Cannabis and ALS

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Are there any studies made relating marijuana use and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease)? I'm interested in learning if marijuana serves either as a catalyst in developing the disease or as a preventable substance. Thanks.
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chronicpasto
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#2 (permalink) 03-05-2006, 10:01 AM
nerphroll
Moderator Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Energy Stream
Posts: 980


Two MEDLINE searches, using the terms "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis marijuana" and "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cannabis," found these three journal articles. Unfortunately I could not get the full text so here are the abstracts only. If you're really interested and you live near a large medical school maybe you can visit their library.

Good luck.

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1. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Other Motor Neuron Disord. 2005 Sep;6(3):182-4.

"Cannabinol delays symptom onset in SOD1 (G93A) transgenic mice without affecting survival"

Weydt P, Hong S, Witting A, Moller T, Stella N, Kliot M.

Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. weydt@u.washington.edu

Therapeutic options for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common adult-onset motor neuron disorder, remain limited. Emerging evidence from clinical studies and transgenic mouse models of ALS suggests that cannabinoids, the bioactive ingredients of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) might have some therapeutic benefit in this disease. However, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC), the predominant cannabinoid in marijuana, induces mind-altering effects and is partially addictive, compromising its clinical usefulness. We therefore tested whether cannabinol (CBN), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, influences disease progression and survival in the SOD1 (G93A) mouse model of ALS. CBN was delivered via subcutaneously implanted osmotic mini-pumps (5 mg/kg/day) over a period of up to 12 weeks. We found that this treatment significantly delays disease onset by more than two weeks while survival was not affected. Further research is necessary to determine whether non-psychotropic cannabinoids might be useful in ameliorating symptoms in ALS.
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2. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2004 Mar-Apr;21(2):95-104.

"Survey of cannabis use in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis."

Amtmann D, Weydt P, Johnson KL, Jensen MP, Carter GT.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Cannabis (marijuana) has been proposed as treatment for a widening spectrum of medical conditions and has many properties that may be applicable to the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study is the first, anonymous survey of persons with ALS regarding the use of cannabis. There were 131 respondents, 13 of whom reported using cannabis in the last 12 months. Although the small number of people with ALS that reported using cannabis limits the interpretation of the survey findings, the results indicate that cannabis may be moderately effective at reducing symptoms of appetite loss, depression, pain, spasticity, and drooling. Cannabis was reported ineffective in reducing difficulties with speech and swallowing, and sexual dysfunction. The longest relief was reported for depression (approximately two to three hours).
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3. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2001 Jul-Aug;18(4):264-70.

"Marijuana in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis".

Carter GT, Rosen BS.

Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), Neuromuscular Disease Clinic, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Marijuana has been proposed as treatment for a widening spectrum of medical conditions. Marijuana is a substance with many properties that may be applicable to the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These include analgesia, muscle relaxation, bronchodilation, saliva reduction, appetite stimulation, and sleep induction. In addition, marijuana has now been shown to have strong antioxidative and neuroprotective effects, which may prolong neuronal cell survival. In areas where it is legal to do so, marijuana should be considered in the pharmacological management of ALS. Further investigation into the usefulness of marijuana in this setting is warranted.
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http://www.marijuana.com/420/medical...nabis-als.html