Illegal Drugs With “No Medicinal Value”
Have Potential to Treat Disease.
LSD. Magic mushrooms. Ecstasy.
Marijuana. When most people hear these words they tend to think of recreational
drugs that have little or no medical value. The
Just about everyone has heard about the ongoing debate of the medical merit of marijuana. While the federal government claims it has no medical properties, there are 12 states with medicinal marijuana programs that say otherwise (NORML). In order to explore the medical uses of marijuana, it would help to understand what exactly it is. Marijuana is just one hundreds of names (e.g.: pot, weed, herb, bud, trees, ganja, haze, etc.) for the plant Cannabis sativa. For medicinal purposes, only the buds of the plant are used because they contain the highest concentration of cannabinoids, the group of psychoactive chemicals found in Cannabis. The primary psychoactive cannabinoid is delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana is typically smoked, although it can be eaten.
Marijuana’s medical uses are very diverse. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are prime candidates for benefiting from marijuana. Chemotherapy causes horrible nausea and lack of appetite. It turns out that marijuana is well known for controlling nausea and stimulating appetite. In fact, pharmaceutical companies have attempted to capitalize on these properties by manufacturing synthetic THC which is marketed under the brand name Marinol. So why not just use Marinol? It just doesn’t work the same, or as well. There are many other psychoactive chemicals found in marijuana that contribute to its therapeutic effects (Armentano).
Marijuana has also been documented to reduce pain (Blake et al.), reduce muscle spasms (Smith), calm the digestive system (Izzo and Coutts), reduce seizures (Sirven) and reduce inflammation (Robson). Given these properties, there are many, many chronic conditions that can benefit from marijuana. Just a few of these chronic conditions include multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Chron’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, glaucoma… the list goes on and on.
Medical implications of marijuana are so vast that a short book could be written about them. The amount of research that has been done on marijuana and its medicinal compounds is utterly overwhelming. Scientists are constantly discovering new properties of cannabinoids, some of which have led to development of new drugs. The potential that marijuana has in the medical field is huge.
Psychedelic, or “soul-revealing,” drugs also have their place in medicine. Research has been focused on the two most popular psychedelics: lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. In some areas, LSD is better known as acid, cid, tabs, gellies, Lucy, or Alice D. LSD is a compound that was discovered while trying to find a cure for migraine headaches. It is derived from ergot, a fungus that infects wheat grain. It is usually administered orally, although it can be injected or absorbed through the skin. Psilocybin is the psychoactive chemical found in over 100 species of mushrooms which grow world wide in a variety of habitats. Slang terms for psilocybin mushrooms are magic mushrooms, shrooms, caps, cubes, and boomers. Psilocybin mushrooms are eaten
Treatment of cluster headaches is considered by most in the field to be the hottest area of research with LSD and psilocybin. Cluster headaches are an incredibly debilitating form of migraine headaches that will come and go in cycles (clusters) that can last for weeks or months. Clusterbusters.com is an online community devoted to management of cluster headaches. A few members reported relief from cluster headaches when they used psilocybin mushrooms. Due to the severely crippling nature of the headaches, other members tried psilocybin mushrooms as a last resort to stop the pain. Surprisingly, it worked.
Due to the similarity of LSD and psilocybin on a neurochemical basis, some members experimented with LSD for treatment of cluster headaches. Again, it worked for most people who tried it (Frood). With this news, researchers at Harvard decided to conduct a case study of the self-medicating cluster headache sufferers to get a gauge of the efficacy of LSD/psilocybin in cluster headache treatment. The following information was found:
“Twenty-two of 26 psilocybin users reported that psilocybin aborted attacks; 25 of 48 psilocybin users and 7 of 8 LSD users reported cluster period termination; 18 of 19 psilocybin users and 4 of 5 LSD users reported remission period extension.” (Sewell, Halpern and Pope)
While the clinical study of LSD/psilocybin in cluster headache treatment is still in progress, the clusterbusters.com results display a significant improvement in cluster headache activity.
It is also noteworthy that during an episode of FOX’s popular TV show House, M.D., Dr. House administers psilocybin mushrooms as a last resort to a teenage patient with severe, unexplained headaches. While the psilocybin didn’t solve the teenager’s headaches, the show did bring psilocybin’s ability to treat severe headaches into the light of the general public.
In the past, both LSD and psilocybin were manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Sandoz for psychotherapy research. During the 1960s, there was a great deal of psychotherapy research conducted with both drugs. They were popular amongst therapists because of their ability to open the mind of patients. The drugs allowed the patient to let go of their egos (known as “ego death”) and drop their defenses. With the ego gone and defenses down, psychotherapy was made much easier. Both drugs are particularly noteworthy in psychotherapy because there were both used to treat addictions ranging from cigarette smoking to alcoholism (Nichols). As the hippie movement of the 1960’s grew, the recreational usage of LSD and psilocybin skyrocketed and they garnered a negative stigma. Unfortunately, both were outlawed by 1970 and clinical research on humans ceased. Essentially, over 20 years of potential LSD/psilocybin research were lost because the FDA would not approve any studies involving these drugs.
Not all hope is lost, though. On July 11, 2006 the
Recent research in animal models has found that combined treatment of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and LSD at the site of a spinal cord injury can have neurogenerative effects. In lay-speak, his means that for some reason, when a chemical that stimulates nerve cell growth (NT-3) is combined with LSD and applied to a damaged spinal cord nerve cell, the cell will start to repair itself (Arvanian et al.). Typically spinal cord nerve cells do not repair themselves and that is why paralysis occurs. Only more research will tell if this has human implications.
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA), better known as the party drug ecstasy, can also be used medicinally.
MDMA is best described as a stimulant with slight psychedelic properties.
Ecstasy is a fairly new drug; it was first invented only 40 years ago (Parrott). Ever since ecstasy gained
popularity in the rave/nightclub culture (mid 1980s-present), it has been a
highly controversial drug. There were major concerns about MDMA’s
neurotoxcicity due to the fact that it shares the same fundamental chemical backbone
as methamphetamine—a drug that is well known to be neurotoxic at high doses and
highly addictive. An initial study in 1985 on MDMA confirmed the drug to be
highly neurotoxic (Ricaurte et al.). These results hit the
newsreels while the “War on Drugs” was in full swing. Select members of the
media had a field day with these findings; especially news magazine shows such
as 20/20 and 60 Minutes. Talk show hosts like
However, within a few months the authors retracted their infamous study- with good reason. There had been a bottle mix-up in the lab. Instead of administering MDMA to their research rats, the authors had been dosing them with n-methamphetamine—the exact same substance that created the initial fears of MDMA’s neurotoxcicity (Check). The definitive study on MDMA’s neurotoxcicity was void. New research was necessary.
The latest animal research studies provide no definitive answer on MDMA’s neurotoxcicity. Each side of the neurotoxcicity debate can cite or produce data to support their answer. Unfortunately, the realm of scientific research is much like that of any other industry— it’s competitive. Everyone has their own motivations. Numbers can be skewed, results can be made ambiguous, and backs can be stabbed. Such is the case in MDMA research (Check).
One thing can be certain about MDMA though, regardless of neurotoxcicity: it does have some medicinal implications. They are very similar to those of LSD and psilocybin; they are mainly psychotherapeutic. According to MAPS.org, MDMA-aided psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has full approval for research. Researchers expect that MDMA will
“[cause a] lowering of inhibitions, reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of closeness and empathy with other people — could help patients ‘open up’ and develop a rapport with a therapist.” (Morton)
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies is also heading up a campaign to raise $5 million to aid in FDA approval of MDMA in the treatment of PTSD.
A case study of a man in the United Kingdom states that he used MDMA to control the involuntary jerky movements of arms and legs (dyskinesia) caused by Parkinson’s disease. Although the improvement of his condition while under the influence of ecstasy is undeniable, this method of treatment is questionable at best. In animal models, MDMA has been proven to actually cause a condition that mimics Parkinson’s disease. As with any potential lead in science, contradictory studies for both sides of the issue exist. More research is needed before any definitive answer can be made on MDMA use as a means of Parkinson’s treatment.
Other illegal drugs may also hold potential, but many of them are fairly obscure so they do not receive a lot of attention. Ketamine is an example of such type of drug. It was originally used as a human anesthetic but its use was discontinued when patients complained of hallucinations and out-of-body experiences. It is now used as a veterinary anesthetic and as a recreational party drug. On the streets, ketamine is known as K, Special K, or cat tranquilizers, and is typically encountered in the rave scene. A recent study has shown ketamine to be useful in the treatment of depression. (Berman et al.). When used at reasonable doses, the previously mentioned neurotoxic compound methampheatmine actually does have fairly important medical uses. On the streets it is known as meth, crystal meth, crank, speed, ice, shards, and various other names. Meth is most common in rural areas. To understand the epidemic of this drug, an analogy might be useful: “Meth is to the country as crack is to the city.” It is an extremely potent stimulant that can lead to a crippling addiction. In a clinical setting, however, its use can be carefully monitored and controlled. Desoxyn is pharmaceutical grade methamphetamine that comes in pill-form, standardized doses. In the past it was used for weight control due to its powerful appetite suppressing properties, but the FDA has since banned it for that use. Currently it is used as an absolute last-resort treatment of narcolepsy and ADHD.
Lastly, many illegal drugs were used medicinally in the past. These drugs were the building blocks for more efficient pharmaceutical drugs with fewer side effects. The best examples are cocaine and heroin. Both lidocaine and novacaine were derived from cocaine. Both are very effective local anesthetics. If you’ve ever had your mouth numbed at the dentist’s office, you’ve experienced the effects of lidocaine or novacaine. Heroin is actually a derivative of another illegal drug, opium. Opium comes from the sap of the poppy plant, Papaver somniferum. This is the exact same plant that the seeds on your morning bagel come from. The poppy’s sap contains the opiates morphine and codeine; both of which are powerful painkillers still used today. Pharmaceutical opiates are synthetic variants of morphine or codeine. Well known pharmaceutical brand opiates include Lortab, Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocet. Obviously, they are all used in pain management.
Our knowledge of medicinal benefits
of illegal drugs stems mainly from anecdotal case studies or from research done
prior to their illegalization. Unfortunately, many years of critical research
have been thwarted by bureaucratic hoops that researchers must jump through in
order to obtain permission or grant money for the study of controlled
substances. The future of research in this field is starting to look a little
bit brighter though. Research is now being performed in countries with drug
laws and research policies that are more lax than those found in the
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Pros, Cons and Options for Patients". 2005. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 12/12/2007 2007. <http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6635>.
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Blake, D. R., et al. "Preliminary Assessment of the Efficacy, Tolerability and Safety of a Cannabis-Based Medicine (Sativex) in the Treatment of Pain Caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis." 2006. 50-52. Vol. 45.
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NORML. "Active State Medical Marijuana Programs". 2004. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 12/11/2007 2007. <http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3391>.
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