Pot offers a new way to treat brain tumours

According to Medical News, Researchers in Spain have discovered that a cannabis extract makes brain tumors shrink by halting the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumours with life.

Cannabis has chemicals called cannabinoids, these are the chemicals that could effectively starve tumours to death, say the researchers.

The scientists knew that cannabinoids will block the growth of blood vessels (to tumours) in mice; they wanted to find out whether the same thing would happen with humans.

Scotsman writes that Biz Ivol, a veteran campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes, last night hailed the results but claimed authorities would be unlikely to act on the findings of the study.

Doug Keil, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said that officers were not opposed to the development of medicines based on cannabis but warned that smoking the drug was still an offence.

The Western Mail informs that Cannabinoids significantly reduced the activity of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor)in laboratory mice. They also lowered VEGF levels in samples with glioblastoma multiforme, the most lethal type of brain tumour.

About 4,400 cases of brain tumour are diagnosed in the UK each year. Writing in the journal Cancer Research, Prof Guzman's team said the findings suggested that cannabinoids may offer a new way to treat incurable tumours.