Marijuana Cures Cancer? Author Martin Lee Comes To SoCal To Talk About It

DEA

Anti-cancer crop?

Some Southern California pro-pot activists believe it's possible, and they're bringing noted cannabis author Martin Lee to the area to talk about advances in medical marijuana research when it comes to cancer patients.

According to organizers ...

... it's cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive part of pot, and not the more noted THC (the part that gets you high), that shows the most promise when it comes to cancer.

Inland Empire marijuana activist Lanny Swerdlow:

With potent anti-tumoral, anti-psychotic, anti-convulsive, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects, the CBD's found in cannabis have been the subject of numerous scientific research papers documenting both cancer prevention and cancer curing properties of cannabis.

Lee, author of Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational and Scientific, will speak about cannabis and cancer on Friday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Presto Quality Care, 647 Main St., Riverside. It's free. Swerdlow:

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Lee will discuss various molecular mechanisms through which CBD exerts a therapeutic impact. He will review recent findings that led to the discovery of the endogenous cannabinoid system, a hitherto unknown signaling system in the human brain and body that regulates a broad range physiological processes, including glucose metabolism, blood pressure, bone density, intestinal fortitude, pain perception and the formation of new stem cells (neurogenesis) in adult mammals.

Over our head, but intriguing nonetheless.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]