Cannabis could curb addiction

[freddie]

Cannabis could curb addiction

Article from: The Courier-Mail

- PA

March 08, 2008 09:23am

 

SMOKERS trying to quit could do so in the future with the help of cannabis-based medicines, a university has announced.

Scientists at the University of Nottingham are also looking to see whether such medicines could be used to treat obesity, diabetes and depression.

 

The research has focused on cannabis-like compounds that naturally exist within the human body called endocannabinoids. Scientists believe they could have a crucial link to addictive behaviour.

 

Dr Steve Alexander, associate professor at the university's School of Biomedical Sciences, said: "In terms of getting better medicines the endocannabinoid system has a lot to offer.

 

"The range of cannabis-related medicines is currently limited, but by increasing our knowledge in this area we can increase our stock."

 

Professor David Kendall, a cellular pharmacologist at the university, said: "The brain is full of cannabinoid receptors. And so, not surprisingly with diseases like depression and anxiety, there's a great deal of interest in exploiting these receptors and in doing so, developing anti-depressant compounds.

 

"We know that the endocannabinoid system is intimately involved in reward pathways and drug-seeking behaviour.

 

"So this tends to indicate that if the link involving endocannabinoids and the reward pathway, using inhibitors, can be interrupted, it could turn down the drive to seek addictive agents like nicotine."

 

Cannabinoids have also been shown to bring down blood pressure and it is hoped that related compounds can be used in patients with conditions like hypertension.

 

Dr Michael Randall, a cardiovascular pharmacologist at the university, said: "The endocannabinoids appear to lower blood pressure under certain conditions; states of shock for example. If the endocannabinoids are of physiological importance, this could have real therapeutic possibilities."

 

- PA

 

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...5013016,00.html

 

So cannabis could help control addiction. Interesting read after the cannabis is as addictive as nicotine thread. I have found cannabis helpful taking the edge off withdrawl symptoms from nicotine addiction.

Edited March 9, 2008 by freddie

[WantDaChronic]

i dont see how cannabis can help out with obesity, especially seeing as the munchies can be terrible at times

[67Special]

...it definitely prevents addiction to work

[grok]

...it definitely prevents addiction to work

oh yeah!!

[Pam]

Well I'm about to try to give up the tobacco again....so I guess I'll soon find out first hand!

 

Hope it does work....but usually weed tends to make me want to smoke a cigarette.

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

In the 90s I was heavily addicted to booze. I couldn't possibly have given it up without grass. I know I was already using grass for a long time at that stage, but when I felt the craving of booze, I just took more pot.

 

People I knew at the time who were heavily drinking, and a couple who had tried repeatedly to give up grog were as astounded as I was to see how relatively easy it was. Basically I was saying I was giving up grog, and still making mad dashed into town 20 odd kilometers each way to reach the pub before they closed, vivdsly aware i wasn't going to make the night out, and then ...I had stopped. It went from out of controlto over, as quick as I used my brain and stepped up the smoko

One mate, who lived close by, who himself had and is still trying to give up the piss for years, knew how much I was hooked said I would never succeed. When I won, and it was truly overnight, he mumbled something about "you wouldnt have done it without so much pot"..so he noticed. He wasn't a smoker BTW.

 

I gave up Nicotine too, but am afraid it wasn't quiet as easy as the booze, still, maybe the grass helped? I didn't pay much attention to using grasss any greater to assist at that time.

 

WHat did help was my daughter has asthma, and she coughed a lot. I made no connection, but every time I lit a cigarette, my daughter would begin breathing difficulties Not dangerously, but noticeable if it was brought to your attention. Whichis what happened. Every time I lit up, my wife, with no judgment or anger in her voice would simply make the observation "you know it's the cigarettes don't you?"

 

It was impossible to continue smoking, that was a great motivator.

but I do believe whole heartedly grass helps dramatically with alcohol withdrawals.

 

cheers

rob

[67Special]

Glad to hear it helped you quit the piss rob.

 

Sorry to say that many of my mates went the other way ie. started drinking more when they quit toking

90% of them quit purely because of it's illegality and the stigma that comes with it... poor souls, too busy worrying about the law and what people think, to actually consider what's best for themselves

 

 

Disclaimer: Cannabis will NOT curb your OZStoners addiction... believe me I've tried

[Rose Gardener]

Disclaimer: Cannabis will NOT curb your OZStoners addiction... believe me I've tried

 

lmao! I can agree with ya there!

 

Anyway.

From personal experience I have found pot to be quite effective in limiting the nasty side effects of withdrawal when I came of my last breed of anti depressants.

 

I don't know so much about nicotine tho. I just found that when I tired quitting last (and I was smoking pot at the same point in my life) all I managed to do was smoke a shit load more pot! AND I still ended up smoking cigs in the end. *shruggs*

I'm sort of giving up the cigs at the mo too... Not so much by choice either, but because we're living on about $400 a week.

 

I'm ready to murder for a smoke, and I would for a joint too! Oh, and I'm going skitz because I have run out of my prescription anti deps and can't afford to fill the script.... Right now, I would gladly take the anti dep side effects than the withdrawal side effects!

 

ok. sorry for getting off topic there. just going off the rails a bit.

 

Where were we?

[Pax]

I used weed to help me quit smoking. At the time i was going through an off phase and wasn't smoking weed at all, and hadn't for 6 months or so, when i decided to quit cigs. Worked a treat

[Radic]

india and the mid east have treated addiction (that is all addictions) with cannabis for hundreds a years

it allways works for them

 

Harry freeman told me the most interesting thing that bewillders cannabis scientests is that

cannabis is seen to cause the brain to grow more reseptor sites

i laughed

cannabis does not kill brain cells in fact cannabis grows brain cells

hahahahah

that could explaine the 10% IQ increase

harry agreed

 

interestind read

thanx Freddie

 

heal the people

heal the land

cannabis will save the planet

Hash Oil Rulez