Over the last decade there have been numerous publications demonstrating the anti-cancer effects of plant and synthetic cannabinoids. Notably, the main ingredient of Cannabis, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), has demonstrated the ability to kill multiple types of cancers in a variety of cancer research models. CBD (cannabidiol), another common plant component, has also shown the ability to kill cancer cells, recently it has been used to successfully treat breast cancer in a mouse research model of the disease.
Certain types of brain cancer appear to be vulnerable to cannabinoids such as THC and CBD. Scientific research has demonstrated that THC and other cannabinoids can kill extremely aggressive brain cancers known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or grade IV astrocytomas. Researchers have also experimented with combining different cananbinoids for the treatment of aggressive brain cancers. So far, the results have been extremely promising. There is a need for new treatments for GBMs, as current treatments for these cancers can extend life for up to 15 months, if you’re lucky.
Last year, the journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics published research demonstrating that combination’s of THC and CBD, the two most abundant cannabinoids on the plant, can lead to a greater-than-additive or synergistic inhibition of cancer growth. Now, nearly a year to the date, the journal has published another article studying the anti-cancer effects of THC and CBD. The new article takes the next steps towards getting this therapy in to the clinic by testing THC and CBD in animals along side a common brain tumor drug TMZ (temozolomide).
The study was conducted in Spain, and the experiments analyzing the effects of cannabinoids were conducted with tumors or brain cancer cells from human samples and a tumor xenograft mouse model. A tumor xenograft model is basically a cancer that is induced into an animal that has a compromised immune system. This allows researchers to give a mouse a tumor consisting of human cells, thus a promising anti-cancer treatment can be tested on a human tumor in a more natural environment, than a petri dish.
MADISON: News that Stephen Fitzgerald, a former Dodge County sheriff, is seeking to serve as the head of the State Patrol under Gov. Scott Walker, is bringing back painful memories for those who remember a fatal shooting by his deputies during a botched drug raid in April 1995.
The Associated Press, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and other media are reporting that Fitzgerald, 68, who is the father of the state’s two most powerful lawmakers, has applied to Gov. Scott Walker in hopes of snaring the position. Fitzgerald served most recently as U.S. marshal in the Western District of Wisconsin up until May 2010. He was soundly defeated in last September’s Republican primary against incumbent Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls, who won 68% of the vote to Fitzgerald’s 32%.
At issue is the death of Scott Bryant. Blogger Franke Schein described it like this:
On April 17, 1995, police in Dodge County, Wisconsin, forcefully entered the mobile home of Scott Bryant after finding traces of marijuana in his garbage. The officers would later say they knocked and announced before entering, but neighbors who witnessed the raid say police entered without doing either. Moments later, Detective Robert Neuman shot an unarmed Bryant in the chest, killing him. Bryant’s eight-year old son was asleep in the next room. Neuman told investigators he “can’t remember pulling the trigger. Dodge County sheriff Stephen Fitzgerald compared the shooting to a hunting accident. – Franke Schei “SWAT Raids Out Of Control”
