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US: Body tlas Its Own Medical Martj"ana O <br />cannabinoids block pain. <br />htt�w'.mapiDc.org/drugnews/v98.ti 1187.alU.httnUall <br />There has always been evidence, from the intoxicating effects cannabis <br />evokes in smokers, that it contains powerful compounds. <br />The sticky, flowering buds of the plant have been harvested as medicine <br />for centuries. <br />Now, scientists are beginning to understand just what natural <br />cannabinoids might be doing in the human body. <br />For example: <br />Cannabinoids have been found to both suppress and enhance the body's <br />defenses against diseases and tumors, a duality that has researchers <br />puzzled. "It's a science clearly in flux," said Thomas Klein, an <br />immunologist at the University of South Florida. <br />While pot warnings -- "This is your brain on drugs" -- have long <br />spotlighted the drug's damaging effects on the brain, research last <br />summer from the National Institute of Mental Health shows cannabinoids <br />protect brain cells from stroke or trauma damage. <br />Last year, scientists at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego showed <br />that cannabinoids block the formation of new memories in slices of animal <br />brain tissues. This power to forget might keep the brain from filling up or <br />getting overwhelmed with unimportant memories. <br />Researchers' largest hopes are focused on using a synthetic form of <br />cannabinoids to block pain, including chronic nerve pain that can't be <br />adequately blocked with existing drugs. <br />Animal studies show cannabinoids can block other kinds of pain almost <br />before they begin -- stopping the pain signals before they reach the spinal <br />cord or brain, working as well as morphine. <br />Checked -by: Mike Cogulski <br />Your Email <br />Address Send Me This Article <br />O -1C <br />