Cannabinoid control of Multiple Sclerosis
Prof. David Baker (david.baker@qmul.ac.uk)
Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London
Wednesday 16th March, 2011. 18:00 – 19:30. Darwin Lecture Theatre 2, UKC.
Multiple sclerosis is the major cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in young adults and can affect up to 1:500 people in certain areas of the United Kingdom. Autoimmune disease induces conduction block, demyelination, axonal, neuronal and synapse loss that serves to impair normal neurotransmission. This results in the development of a variety of neurological symptoms, including spasticity (muscle stiffness), which are poorly controlled. This has prompted some people to use and perceive benefit from taking cannabis. Through investigating experimental models of multiple sclerosis, we have demonstrated how and why cannabinoid compounds may be involved in symptom control and regulation of other disease processes during multiple sclerosis. This has underpinned subsequent clinical studies that have lead to the recent licensing of medicinal cannabis extracts for symptom control in spasticity. Through exploring cannabinoid biology, we have identified ways to exploit the therapeutic potential of the cannabinoid system, whilst limiting the psychedelic side-effects associated with cannabis use.
I am an anthropologist, and I’m studying psychedelic culture and the users of psychedelics. Feel free to check out my first article by downloading it here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6GW56YCO. Please accept my apologies for this form letter as I need to make sure everyone I contact gets the same info.
I’m contacting you to ask that you help with my new article. Psychedelics are often mentioned in the context of medicine or healing. I am very interested in this aspect of the use of psychedelics and think it is one aspect that deserves a wider audience which I hope to provide with my article.
I’m doing this research on my own time and with my own funds as I think it is important and waiting for funding agencies to see its value would unnecessarily delay the work. If I’m able to get a core of 3-4 articles it would underscore the value of this study, making it more likely that myself and others interested in this culture will be supported to get the word out that psychedelics are often good for us, and that the good can outweigh the bad. In other words, I do not work under the rubric of harm minimization, but rather benefit maximization.
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Cannabis is a drug with extremely variable effects, seemingly dependant on a list of factors that may include: dose, method, personal sensitivity, personal tolerance, strain, storage conditions, mindset, social environment and physical environment. Some users find that cannabis causes excitability and stimulation, others find it makes them lethargic and heavy. Some use it to combat anxiety but others become anxious and paranoid when they smoke it. Some claim that it prevents them sleeping, and others use it to treat insomnia. Some users report potent perceptual changes, and others notice none.
This leads the researcher to wonder ‘what does being high mean?’, and ‘are we talking about the same thing?’.
The following survey is designed to investigate variation in self-reported effects of cannabis, and to investigate correlations with patterns of use and effects of use. This research forms part of an unfunded undergraduate Medical Anthropology dissertation at the University of Kent. All data collected is anonymous, and participants will be able to view results of the study when they are published on this website (it is unknown where else, if anywhere, this research will be published). IP data is temporarily collected to identify multiple entries from the same source, but this data will be later deleted and will not be included in the publication nor shared with any third party. For more information, please contact dk85 [at] kent.ac.uk.
Clicking on the following link will be taken as giving permission for the data to be used as described.
Thank you for helping with this research.
Dave King
