Should Ted Kennedy smoke marijuana?

I am sure my readers, all two of you, know that I am not a typical marijuana smoker. I know a lot more about this plant than most people will ever know. In fact, I've taught more than most people know. A day with me can seriously be an eye-opening experience, that is, if one is willing to allow their eyes to be opened.

Anyway, in recent news, we've found that out that Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with brain cancer, specifically a glioma. Doctors say that he may have three to six months to live. best case scenario is that he may have up to three years to live.

At the same time, we all have at least heard of the ability of marijuana to halt and reduce the growth of certain types of cancer. I recently read an article at Chron.com that speaks to this issue. This author states:

"Scientists from the US back in the 1970's determined that cannabis killed glioma cells. This report was put on the back shelf and then lost. Currently scientists in Israel and Spain have reproduced these findings."

So, of course I try to do a little bit of research to that effect. I come across my favorite website, NORML.org:

Cannabinoids & Glioma

Of all cancers, few are as aggressive and deadly as glioma. Glioma tumors quickly invade healthy brain tissue and are typically unresponsive to surgery and standard medical treatments. One agent they do respond to is cannabis.Writing in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurooncology, investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the synthetic cannabis receptor agonist, WIN-55,212-2.

Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than the synthetic alternative. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme typically die within three months without therapy.

Previous research conducted in Italy has also demonstrated the capacity of CBD to inhibit the growth of glioma cells both in vitro (e.g., a petri dish) and in animals in a dose dependent manner. As a result, a Spanish research team is currently investigating whether the intracranial administration of cannabinoids can prolong the lives of patients diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.Most recently, a scientific analysis in the October issue of the journal Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry noted that, in addition to THC and CBD's brain cancer-fighting ability, studies have also shown cannabinoids to halt the progression of lung carcinoma, leukemia, skin carcinoma, colectoral cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.

(References: Cannabinoids selectively inhibit proliferation and induce cell death of cultured human glioblastoma multiforme cells. Journal of Neurooncology. 2005 | Cannabinoids and cancer. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry. 2005 | Anti-tumor effects of cannabidiol, a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, on human glioma cell lines. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2003)

Of course it would only make sense to do some deeper research as in actually getting the scientific report itself. Well there are some reference links attached above. I'll just click them all and see what I find.
Well there are three links there.

The first goes to National Center for Biotechnology Information which falls under the National Institutes of Health which falls under US Department of Health and Human Services. So, if you prefer to trust your government and/or you prefer to trust scientists over what some would consider a scientifically uneducated person, there you go! As far as I am concerned, I am one of those scientifically uneducated people because I don't understand a damn thing that it's saying. So, I will have to rely on the layman's interpretation above.The second link takes you to Bentham Science Publishers, a non-commercial organization, but it's only a blurb. The third link takes you to American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics which sounds good, right? I think it must be good because I don't understand a damn thing that says either. It's all "scienced out" and I can't decipher that shit.

Anyway, What would you do if it were you, a family, or a family member?

If it were me - if I were Ted Kennedy - I'd definitely go for some bud on this one. What does he have to lose here? His life? I thought he was going to lose that too soon anyway.