Smoking pot strengthens bones
Researchers at Hebrew University found that certain properties of the cannabis plant can strengthen human bones, ergo preventing osteoporosis. The article appeared this week in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A.) journal. The research team, headed by Prof. Itai Bab, and partially funded by the US NIH (National Institutes of Health), found that plants like marijuana contain substances that activate CB2-receptors, endocannabinoids ("inner weed"), fatty acids produced mainly in the brain but also found in bones and the immune system. Many CB2-receptors were found in mice bones and shown to be key in preserving normal bone density. However, pot also activates the CB1-receptors, mostly present in the nervous system, and it is this reaction that gives cannabis its psychoactive aspect. For this reason, the researchers have already developed a synthetic compound called HU-308, which battles osteoporosis without the high. Still, looks like another point for team Medical Marijuana.
HU Scientists Develop Prototype Drug to Prevent Osteoporosis Based on Cannabinoids Produced by Body, HUNews
Pot-like substances help fight osteoporosis, ScienceBlog.com