Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn on Twitter.
Dr. Donald Tashkin, the medical director of UCLA’s Pulmonary Function Laboratory, has conducted research on the effects of marijuana on the lungs for over thirty years. Though his work was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse who were hoping to link marijuana use with lung disease, Dr. Tashkin has found that in some ways the opposite is true. With over 5,000 subjects throughout the world, his research found no decrease in pulmonary function. Among moderate users he even noted an increase in lung capacity. Though he initially was a skeptic, he has recently come out as a proponent of legalizing marijuana.
“Early on, when our research appeared as if there would be a negative impact on lung health, I was opposed to legalization because I thought it would lead to increased use and that would lead to increased health effects,” Tashkin says. “But at this point, I’d be in favor of legalization. I wouldn’t encourage anybody to smoke any substances. But I don’t think it should be stigmatized as an illegal substance. Tobacco smoking causes far more harm. And in terms of an intoxicant, alcohol causes far more harm.” *
In all his studies, Dr. Tashkin has found no link between marijuana use and an increase in lower respiratory tract infections, or any significant abnormalities in lung function. Additionally, he has found no compelling research to suggest that marijuana use can lead to an increased risk in either lung or upper airway cancer.
below please find some interesting videos and publications concerning the work of Dr. Tashkin
This Sunday, CNN will air an hour long documentary on Marijuana, entitled “Weed.” CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta traveled the globe for nearly a year highlighting how the drug is perceived and used all over the world. More interesting to me than the pot shops and cafes that are opening up in places like Colorado, is the story of Charlotte Figi. Charlotte suffered from Dravet’s syndrome, making her prone to up to 300 seizures per week. Her parents, like many patients in Michigan, tried every possible medicine before turning to marijuana. When nothing else was working, Charlotte’s father began doing some research and found that marijuana had been helpful in reducing others’ seizures in places where medical marijuana was legal.
Check out this video of Charlotte’s amazing story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH5yzEu3JGQ
He dug deeper, and learned about 6 brothers in Colorado who are considered some of the best in the land. They produced a strain of marijuana specifically for Charlotte and others who suffer from the same or similar ailments. Dubbed “Charlotte’s Web,” the strain is high in CBD content, but low in THC. THC is the ingredient that has made the drug so controversial, and produces the psychoactive, while CBD receptors are located all throughout your body and when stimulated, have been proven to have palliative effects. CBD receptors are found in especially high numbers in the brain, and since she began using oil made from “Charlotte’s Web,” her seizures have declined from over 300 a week, to 0-1 a week. Be sure to check out the documentary this Sunday at 8:00 PM.
List of 26 studies showing that cannabis cures cancer, categorized by the type of cancer being treated. Note that the consistent theme between them is that marijuana shrinks tumors and selectively targets cancer cells.
