaz, Mohamad. "Modulation of the Tumor Micro-environment and Inhibition EGF/EGFR Pathway; Novel Anti-tumor Mechanisms of Cannabidiol in Breast Cancer." Molecular Oncology 9.4 (n.d.): 906-19. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Zimmermann, By Kim Ann. "Medical Marijuana: Benefits, Risks & State Laws." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

"List of Schedule 1 Drugs." List of Schedule 1 Drugs. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

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5 Differences Between CBD and THC." TruthOnPot.com. N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

"5 Must-Know Facts About Cannabidiol (CBD)." Leaf Science. N.p., 22 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

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