‘Cannabis can yield miracle drugs to beat anxiety, pains etc’
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 28: Scientists at a pioneer research institute in Jammu have got some leads for important drugs from the prohibited Bhang (cannabis/marijuana) which may help to beat cancer pains apart from curing epilepsy and proving beneficial in treating many more ailments.
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Sources at Council of Industrial and Scientific Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM)-a prominent research institute in Jammu informed that the drug can only be put to human use after manufacturing under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions followed by certain mandatory clinical trials, which in this case requires special permission or licensing from certain quarters.
Scientists spearheading this research at Medicinal Chemistry Research Group of CSIR-IIIM informed that important parameters for the drug like animal experimentation have also been successfully accomplished along with extraction process including chemical standardisation and markers quantification.
Others associated with this work informed that further progress on the drug now hinges on securing necessary approvals for the transportation of scientific materials for GMP batch manufacturing and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) safety, toxicological and formulation studies.
When contacted, IIIM Director, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed informed: “We have applied to the Excise Department of J&K Government for the mandatory approval to transport the research material and the GMP batch manufacturing for the clinical trials and the Excise Department has also framed the rules in this regard.”
He further said that the Excise Department has put up the file with the Finance Department.
Sources informed that the file is presently with the Finance Department of J&K Government.
The IIIM Director also said that once the Finance Department clears the file, they (IIIM) will then go for GMP based manufacturing and transportation of the cannabis research material to different sites for necessary GLP regulatory toxicity and safety studies.
It is pertinent to mention here that in India, the use of Bhang has been reported for over 2,000 years but severe Sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985 stalled all the research and development efforts in this area.
However, some recent researches have confirmed that most of the psychoactive properties in Bhang come from a compound known in scientific terms as Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but it also has potential therapeutic value when used in controlled dosage and concentration.
Scientific reports have indicated discovery of another major compound from Cannabis called Cannabidiol (CBD) and it is totally devoid of psycho-active properties and possesses remarkable therapeutic activities.
On the basis of their research work, the scientists at IIIM labs claimed that some compounds are present in cannabis, which if explored well, can be the miracle drugs for pain management in cancer and rheumatic conditions, reducing nausea and vomiting, suppressing seizure activity, combating anxiety, depression, psychotic disorders and neurodegenerative disorders.
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