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Volume Two V2 Issue 4 ICRS meets in Tihany, Hungary
Volume Two V2 Issue 4 ICRS meets in Tihany, Hungary
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Oaksterdam News
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| ICRS meets in Tihany, Hungary |
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| Written by Jahan Marcu | |
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Cannabis may help Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease victims; Israel has its own MMJ program The 2006 International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) meeting brought together funding agencies, industry and the academic community to exchange new information and ideas about cannabis and cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are components of the cannabis plant, including tetrahydrocannbinol (THC) or Cannabidiol (CBD). There are also endogenous Cannabinoids or cannabinoids synthesized by our body, such as Anadamide or 2-arachydonylGlycerol (2-AG). The ICRS meeting was held in Tihany, Hungary, from June 24 to 28. It is a scientific association of active researchers in the field of endogenous, plant derived and synthetic cannabinoids and related bioactive lipids. Since the formation of the ICRS in 1991, the society has acquired over 400 members worldwide. There were 91 research presentations and 135 posters that discussed the role of cannabinoids in neuronal development, nervous system function, memory and learning, pain, inflammation, food intake, energy balance, anti-cancer effects, drug abuse, and neuro-protection. The wide range of effects from cannabinoids is due to thier specific interactions with an endocannabinoid regulatory system in the body. The endocannabinoid system includes of specific cannabinoids receptors found throughout the human body. Despite political opinions, attendees, including clinicians, researchers, and even a few self-proclaimed cannabis experts, generally agree on the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids. Patricia Reggio from the University of North Carolina (UNC) presented data on a project that was a collaborative effort between California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute (CPMCRI) and UNC. These researchers investigated the effects of mutations on the Cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor. At CPMCRI they recently generated data on the ability of natural cannabinoids to fight brain and breast cancer, as well as halting the progression of Lou Gherig's Disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in mice. Research presented by Moises Garcia- Arencibia from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem indicated that THC and CBD might provide protection against Parkinson's diseases. The data indicates that the protective effects against Parkinson's disease are most likely from antioxidant properties of cannabinoids and not from the activation of the CB1 receptors in the brain. Dr. Abrams from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) presented research entitled “Vaporization as a safe and efficient smokeless cannabis delivery system”. The results indicated that future studies of medicinal cannabis could consider utilizing vaporization because it delivers relatively equal amounts of medicinal compounds from the plant to the patient when compared to the hazardous practice of smoking combusted material. Weighted toward synthetic drugs Even though the research presented was overwhelmingly about synthetic cannabinoids, the plant does have a recognized medicinal value. Dr. Natalya Kogan, a researcher from the laboratory of Dr. Raphael Mechoulam at Hebrew University, told me about medicinal cannabis patients in Israel. Apparently there is lot more paperwork, although once you become a “cannabis patient” you can receive a pure extract of THC dissolved in olive oil from Mechoulam's lab and grow a small number of plants. At the end of the third and fourth days of the conference a “Hot and Controversial Issue” were discussed. This year the topics were “Are there CB2 receptors in CNS neurons?” and “Pharmacology of Cannabidiol (CBD): Cannabinoid receptors and Beyond.” The controversial issues may seem inapplicable to the average medicinal cannabis patient but this type of open discussion among cannabinoid researchers will shape the direction of research, the medical application, and our understanding of cannabis and cannabinoids. Please visit Cannabinoidsociety.org for more information and summaries of the research presented at 2006 meeting. |
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