Dear iioness111,
Perhaps this information will be useful to you. Marijuana smoke has particulate matter in it which is irritating to the lungs; never-the-less, a large, long term study conducted by NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) in which they set out to prove that smoking marijuana causes cancer, showed the direct opposite. The lead researcher was Donald Tashkin, and what Tashkin said was that they were absolutely unable to demonstrate any link between smoking marijuana and the development of cancer. Furthermore, marijuana seemed to offer some protection from cancer.
This finding was born out in another survey at Brown University which demonstrated that long term, chronic smokers of marijuana have a lower rate of head, neck and throat squamous cell carcinoma than folks who never smoked anything.
Brown University study: http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2009/07/28/1940-6207.CAPR-09-0048.abstract
That said, it is possible to use a vaporizer which heats the cannabis just to point where the volatile oils (THC, CBD, etc.) are vaporized, offering the same benefits, BUT the cannabis is not burned, therefore no particulate matter is released, protecting the lungs from irritation.
Another option besides smoking, or vaporizing is eating it.
You did not say if you were in California (where I am) or another medical marijuana state, but you should also know that cannabis can be taken in tincture form, made into tea, or baked into edibles, (either by using a cannabis infused butter, or actually baking it in (e.g. pot brownies).
If your brother has trouble sleeping with the pain, taking edible cannabis before bed is good, because it lasts a long time (through the night), and, if you don't take it at too late an hour, you will wake up very refreshed (and pretty much sleep through any feeling of being "stoned.")
The emerging realm of cannabis medicine is extremely exciting, since cannabis is so very non-toxic, yet it is the plant form of the very endocannabinoids that our own bodies produce to heal ourselves.
For example, cannabis causes cancer cells to lose the ability to be "immortal", after exposure to cannabis they return to their normal programmed cell death (healthy cells are not effected). Secondly, cannabis stops tumors from developing their own blood supply. Thirdly, cannabis is lipid-based (oils) it can travel in the blood stream and kill cancer cells that are trying to migrate to other places in the body.
All these following human functions depend on the body's own natural endocannabinoids: sleeping, sex, relaxation, forgetting and digestion. When we are endocannabinoid deficient, (caused by the overwhelming stress of modern life) these crucial life functions get out of balance, and we get sick.
In the latter half of the 19th century, virtually half of all patent medicines sold in America contained cannabis, and were used for everything from migraines and labor pain, to sleeping tonic for babies, or removing corns on your feet. And it accomplished these with no toxicity. (No deaths have EVER been recorded from a cannabis overdose.)
I could go on and on, but I don't want to overwhelm you. However, here are a couple of additional links for you.
Granny Storm Crows list: (420 pages with links to all of the studies done on cannabis, categorized for easy access.)
Drug Policy Library: (a great source of historical writings and drug policy info)
http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/
Finally, I would like to say that my heart goes out to your brother. Living with constant pain is a huge challenge, and opiate solutions can be devastating. Cannabis can offer an alternative. Good luck and blessings to you both.
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Dear iioness111,
Perhaps this information will be useful to you. Marijuana smoke has particulate matter in it which is irritating to the lungs; never-the-less, a large, long term study conducted by NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) in which they set out to prove that smoking marijuana causes cancer, showed the direct opposite. The lead researcher was Donald Tashkin, and what Tashkin said was that they were absolutely unable to demonstrate any link between smoking marijuana and the development of cancer. Furthermore, marijuana seemed to offer some protection from cancer.
Tashkin study: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196678,00.html
This finding was born out in another survey at Brown University which demonstrated that long term, chronic smokers of marijuana have a lower rate of head, neck and throat squamous cell carcinoma than folks who never smoked anything.
Brown University study: http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2009/07/28/1940-6207.CAPR-09-0048.abstract
That said, it is possible to use a vaporizer which heats the cannabis just to point where the volatile oils (THC, CBD, etc.) are vaporized, offering the same benefits, BUT the cannabis is not burned, therefore no particulate matter is released, protecting the lungs from irritation.
Another option besides smoking, or vaporizing is eating it.
You did not say if you were in California (where I am) or another medical marijuana state, but you should also know that cannabis can be taken in tincture form, made into tea, or baked into edibles, (either by using a cannabis infused butter, or actually baking it in (e.g. pot brownies).
If your brother has trouble sleeping with the pain, taking edible cannabis before bed is good, because it lasts a long time (through the night), and, if you don't take it at too late an hour, you will wake up very refreshed (and pretty much sleep through any feeling of being "stoned.")
The emerging realm of cannabis medicine is extremely exciting, since cannabis is so very non-toxic, yet it is the plant form of the very endocannabinoids that our own bodies produce to heal ourselves.
For example, cannabis causes cancer cells to lose the ability to be "immortal", after exposure to cannabis they return to their normal programmed cell death (healthy cells are not effected). Secondly, cannabis stops tumors from developing their own blood supply. Thirdly, cannabis is lipid-based (oils) it can travel in the blood stream and kill cancer cells that are trying to migrate to other places in the body.
All these following human functions depend on the body's own natural endocannabinoids: sleeping, sex, relaxation, forgetting and digestion. When we are endocannabinoid deficient, (caused by the overwhelming stress of modern life) these crucial life functions get out of balance, and we get sick.
In the latter half of the 19th century, virtually half of all patent medicines sold in America contained cannabis, and were used for everything from migraines and labor pain, to sleeping tonic for babies, or removing corns on your feet. And it accomplished these with no toxicity. (No deaths have EVER been recorded from a cannabis overdose.)
I could go on and on, but I don't want to overwhelm you. However, here are a couple of additional links for you.
Granny Storm Crows list: (420 pages with links to all of the studies done on cannabis, categorized for easy access.)
https://www.greenpassion.org/index.php?/topic/23575-new-420-page-grannys-mmj-list-july-2010/
Drug Policy Library: (a great source of historical writings and drug policy info)
http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/
Finally, I would like to say that my heart goes out to your brother. Living with constant pain is a huge challenge, and opiate solutions can be devastating. Cannabis can offer an alternative. Good luck and blessings to you both.
September 26, 2010 - 7:07pmThis Comment
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