Re: Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood < Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds

[Guest guest]

Just fascinating, a. Something natural that helps pain, suppresses

immune function and fights inflammation. Too bad they’ll probably never

legalize it for RA. I wonder if the pill form would work as well?

Love,

Carol

[ ] Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood ‹ Human Immune

System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds

Source: University Of South Florida Health Sciences Center

( http://hsc.usf.edu/)

Date: Posted 8/28/2002

Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood ‹ Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA

Study Finds

Tampa, FL (Aug. 27 2002) -- Marijuana may alter immune function in people --

but the jury is still out on whether it hurts or helps the body's ability to

fight infection or other diseases, report researchers at the University of

South Florida College of Medicine and the UCLA School of Medicine in Los

Angeles. " The bottom line is you cannot routinely smoke marijuana without it

affecting your immune system, " said Klein, PhD, professor of medical

microbiology and immunology at USF. " However, because of the complexity of

the immune system, we can't say yet whether the effect we've observed in

humans is good or bad. "

A study by USF and UCLA is the first to show that healthy humans who smoke

marijuana appear to alter the expression of marijuana receptors, or

molecules, on immune cells in their blood. The findings were reported in the

June issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

Pot's influence on the immune system continues to be hotly debated. While

more human studies are needed, overwhelming evidence from animal studies

indicates that marijuana and its psychoactive compounds, known as

cannabinoids, suppress immune function and inflammation.

" This suggests marijuana or cannabinoids might benefit someone with chronic

inflammatory disease, but not someone who has a chronic infectious disease

such as HIV infection, " said Dr. Klein, lead investigator of the study.

The USF/UCLA group is one of few in the world conducting studies to define

the role of cannabinoid receptors in regulating immunity in both drug

abusers and nonusers.

If the results in animals hold true in humans, their work might lead to the

development of safe and effective cannabinoid drugs for certain diseases,

Dr. Klein said. " If the cannabinoids in marijuana are effective immune

suppressors, this property might be harnessed to treat patients with overly

aggressive immune responses or inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis

and rheumatoid arthritis. "

Receptors that react to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the compound in

marijuana that produces a high, have been found in tissues throughout the

body and in the brain. A naturally circulating THC-like substance called

anandamide also binds to and activates these marijuana, or cannabinoid,

receptors, indicating that the body's own cannabinoid system plays a

physiological role in normal immunity as well as defining moods, Dr. Klein

said.

In the USF/UCLA study, researchers analyzed blood samples from 56 healthy

volunteers -- including 10 chronic marijuana smokers, ages 22 to 46,

participating in lung and immune function studies at UCLA. The marijuana

smokers denied use of any other drugs, and the nonsmokers denied all illegal

drug use. Because no accurate way yet exists to directly study the

expression of cannabinoid receptors on immune cells, the researchers looked

at the genetic material (messenger RNA) that is the direct predecessor, or

precursor, of the receptor.

They found that the baseline genetic expression of precursor RNA was

consistent across all age, gender and ethnic groups. But, the peripheral

blood cells from the marijuana users expressed significantly higher levels

of cannabinoid receptor messenger RNA than blood cells from non-users. The

levels increased regardless of the amount of marijuana use, although all

users in the study had a history of smoking pot several times or more a

week.

[Guest guest]

Although no medical benefit of marijuana is accepted by the our government,

the number of people that report medical benefits far surpass the negative

side effects. What drug doesn¹t have side effects? Marijuana treatment has

shown to have invaluable therapeutic value, but the synthetic marinol

doesn¹t show the same benefits, so I doubt the pill would work as well so

I¹ve heard. I know someone that is prescribed it for appetite and pain.

I doubt it will ever be legalized as long as the tobacco industry has the

influence it has in Washington. Marijuana is very easy to grow, needs no

special care, and would take away to much business from the tobacco industry

as well as the fact that people that needed it for medicinal use would just

grow their own.

It¹s a real shame for those that would benefit.

I¹ve often wondered if smoking it is what lowered my immunity and messed up

my immune system. I was a heavy smoker while in my early 20¹s when I first

started having problems.

Guess I¹ll never know.

Hugs,

a

> Just fascinating, a. Something natural that helps pain, suppresses

> immune function and fights inflammation. Too bad they’ll probably never

> legalize it for RA. I wonder if the pill form would work as well?

>

> Love,

> Carol

>

>

> [ ] Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood ‹ Human Immune

> System Affected, USF/UCLA Study Finds

>

> Source: University Of South Florida Health Sciences Center

> ( http://hsc.usf.edu/)

>

> Date: Posted 8/28/2002

>

> Smoking Pot Alters More Than Mood ‹ Human Immune System Affected, USF/UCLA

> Study Finds

> Tampa, FL (Aug. 27 2002) -- Marijuana may alter immune function in people --

> but the jury is still out on whether it hurts or helps the body's ability to

> fight infection or other diseases, report researchers at the University of

> South Florida College of Medicine and the UCLA School of Medicine in Los

> Angeles. " The bottom line is you cannot routinely smoke marijuana without it

> affecting your immune system, " said Klein, PhD, professor of medical

> microbiology and immunology at USF. " However, because of the complexity of

> the immune system, we can't say yet whether the effect we've observed in

> humans is good or bad. "

>

> A study by USF and UCLA is the first to show that healthy humans who smoke

> marijuana appear to alter the expression of marijuana receptors, or

> molecules, on immune cells in their blood. The findings were reported in the

> June issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

>

> Pot's influence on the immune system continues to be hotly debated. While

> more human studies are needed, overwhelming evidence from animal studies

> indicates that marijuana and its psychoactive compounds, known as

> cannabinoids, suppress immune function and inflammation.

>

> " This suggests marijuana or cannabinoids might benefit someone with chronic

> inflammatory disease, but not someone who has a chronic infectious disease

> such as HIV infection, " said Dr. Klein, lead investigator of the study.

>

> The USF/UCLA group is one of few in the world conducting studies to define

> the role of cannabinoid receptors in regulating immunity in both drug

> abusers and nonusers.

>

> If the results in animals hold true in humans, their work might lead to the

> development of safe and effective cannabinoid drugs for certain diseases,

> Dr. Klein said. " If the cannabinoids in marijuana are effective immune

> suppressors, this property might be harnessed to treat patients with overly

> aggressive immune responses or inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis

> and rheumatoid arthritis. "

>

> Receptors that react to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the compound in

> marijuana that produces a high, have been found in tissues throughout the

> body and in the brain. A naturally circulating THC-like substance called

> anandamide also binds to and activates these marijuana, or cannabinoid,

> receptors, indicating that the body's own cannabinoid system plays a

> physiological role in normal immunity as well as defining moods, Dr. Klein

> said.

>

> In the USF/UCLA study, researchers analyzed blood samples from 56 healthy

> volunteers -- including 10 chronic marijuana smokers, ages 22 to 46,

> participating in lung and immune function studies at UCLA. The marijuana

> smokers denied use of any other drugs, and the nonsmokers denied all illegal

> drug use. Because no accurate way yet exists to directly study the

> expression of cannabinoid receptors on immune cells, the researchers looked

> at the genetic material (messenger RNA) that is the direct predecessor, or

> precursor, of the receptor.

>

> They found that the baseline genetic expression of precursor RNA was

> consistent across all age, gender and ethnic groups. But, the peripheral

> blood cells from the marijuana users expressed significantly higher levels

> of cannabinoid receptor messenger RNA than blood cells from non-users. The

> levels increased regardless of the amount of marijuana use, although all

> users in the study had a history of smoking pot several times or more a

> week.

>

>

>

>

>