Raphael Mechoulam on Medical Cannabis “Why Did We Have to Wait 35 Years?”

Decades before legislators in Colorado or California even began to consider medical marijuana, Raphael Mechoulam was investigating the biochemistry and pharmacology of cannabis-derived compounds, and urging the global medical community to shed their preconceptions about this plant, and to take it seriously as a source of safe and effective medicines.

In the early 1960s, Raphael Melcoulam & his team became the first who isolate, characterize, and synthesize THC,one of the main psychoactive compounds produced by cannabis.

His subsequent work included the discovery of endogenously produced cannabinoids and the characterization of the endocannabinoid receptor system within the human central nervous system and peripheral tissues.

Dr. Mechoulam is currently a professor of medicinal chemistry and natural products at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His total synthesis of THC, as well as other cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), is the cornerstone of the burgeoning medical-cannabis industry. Furthermore, his major contributions in the field of organic chemistry and the interaction of human and plant biology have led to the discovery of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain and the endocannabinoid system in the human body.

Dr. Mechoulam was kind enough to give his time for an exclusive interview with Holistic Primary Care’s cannabis correspondent, Laura Lagano.

Lagano, an integrative clinical nutritionist and co-founder of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, got Mechoulam to share his views on the current state of medical cannabis research and the appropriate clinical applications of cannabis-derived compounds.

Here are excerpts from their conversation:

Study Confirms CBD May Have Antipsychotic Effect in High-Risk Individuals

Cannabis extract helps reset brain function in psychosis. In a 2018
Researcher from King’s College London found that a single dose of the cannabis extract cannabidiol can help reduce brain function abnormalities seen in people with psychosis. 

Results from a new MRC-funded trial, published in JAMA Psychiatry, provide the first evidence of how cannabidiol acts in the brain to reduce psychotic symptoms.

Cannabidiol, also referred to as CBD, is a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis. A purified form of cannabidiol has recently been licensed in the USA as a treatment for rare childhood epilepsies, and a 2017 King’s College London trial has demonstrated cannabidiol has anti-psychotic properties. However, exactly how cannabidiol may work in the brain to alleviate psychosis has remained a mystery.

“The mainstay of current treatment for people with psychosis are drugs that were first discovered in the 1950s and unfortunately do not work for everyone,” says Dr. Sagnik Bhattacharyya, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). “Our results have started unravelling the brain mechanisms of a new drug that works in a completely different way to traditional anti-psychotics.”

"GREECE APPROVES 26 MARIJUANA GROW OPS FOR MEDICAL PRODUCTION"

Greece’s staggering economic collapse made international headlines. But now, The National Herald reports a new development in Greece’s medical marijuana laws brings some more positive news to the financially ailing country.

As the government finally begins digging its way out of its over $360 billion USD debt, one thing they hope will help achieve that goal is medical marijuana.

Like many politicians in Canada and the U.S., Greece sees marijuana as a revenue stream that could really bolster their economy.

Although marijuana is only legal in Greece for medical use, recent changes will finally help kick the industry into gear.

 Applications and Changes

 Greece is not wasting a second getting their medical cannabis industry up and running. At this point, the country received 72 applications. Out of the total, 26 were approved, four rejected and the rest are pending.

In order to begin growing, businesses need three separate licenses. So far, none of the approved aspiring growers received all three. Nonetheless, the current government is very progressive on marijuana reform and has pledged to get through the process as quickly as possible.

When Greece legalized medical marijuana in 2017, they imposed a ban on cultivation. However, they repealed that ban in March of 2018.

Recreational marijuana is still illegal, but its use is widespread and “largely ignored.”

"Study From Yale Explains Why Does Cannabis Stimulate Your Appetite"

Have you ever think, why do some cannabis consumers experience a heightened sense of appetite after the using of Cannabis??? 

Don't worry if you don't because a study from 'Yale School of Medicine'  has come up with a scientific answer exactly for this question...




The study was funded also by the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association, The Klarmann Family Foundation, the Helmholtz Society (ICEMED) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft SFB.

The study...

The “munchies,” or that uncontrollable urge to eat after using marijuana, appear to be driven by neurons in the brain that are normally involved in suppressing appetite, according to the study.

Lead author Tamas Horvath and his colleagues set out to monitor the brain circuitry that promotes eating by selectively manipulating the cellular pathway that mediates marijuana’s action on the brain, using transgenic mice.

“By observing how the appetite center of the brain responds to marijuana, we were able to see what drives the hunger brought about by cannabis and how that same mechanism that normally turns off feeding becomes a driver of eating,” said Horvath.