Northern California bud.  Creative Commons Lic. Photo by Adrian Miles

California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute Final Report (2008)

We discovered that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic compound from the plant Cannabis sativa, can inhibit the process of breast cancer cells that allow them to grow and spread (metastasis). CBD can also inhibit breast cancer metastasis in a mouse model. The research carried out in our CBCRP proposal demonstrated that CBD is a novel inhibitor of a gene whose activity is intimately linked to the aggressiveness of human breast cancers; this gene has been termed Id-1. Notably, our findings also indicated that Id-1 was a key gene whose expression needed to be reduced in order for CBD to inhibit aggressive breast cancer. One of the most significant high risk components of the initial application was to determine if CBD had appreciable efficacy against breast cancer in vivo (i.e., animal models). This high risk component was not pursued, since an independent group showed CBD was able to inhibit metastasis of MDA-MB231 cells to the lung of nude mice. Building of the previous findings, we made small structural changes to CBD that are expected to produce drugs that are much more active than CBD at inhibiting Id-1 and corresponding aggressive breast cancers. CBD has a low toxicity profile. An anticancer agent with a low toxicity profile that can both inhibit cancer cell growth and metastasis would be extremely valuable clinically. Understanding the mechanisms behind the anticancer activity of CBD may also lead to the discovery of new biological targets for the development of diagnostic tools and additional therapies for the treatment of cancer. In this project we found portions of the CBD structure essential to its biological activity for breast cancer cell growth inhibition. We are in the process of filing a patent on these discoveries. In addition, we studies the moleculr mechanisms that underlie CBD activity, and found that sustained upregulation of Erk (extracellular signal-regulated kinases, a type of protein kinase intracellular signaling molecules) is key to the ability of CBD to regulate the metastasis-specific inhibition of the Id-1 transcription factor.

Antioxidant activity has been reported to be a general property of the phenolic components of marijuana. Unlike Δ9-THC, cannabidiol can be administered at relatively high doses without undesired toxic or psychological effects.1 Cannabidiol at a concentration of 10 µM was neuroprotective against both excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate) and oxidant (hydroperoxide) induced neurotoxicity.
Read about cannabidiol click here.
Cannabidiol Treatment For Cancer

	The survival of mankind depends on enhanced cannabinoid activity  The foundation of marijuana prohibition may lie in the genetics of people in government. An endocannabinoid deficiency may cause them to become backward looking people.
	Austism and medical marijuana YouTube video  ‘Sam’ is a 10 year-old California boy who lives with his Dad, Mom, and sister Lucy. Sam has autism. From age two until eight, Sam’s disorder made him violent and aggressive. His parents Steve and Angela were truly living a nightmare, every day….for one California family, medical marijuana has literally been an answer to their prayers and a homecoming for their son. “It was a medication with the result we’d been hoping for, for so long,” Steve says.
	Julie Falco brings hope to Multiple Sclerosis patients. Cannabinoids manage pain and promote repair!  During late 1990’s Julie Falco was contemplating suicide.  After being prescribed every pharmaceutical known to manage the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, she found herself facing a grim reality. “The side effects of the injectables were even more debilitating than the disease itself.”
	FDA’s Woodcock Discusses Pain Management and Drug Safety in The New England Journal of Medicine  Medical marijuana has been praised for its use in pain management. It is also proven not to be fatal. The FDA is on the record saying that drugs such as Vicodin, Percocet, Darvocet, and Acetaminophen are safer than medical marijuana. Is Dr. Woodcock’s article, the preview to a change in the FDA’s position on pain management drugs and medical marijuana?
	Chemicals in cannabis found to stop prostate cancer Cannabinoids block a receptor, or molecular doorway, on the surface of tumour cells. This stops them from dividing.Chemicals in cannabis have been found to stop prostate cancer cells from growing in the laboratory, suggesting that cannabis-based medicines could one day help fight the disease.
	Bibliography for Cannabis & MMJ
	Marijuana Myths & Facts Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis  and Cannabinoids Myth: Marijuana Has No Medicinal Value. Safer, more effective drugs are available. They include a synthetic version of THC, marijuana’s primary active ingredient, which is marketed in the United States under the name Marinol. Read the true facts here.
	AMA strikes out smoke free delivery system clause in medical marijuana recommendation  On November 11, 2009 the American Medical Association Council on Science and Public Health Report 14-3 – Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes reommended some policy changes. Read the text of the changes in Policy H-95.952 here.
	Merck on Marinol, Dronabinol and Marijuana Merck’s position on Marijuana: “Marijuana is a euphoriant that can cause sedation or dysphoria in some users. Overdose does not occur. Psychologic dependence can develop with chronic use, but very little physical dependence is clinically apparent. Withdrawal is uncomfortable but requires only supportive treatment.”