Home › Analyzing Drugs and Problems › Marijuana › Marijuana, Untapped Healing Properties › Protecting Your Brain Using Marijuana

U.S. Government Patent 6,630,507, "Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants"

Fri, Mar 20, 2009 - 12:38 am — Thinking CAP

In 2003, the United States Patent Office awarded the Department of Health and Human Services patent #6,630,507, “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.” (In case you don’t know, cannabis is another name for marijuana.)

Here are some (layman-converted) excerpts from the abstract in the awarded patent:

Cannabinoids have antioxidant properties… [Antioxidants prevent cellular damage: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ]

This property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prevention of a wide variety of oxidation associated diseases: inflammatory, age-related diseases, autoimmune diseases, and lack of blood-flow to the brain.

The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following lack of blood-flow to the brain, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia.

What can we conclude from this?

  1. Researchers for the U.S. Government found that aspects of the marijuana plant have antioxidant properties.
  2. Researchers for the U.S. Government found that aspects of the marijuana plant have positive effects on health and specifically for neurodegenerative diseases.
  3. Researchers for the U.S. Government found aspects of the marijuana plant were very beneficial for patients who experienced lack of blood-flow to the brain.
  4. Researchers for the U.S. Government were more interested in figuring out the scientific truth in an effort to help individuals and society, rather than the opposition which is engaged in a money grabbing, power grabbing, fear and lie spreading, self-aggrandizing war.
  5. The U.S. Government reviewed this research and considered it worthy enough to grant a patent on it.
  6. The U.S. Government is still promoting the illegal, and scientifically proven wrong idea, that the marijuana plant has no medical benefits.
  7. Many elderly people could really benefit from the marijuana plant, the buds in particular.
  8. Many people with Parkinson's disease could really benefit from the marijuana plant, the buds in particular.

Comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Mon, Apr 6, 2009 - 9:01 am — mlang52 (not verified)

Too bad those researchers

Too bad those researchers cannot talk with the DEA, FDA, or ONDCP! They are all living up to their hypocritical standard of proclaiming the dangers of drugs, while consuming their, much more dangerous, liquid drug, with impunity! Now, the government is sending mixed messages, themselves!

The left hand knows not what the right doeth! Why would the FDA claim no medicinal value, then another department in the government turns around and patents it?!? It is just plain insanity! It is an affront to all those people in prison, over cannabis prosecutions, too! It is obvious that one of these governmental departments is wrong! It is, also, not hard to figure out which group!

God did not prohibit alcohol The only prohibition he tried, failed. Was that because God know we would not be able to resist our human frailties?! Did he know that having "free will" meant we would fail at His only prohibition? Did He know that the fruit of the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" would be eaten?

Alcohol is not prohibited in the Bible. But, there are plenty of references as to the dangers of letting it control your life, and over-indulging. Why does man think he can prohibit something not prohibited by God? I guess it is arrogance, in thinking we are wiser than God. There are no references to drug prohibition, at all, that I have read. And, there are plenty of reasons to believe that konobos is related to the modern plant cannabis, referred to as an ingredient of old testament anointing oil!

Tue, Sep 22, 2009 - 8:36 pm — Thinking CAP
Thinking CAP's picture

I Very Much Agree

Alcohol is not prohibited in the Bible. But, there are plenty of references as to the dangers of letting it control your life, and over-indulging.

Very true. Even in Genesis it's written that God not only gave us free will, but said to be careful. Genesis 4:7.

Wine is not supposed to be consumed by Levites, or perhaps it's not to be consumed by them while "on duty." I need to check the OT Law for that one, so many laws…

Also, wine is not to be consumed by a specific nomadic tribe… that's in Jeremiah I believe. I'll look it up now. Ok, Jeremiah 35:1-14.

But certainly there are many other passages, even attributed to Moses, where wine is recommended. Personally I am bothered that some people call taxing alcohol a "sin tax." That's the Holier-Than-Thou Congregation talking; the Pharisee who stood in the temple and looked at the (quietly) repentant tax collector and thanked God he was so much better than the tax collector. [Luke 18:9-14]

So not only do I say that consuming cannabis is not a sin, neither is drinking alcohol. I will not even throw stones at someone who accidentally drinks too much; often just doing that once is enough of a lesson to not overdo it again!

The time is long past due to cut down the Drug War Tree, its fruit is evil!

—

What We Are Saying, and What We Are Not Saying — — — Drug War Tree and Fruit

Tue, Oct 27, 2009 - 1:15 pm — Medicinal Mike (not verified)

how can they patent a scheduale 1 drug?

I have been clean and sober for 23 years. I believe in the 12 step programs and abstaining if possible. I also happen to be a card holder and user of medical cannabis(pot, marijuana,leaf...)whatever name you put on it.
The plant has been proven to be NON - TOXIC, it is impossible to overdose on it and it works on my AID's related neuropathic pain. Compared to the harm to my body was going through on Pharma drugs like codeine to treat the pain ( it did not work well or I was dozy all the time and slept days away), Cannabis deals with the pain and I know I will not be harmed in any way. Once I get a medical vapourizer for the herb, will not even have to worry about smoking it. We have not even talked about eating it in foods or consuming it in the form of Rick Simpson's "Hemp oil". My doctor signed the papers so I am still considered "Clean"when it comes to the 12 step programs. I am a hemp advocate and user so I talk from direct experience.

Tue, Oct 27, 2009 - 10:08 pm — Thinking CAP
Thinking CAP's picture

On Patents and Plants

I am not a patent lawyer so it is not clear to me just what they are patenting. However, the way I see it is outlined in the bullet points at the end of the essay; that marijuana has awesome healing properties and should be out from under government condemnation yesterday. I am glad you are finding it useful!

With regard to patents, our patent system is badly broken it seems. I have read many complaints and many instances of things which have been patented but seem totally obvious. The first one that comes to mind is plug-ins for web browsers! Long before the world wide web was around, Apple's Macintosh operating system had a plug-in architecture that accommodated "extensions" and "control panels" that added functionality to the operating system; Photoshop had plug-ins that extended its capabilities; and there are many other examples of software that has a plug-in architecture to allow 3rd parties to extend its core features.

Amazon.com was awarded the "1 click" patent! How that is an invention that requires protecting is beyond me.

With regard to patenting plants, sorry to say this has been going on for a long time too. Well, any time is a long time since I consider it dubious. There are many examples of outrageous behavior of U.S. companies treating people in other countries very badly due to lawsuits over patents.

I won't chase down the links now ... hm Google seems down :-( ... but there was a big company that sued farmers in India claiming ownership of a variety of rice. However, the Indian farmers had been growing that variety of rice for hundreds of years, if not longer. I forget the name of the woman, but I think she was able to turn the tables and got the bully corporation to back off. Here's a search link via Bing if you're interested: http://www.bing.com/search?q=patent+rice+lawsuit&go=&form=QBLH&qs=n

So what's the upshot about marijuana and patents? I guess if someone genetically engineers a variety of marijuana they could try to patent it, and perhaps might be able to. But I sure hope our system isn't so broken as to allow someone to claim ownership of the plant in all its varieties, talk about sitting in the seat of God!

—

What We Are Saying, and What We Are Not Saying — — — Drug War Tree and Fruit