Marijuana's Key Ingredient Might Fight Alzheimer's

[TechBear_Seattle]

Oh, to think I might live long enough to experience the irony of seeing Nancy "Just Say No To Drugs" Reagan going on national television to argue for the use of marijuana!!

Marijuana's Key Ingredient Might Fight Alzheimer's

The active ingredient of marijuana could be considerably better at suppressing the abnormal clumping of malformed proteins that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's than any currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of the disease.

Scientists report the finding in the Oct. 2 issue of the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

About 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, which gradually destroys memory. As more people survive into old age, cases of Alzheimer’s disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years. There is no known cure.

The researchers looked at THC, the compound inside marijuana responsible for its action on the brain. Computer models suggested THC might inhibit an enzyme with the tongue-twisting name of acetylcholinesterase (also called AChE) that is linked with Alzheimer's.

The article continues at http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20061005/sc_space/marijuanaskeyingredientmightfightalzheimers

[utopian]

1. Truly Ironic

Sacrifice the short term memory to save the long term. Pass the bong.

[Nostradammit]

2. Short-term memory is highly over-rated

Old Ronnie might have known about Iran-Contra if he'd just hit the weed more often.

That's fantastic.

But short-term memory is highly over-rated, I'd say.

[hedgehog]

3. Excuse me, what were we talking about just now?

I forgot what I was going to say.

[Nostradammit]

4. I'll let you know in 20 years.

[thecrow]

6. As a stroke survivor, I'd say short term memory IS NOT overrated

[brentspeak]

19. It certainly isn't

Continued recovery.

[thecrow]

26. Thank you :)

[smb]

12. Hmmm....

The mental image of Ronnie Reagan smoking a doobie does strange things to my head. :crazy:

[Pastiche423]

5. Interesting

The only thing that helps me w/spasms due to paralysis, may help w/Alzheimer's (which is in my family).

[alfredo]

7. Helps my Arthritis Alzheimer's is in my family too.

[transeo]

8. I must be safe then

That's good news. :smoke:

[bamacrat]

9. This is great news, why oh why isnt such a beneficial plant legal.

[sugapablo]

11. Google for yourself.

Keywords: marijuana dupont

[CelticWinter]

23. drug companies n/t

[ozone_man]

36. Marihuana deserves it's place along side aspirin.

Both wonder drugs that can't be controlled by pharmaceuticals. So we have it outlawed. But, it has more to do with religion really. It's against Christian principles to have pure pleasure. The same goes for sex with contraceptives.

[stop the bleeding]

10. Ironic

that something that usually promotes short term memory would actually help the mind remember other things and in other ways.

Well at least I am covered in that department

[slackmaster]

13. I can't recall ever meeting a stoner with Alzheimer's

Hmmmmmmmmm.

[tridim]

14. It's also great for stress relief, PMS, chemo/HIV side effects,

glaucoma and sleep deprivation yet it's still illegal for some reason.

It's the closest thing we have to a miracle drug. Man has yet to synthesize anything even close to what nature gave us.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

37. and cramps...

my period cramps, and my Mom's cramps from MS.

[LunaSea]

15. Damn....

all that weed I smoked trying to forget this administration.....
http://home.usit.net/~aeromancy/images/post5/weed!.gif

[Lilith Velkor]

30. "You know it's gonna fall, don't you?"

awesome pic :thumbsup:

[sofa king]

16. I'm not that smart, but at least I'll never forget it.

[Veronica.Franco]

17. "It's a good thing I had a bag of pot instead of a bag of spinach" ...

"I'd be dead now" ... Willie Nelson ...

[NoodleyAppendage]

18. Donepezil, Razadyne, Exelon...all work on acetylcholinesterase.

All of the current medications for Alzheimer's disease, with the exception of memantine (Namenda), work to suppress the level of synaptic acetylcholinesterase. This is a "stop gap" measure as the neurons that produce acetylcholine are still dying in Alzheimer's disease. The acetylcholinesterace inhibitor (AChEI) medications, and apparently THC, are not cures. They only serve to delay the onset of dementia or reduce the slope of cognitive decline.

J

[Anakin Skywalker]

20. Umm...That Sounds Ironic, Dudes!

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. Pot contains... something that.... uh... Ooo! Look! a TV!

Trade off short memory for long term memory? :shrug:

[noshenanigans]

22. T..H... See, it's not evil.

Sigh... I wish it would change something, but of course it won't because nowadays the truth doesn't matter, only what people choose to believe.

[0rganism]

24. will cannabis ever again be legal in this country?

I am astounded the virulence of opposition to decriminalization, let alone legalization, in the face of all the documented benefits of marijuana use.

Anyone who doubts the effectiveness of propaganda on Americans need only look to the successful demonization of marijuana in the 20th century.

[noshenanigans]

25. Nope.

Honestly, they could come up with a study that says pot not only cures your cancer but your neighbor's too, and it will still be illegal.

I threw up my hands in the air, and moved to California because Canadian citizenship is hard.

[Zhade]

29. Considering even some liberals wrongly think it's an evil, useless plant..

...I wonder.

[blonndee]

31. That's so strange that some liberals think that.

My dad, who is uber-conservative, even thinks it should be legalized, and he's never even been around it, much less smoked any.

I think it will be legalized, eventually. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I don't think so.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

27. I defer to the great Bob Marley..."Liquor it makes you drunk, the herb

it makes you think."

It's everything that corrupt, power grubbing, money whoring politicians are not MKJ

[Zhade]

28. Yet another example of the positive uses of this beneficial plant.

Legalize it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. Can't have that...

We have to make people forget, so they'll vote rethug again.

[scarletwoman]

33. It's absolutely criminal that this wonderful herb is criminalized.

Marijuana is one of our most gentle and benificent allies in the plant kingdom. It is ridiculous and unconscionable that this lovely and useful herb is vilified and made "illegal".

sw

[peacebuzzard]

34. I have long departed the recreation/social scene of leisure consumables

but if I had to choose, I prefer a smoker's den in Amsterdam to some cocktail lounge anywhere else.

But the medical benefits of marijuana are undoubtable. I am certainly not surprised with this report.

[oc2002]

35. So, THC is the most effective treatment for Alzheimer's and its not

..made available to people suffering from it?

Is that because the pharmecuticals just have not made a THC patented drug that they can sell for insane profits?

greed for greed sake, there should be a law that give anyone that has Alzhiemes access to what works, Marrijuana or not.

[Wise Doubter]

38. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it !!

Check the dates on this http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

[Marrak]

39. Just think about the beneficial research possibilities, untapped

for so long...due to this crazy-ass 'war-on-drugs' and crazy-ass 'war-for-oil'. I say legalize herb, tax it, grow hemp industrially(soaks-up CO2 benefiting the environment), and distill it as bio-fuel to run our vehicles. Fuck those other two wars...and this psychotic, boned-headed, knuckle-dragging politic. And free from our over-burdened and demonic prison system all those doing time for selling or possessing herb. We need competent policy...

<>

[Marrak]

40. This stuff has enormous potential, paper, fuel...

<>:kick: k&r