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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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High hopes for cannabis in battle to beat cancer
The Scotsman Wednesday 15 Sep 2004 CANNABIS could provide an unlikely new weapon in the fight against cancer, new research suggests today. Scientists have discovered that the chemical in the drug which gets users "high" combats cancer-causing viruses. Experiments show that the active cannabis ingredient tetrahydrocannibol (THC) can prevent the activation and replication of gamma herpes viruses. Two of these viruses, the Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpes virus and the Epstein-Barr virus, predispose infected individuals to the cancers Kaposis sarcoma, Burkitt's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease. Kaposis sarcoma is especially prevalent among Aids sufferers and is now the most common form of cancer in Africa. Once infected, it is almost impossible to get rid of the viruses as they lie dormant for long periods within white blood cells. The dormant viruses can reactivate, replicating themselves and bursting out of the cells to spread between individuals and cause illness. Scientists at the University of South Florida in the United States found that reactivation was prevented if infected cells were grown in the presence of THC. Cells infected with a mouse gamma herpes virus normally died when the virus reactivated. But they survived when cultured with the cannabinoid compound. Writing in the online journal BMC Medicine, team leader Dr Peter Medveczky and his fellow researchers said: "We believe that studies on cannabinoids and herpes viruses are important to continue because there are obvious benefits. Better understanding may lead to the development of specific non-psychoactive drugs that may inhibit reactivation of cancer-causing herpes viruses."
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