[B767drvr]

(Oops… won't be available in Florida though.)



Medical marijuana company developing drug to protect NFL players’ brains
By Jessica Mulvihill

Published November 09, 2014 | FoxNews.com

With America in the midst of a pot revolution, companies are lining up to jump on the medical marijuana bandwagon. But 99 percent of them don’t have the exclusive license from the federal government to commercialize a medical marijuana patent currently held by the National Institutes of Health.

The patent, called “Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants,” was quietly filed in 2005 when scientists from the NIH found certain cannabis compounds had neuroprotectant properties, “for example, in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke or trauma, or the treatment of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.”

“I think the [NIH wanted] a public-private partnership … the government does a good job of using taxpayer dollars to foster research and development, and NIH is the largest laboratory of its kind in the world in terms of scientific research and development,” Dean Petkanas, CEO of KannaLife Sciences told FoxNews.com. “They don't want to develop drugs, but they'd like private interest such as ours to step up to the plate and say ‘We're gonna take some risk with you.’”

In 2013, Petkanas’ New York-based company, which specializes in the research and development of plant-derived pharmacological products, obtained the license from the NIH’s office of Technology Transfer to bring a neuroprotective drug to the market.

“We've taken the preclinical approach so far to date on our first indication which is hepatic encephylopathy, which is a brain-liver disorder, where you do have neuronal degradation and degeneration, oxidative stress,” Dean Petkanas, CEO of KannaLife Sciences told FoxNews.com. “So we felt that we could look at that in parallel with chronic traumatic encephylopathy, (CTE) another brain-related disease, and see if neuroprotection would indeed be afforded across that panel.”

CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma. The condition garnered national attention with a rash of suicides in retired National Football League (NFL) players who were suffering from symptoms similar to those seen in patients with Alzheimer’s, or other neurodegenerative diseases.

To date, more than 4,500 retired players have filed suit against the NFL claiming that the league downplayed, dismissed and even covered up knowledge of the long-term neurological damage associated with repetitive concussions. The players acknowledge that while they expected some injury in playing the contact sport, they did not expect neurological damage fraught with symptoms usually experienced by aging dementia patients.

Petkanas hopes his company’s research will pave the way for the development of canabidiol-based (CBD) drugs to help protect the brains of contact sports athletes.

CBD is one of at least 85 active cannabinoids found in cannabis that can be extracted from the plant for medical applications. In the United States, an orally administered liquid drug containing the compound was granted orphan status approval to treat a rare seizure disorder in children.

“We've found in some clinical research that canabidiol, CBD, acts as a neuroprotectant, so in the parlance of pharmaceutical sciences, we could be using that as a prophylaxis against repetitive concussive injury,” Petkanas said.

To help raise awareness about the medicinal properties of CBD and its potential applications in the world of sports, KannaLife Sciences partnered with former NFL defensive lineman, Marvin Washington, who is part of the lawsuit against the league.

“I've seen some of the effects of the concussions and [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] with guys that I played with in my era,” Washington told FoxNews.com. “My son is a collegiate football player and this is for the quality of life of guys that are retiring, this is for protection of the current players and future players in the NFL and college. This just doesn't cover the former players -- the things that are happening in our lab are gonna cover everybody that plays a contact sport. It's gonna make the game safer.”

Washington acknowledged the NFL’s efforts over the past couple of years, and said that the tide started to turn after studies of former player Mike Webster’s brain revealed the extent of neurological damage many players, both retired and current, are facing.

“They reconfigured the Head, Neck and Spine Committee, and now they have neurosurgeons and neuroscientists on there that are heading it, and they did this two years ago, so yes, the NFL is doing a good job the past couple years,” Washington said. “But they're saying they need to follow the signs -- we want them to lead the signs, because they're the biggest fish in the water out there.”

But even though NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this year that he would consider allowing the use of medical marijuana as a neuroprotectant if the science is there to back it up, the league has had a notoriously tough stance on pot.

A recent review of the league’s drug policy sought to institute blood testing for human growth hormone, strengthen the punishment for DUI arrests and reclassify controlled substances, but maintained the strict rules on marijuana as evidenced when Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon received a 16 game suspension after testing positive for the drug – a punishment many have criticized in comparison to Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was initially suspended for only two games after he was arrested for assaulting his then-fianc�e.

Washington argued that while the drug KannaLife Sciences is working to develop would cause a positive result on a drug test for an active player, CBD has no psychoactive effects. And he added, research is piling up that shows the benefits – especially for football players -- outweigh any negative stigma associated with marijuana.

“Everybody calls football a contact sport -- it's a collision sport. And I know the story right now is domestic violence, but concussions and CTE ... this is not going away, because the players are getting bigger and faster and stronger, and so they need something to protect the head,” Washington said. “This is something that players are not going to get high off of or anything like that because it has no psychoactive effects.”

Petkanas said his company plans to file an investigational new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration in early 2015. But, he added, this is just the tip of the iceberg for medical marijuana.

“We're looking at a 15 to 20 year curve of really isolating some of these canabinoids … and how they play a role in relieving stress in multiple diseases and disorders,” Petkanas said. “It interplays with our inner canabanoid system.”

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I find it sad that so many pot heads and druggie groups have gotten so involved with this issue. I have heard many stories where medical marijuana has helped people and even children that experience seizures.

One of the big problems as I see it, is that the states that have legalized it, have allowed growers and unqualified people to set up "Medical Marijuana" shops. They end up in some cases being able to sell to anyone. So instead of this being a controlled medical substance it is simply a recreational drug.

If a state legalized it and had it sold only through pharmacies with a doctors prescription, the whole thing might make a little more sense.

I think that the states also have to initiate some kind of control over the substance. The way it is in some states, almost anyone can set themselves up as a grower and get a license to sell this stuff in an "authorized" shop.

A grower should have to have his crops inspected and only those that are approved should be able to sell on a wholesale basis to pharmacies. If it's for medical purposes only, then why is it not treated like every other medical drug?

What's next? Oxycontin shops?

[Gary7]

The NFL should increase their efforts even more to make the game much safer for all players. ... including helmet injuries.
You can watch games and still see players grabbing face masks and have continued helmet-to-helmet injuries.

[B767drvr]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I find it sad that so many pot heads and druggie groups have gotten so involved with this issue. I have heard many stories where medical marijuana has helped people and even children that experience seizures.

One of the big problems as I see it, is that the states that have legalized it, have allowed growers and unqualified people to set up "Medical Marijuana" shops. They end up in some cases being able to sell to anyone. So instead of this being a controlled medical substance it is simply a recreational drug.

If a state legalized it and had it sold only through pharmacies with a doctors prescription, the whole thing might make a little more sense.

I think that the states also have to initiate some kind of control over the substance. The way it is in some states, almost anyone can set themselves up as a grower and get a license to sell this stuff in an "authorized" shop.

A grower should have to have his crops inspected and only those that are approved should be able to sell on a wholesale basis to pharmacies. If it's for medical purposes only, then why is it not treated like every other medical drug?

What's next? Oxycontin shops?

What are you fearing?

Half the states have already legalized medical marijuana and four states plus DC have legalized recreational use. Florida is not the tip of the spear on this issue, more like the tail of the donkey.

Please show me the data on what you fear. I mean this sincerely. Where are the huge post-legalization spikes in murder, rape, DUI, road-rage, general mayhem, carnage, domestic violence, or even parking citations? The school dropout rate should have exploded from all the apathetic children quitting to smoke pot, and the homeless shelters should be flooded with stoned parents who would rather get high than go to work. (Psst� it AIN'T HAPPENING!)

The truth is a substantial portion of the electorate has been fooled by unfounded fear, nothing more. References to heroin and oxycontin dispensaries are perfect examples.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by B767drvr

(Oops� won't be available in Florida though.)



Medical marijuana company developing drug to protect NFL players� brains
By Jessica Mulvihill

Published November 09, 2014 | FoxNews.com

With America in the midst of a pot revolution, companies are lining up to jump on the medical marijuana bandwagon. But 99 percent of them don�t have the exclusive license from the federal government to commercialize a medical marijuana patent currently held by the National Institutes of Health.

The patent, called �Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants,� was quietly filed in 2005 when scientists from the NIH found certain cannabis compounds had neuroprotectant properties, �for example, in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke or trauma, or the treatment of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer�s disease, Parkinson�s disease and HIV dementia.�

�I think the [NIH wanted] a public-private partnership � the government does a good job of using taxpayer dollars to foster research and development, and NIH is the largest laboratory of its kind in the world in terms of scientific research and development,� Dean Petkanas, CEO of KannaLife Sciences told FoxNews.com. �They don't want to develop drugs, but they'd like private interest such as ours to step up to the plate and say �We're gonna take some risk with you.��

In 2013, Petkanas� New York-based company, which specializes in the research and development of plant-derived pharmacological products, obtained the license from the NIH�s office of Technology Transfer to bring a neuroprotective drug to the market.

�We've taken the preclinical approach so far to date on our first indication which is hepatic encephylopathy, which is a brain-liver disorder, where you do have neuronal degradation and degeneration, oxidative stress,� Dean Petkanas, CEO of KannaLife Sciences told FoxNews.com. �So we felt that we could look at that in parallel with chronic traumatic encephylopathy, (CTE) another brain-related disease, and see if neuroprotection would indeed be afforded across that panel.�

CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma. The condition garnered national attention with a rash of suicides in retired National Football League (NFL) players who were suffering from symptoms similar to those seen in patients with Alzheimer�s, or other neurodegenerative diseases.

To date, more than 4,500 retired players have filed suit against the NFL claiming that the league downplayed, dismissed and even covered up knowledge of the long-term neurological damage associated with repetitive concussions. The players acknowledge that while they expected some injury in playing the contact sport, they did not expect neurological damage fraught with symptoms usually experienced by aging dementia patients.

Petkanas hopes his company�s research will pave the way for the development of canabidiol-based (CBD) drugs to help protect the brains of contact sports athletes.

CBD is one of at least 85 active cannabinoids found in cannabis that can be extracted from the plant for medical applications. In the United States, an orally administered liquid drug containing the compound was granted orphan status approval to treat a rare seizure disorder in children.

�We've found in some clinical research that canabidiol, CBD, acts as a neuroprotectant, so in the parlance of pharmaceutical sciences, we could be using that as a prophylaxis against repetitive concussive injury,� Petkanas said.

To help raise awareness about the medicinal properties of CBD and its potential applications in the world of sports, KannaLife Sciences partnered with former NFL defensive lineman, Marvin Washington, who is part of the lawsuit against the league.

�I've seen some of the effects of the concussions and [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] with guys that I played with in my era,� Washington told FoxNews.com. �My son is a collegiate football player and this is for the quality of life of guys that are retiring, this is for protection of the current players and future players in the NFL and college. This just doesn't cover the former players -- the things that are happening in our lab are gonna cover everybody that plays a contact sport. It's gonna make the game safer.�

Washington acknowledged the NFL�s efforts over the past couple of years, and said that the tide started to turn after studies of former player Mike Webster�s brain revealed the extent of neurological damage many players, both retired and current, are facing.

�They reconfigured the Head, Neck and Spine Committee, and now they have neurosurgeons and neuroscientists on there that are heading it, and they did this two years ago, so yes, the NFL is doing a good job the past couple years,� Washington said. �But they're saying they need to follow the signs -- we want them to lead the signs, because they're the biggest fish in the water out there.�

But even though NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this year that he would consider allowing the use of medical marijuana as a neuroprotectant if the science is there to back it up, the league has had a notoriously tough stance on pot.

A recent review of the league�s drug policy sought to institute blood testing for human growth hormone, strengthen the punishment for DUI arrests and reclassify controlled substances, but maintained the strict rules on marijuana as evidenced when Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon received a 16 game suspension after testing positive for the drug � a punishment many have criticized in comparison to Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was initially suspended for only two games after he was arrested for assaulting his then-fianc�e.

Washington argued that while the drug KannaLife Sciences is working to develop would cause a positive result on a drug test for an active player, CBD has no psychoactive effects. And he added, research is piling up that shows the benefits � especially for football players -- outweigh any negative stigma associated with marijuana.

�Everybody calls football a contact sport -- it's a collision sport. And I know the story right now is domestic violence, but concussions and CTE ... this is not going away, because the players are getting bigger and faster and stronger, and so they need something to protect the head,� Washington said. �This is something that players are not going to get high off of or anything like that because it has no psychoactive effects.�

Petkanas said his company plans to file an investigational new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration in early 2015. But, he added, this is just the tip of the iceberg for medical marijuana.

�We're looking at a 15 to 20 year curve of really isolating some of these canabinoids � and how they play a role in relieving stress in multiple diseases and disorders,� Petkanas said. �It interplays with our inner canabanoid system.�

I have seen no valid evidence that cannabis can help neuronal plasticity or healing of the brain. Another common problem that professional athletes have is the overuse of steroids that can affect the entire body.

I read this and reread it and tried to understand but it seems that the conclusion presented isn't clear or believable.

[graciegirl]

Read about ole Jessica. She recently went to a restaurant in New York to explore the medical advantage to eating lamb brain.

Jessica Mulvihill | Medicine Hunter

I can't find if she is affiliated with one of the local Fox News Stations rather than Fox News National. She is a supporter of alternative medicine which makes her not too believable to me.

[Rags123]

Originally Posted by B767drvr

What are you fearing?

Half the states have already legalized medical marijuana and four states plus DC have legalized recreational use. Florida is not the tip of the spear on this issue, more like the tail of the donkey.

Please show me the data on what you fear. I mean this sincerely. Where are the huge post-legalization spikes in murder, rape, DUI, road-rage, general mayhem, carnage, domestic violence, or even parking citations? The school dropout rate should have exploded from all the apathetic children quitting to smoke pot, and the homeless shelters should be flooded with stoned parents who would rather get high than go to work. (Psst� it AIN'T HAPPENING!)

The truth is a substantial portion of the electorate has been fooled by unfounded fear, nothing more. References to heroin and oxycontin dispensaries are perfect examples.

For a start, peruse this report...

http://www.rmhidta.org/html/August%2...e%20Impact.pdf

In that report are the following results listed...

. The majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana and 25 to 40 percent were marijuana alone.

2. In 2012, 10.47 percent of Colorado youth ages 12 to 17 were considered current marijuana users compared to 7.55 percent nationally. Colorado ranked fourth in the nation, and was 39 percent higher than the national average.

3. Drug-related student suspensions/expulsions increased 32 percent from school years 2008-09 through 2012-13, the vast majority were for marijuana violations.

4. In 2012, 26.81 percent of college age students were considered current marijuana users compared to 18.89 percent nationally, which ranks Colorado third in the nation and 42 percent above the national average.

5. In 2013, 48.4 percent of Denver adult arrestees tested positive for marijuana, which is a 16 percent increase from 2008.

6. From 2011 through 2013 there was a 57 percent increase in marijuana-related emergency room visits.

7. Hospitalizations related to marijuana has increased 82 percent since 2008.


ADD TO ALL OF THAT the desensitizing of our young people...your kids and grandkids...

And a question....HEROIN has proven to have some medical benefits to some....is that the next thing on the ballot.

Plus, it has become so political...you are asking every day citizens to make a judgement call on something that the AMA and the American Cancer Society are begging folks to allow more tests by them and the FDA.

[manaboutown]

If cannabis truly protects the brain, considering the past and present lifestyles of many NFL players their brains should be all but bullet proof from all the weed they have smoked.

[Rags123]

Originally Posted by Rags123

For a start, peruse this report...

http://www.rmhidta.org/html/August%2...e%20Impact.pdf

In that report are the following results listed...

. The majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana and 25 to 40 percent were marijuana alone.

2. In 2012, 10.47 percent of Colorado youth ages 12 to 17 were considered current marijuana users compared to 7.55 percent nationally. Colorado ranked fourth in the nation, and was 39 percent higher than the national average.

3. Drug-related student suspensions/expulsions increased 32 percent from school years 2008-09 through 2012-13, the vast majority were for marijuana violations.

4. In 2012, 26.81 percent of college age students were considered current marijuana users compared to 18.89 percent nationally, which ranks Colorado third in the nation and 42 percent above the national average.

5. In 2013, 48.4 percent of Denver adult arrestees tested positive for marijuana, which is a 16 percent increase from 2008.

6. From 2011 through 2013 there was a 57 percent increase in marijuana-related emergency room visits.

7. Hospitalizations related to marijuana has increased 82 percent since 2008.


ADD TO ALL OF THAT the desensitizing of our young people...your kids and grandkids...

And a question....HEROIN has proven to have some medical benefits to some....is that the next thing on the ballot.

Plus, it has become so political...you are asking every day citizens to make a judgement call on something that the AMA and the American Cancer Society are begging folks to allow more tests by them and the FDA.

PS TO OP....I might add that reading your post here and one on the other thread on the same subject....copying and pasting WITHOUT QUOTES or giving credit to the SOURCE is against forum rules as well as United States Copyright law