In addition to its wonderful healing and euphoric properties, researchers have found that compounds in Marijuana fight certain strands of bacteria. The cannabinoids can possibly hold the answer to combating the many bacteria-caused infections that we fall victim to daily.
Researchers from Italy and the UK isolated five cannabinoids and tested them for their effectiveness against the bacteria present in staph infections. Staph infections, like viruses are resistant to drugs and difficult to treat. All five cannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoids were successful against the bacteria, according to their findings.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) report that twelve million people visit their doctors due to skin infections every year. The most recent study said that eighty-five percent of staph outbreaks occur at hospitals or other health facilities.
David Rosenbloom, director of Join Together, a Boston University School of Public Health program devoted to “responsible” drug and alcohol policy, said he was not surprised by the effectiveness of cannabinoids on staph infections because a number of beneficial medicines come from plants. Rosenbloom said the politics of Marijuana use are interfering with the growth of substantial research. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said it is even difficult for researchers to get Marijuana for their research.
“Unfortunately, in the U.S. Medical Marijuana has become a political problem”, Mirken said. “The federal government is deeply invested in demonizing Marijuana and seems to be only paying lip service to any scientists that want to do serious research.”
Any scientists who want to do research with Marijuana must apply to the DEA for approval, Mirken said. Currently, the only university in the U.S. allowed to grow Marijuana for research is the University of Mississippi.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst professor and researcher Lyle Craker applied to the DEA to grow Marijuana for medicinal purposes in 2001 and was denied permission in 2004. Craker said it was too difficult to do real research about potential medicinal benefits of Marijuana because the government is committed to telling the public that Marijuana is bad.
“In my opinion, we need to explore every avenue we have to protect our health and cure illness,” Craker said.
Draconian rules that pre-date prohibition prevent relief and cure for many diseases and inconveniences that we suffer through daily. But if the very scientists and researchers that we rely on to find the next cure are stifled, restricted and even bullied into avoiding the very subject of Medical Marijuana as a viable tool in fighting illness, how can we truly expect to find cures for some of our most common ailments? What is really at the root of the problem? Is it the revenue that many doctors and drug companies fear will be lost if Marijuana is prescribed everywhere without fear of penalty? Our President Elect, Barrack Obama has vowed to make changes in how dispensaries, growers, caregivers and patients are treated. Let’s hope that this platform for change can show more compassion for the patient and less for the dollars of the pharmaceutical companies.
Reference:
Daily Free Press
