Beyond THC: What you need to know about cannabinoids

[marmar]

from the Detroit Metro Times:




Beyond THC
What you need to know about cannabinoids

By Larry Gabriel
Published: March 23, 2011


Gersh Avery has a thing for hemp. He's not one of the folks trying to get industrial hemp legalized so we can enjoy the economic benefits of producing and selling the hundreds of items that can be made from the fibrous substance. They want to create clothing, biofuels, skin creams and more from the hemp plant. There are plenty of those kinds of hemp advocates around.

On the other hand Avery's hemp focus is strictly for its medicinal value. Avery calls himself a medical marijuana specialist, because he is a registered patient, grower, activist and student of what he calls the archaeology of marijuana.

"I'm a drug law reform advocate," he says. "I was working toward that, but when the medical marijuana petition drive came up, I shifted focus from the war against drugs to medical marijuana. The more that I saw in these various medical reports, the more I became excited about the plant's potential to do incredible good. If a medical condition can go away, that's a beautiful thing. It's living a miracle being able to watch things happen from one day to the next that doctors don't believe can happen."

Avery, who lives in Washtenaw County, has a long list of ailments that he treats in part with medical marijuana — bladder cancer, diabetes, scoliosis, arthritis, bone spurs and more. The problem for Avery is that while using medical marijuana, he's not interested in the high. He wants to be clearheaded, which is why he's fascinated with hemp. We all know you can't smoke rope for the buzz, but hemp is believed to be high in cannabidiol (CBD) a cannabinoid that has shown potential in treating some cancers (particularly in inhibiting the spread of breast cancer), inflammation, nerve diseases such as Crohn's and multiple sclerosis, and indeed as an anti-diabetic. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/beyond-thc-1.1122152

[lbrtbell]

1. Which is fine, unless you're severely allergic to the stuff

How much fun to walk into a clothing store, break out in hives and have your throat nearly swell shut. Yes, I've seen that kind of reaction in people who are allergic to MJ/hemp, and I cringe to think of it being used in things like clothing. Might as well make hand lotion out of peanut butter. :(

Medical MJ is another matter entirely--it should be legal, regulated, and available with a doctor's prescription.

[intaglio]

2. And people allergic to lineed oil

Break out in hives when they walk near a linen shop /sarcasm

If you want to exercize your prejudices feel free, but don't expect it not to be picked up

[ohheckyeah]

4. Really?

Of all the people I've known who smoke/smoked pot, and all the people those people knew, I've never, ever heard anyone mention an allergic reaction to it.

[nilram]

3. Thanks, this looks really useful

I'm quite interested in CBD since it's been found to be useful for nerve pain symptoms and causes.