75A - PH - MEDICAL MARIJUANA - PROHIBIT

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after fertilization in humans and mice, the egg faces a perilous path from the place of conception in tb.e fallopian tube down. into the womb. The team from Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Tennessee, US, has shown that precisely the right levels of a chemical called anandatnide are required for this passage to be completed safely. lncreasing or decreasing the amount of aJ~andamide drastically harnls mouse embryos' chances of normal implantation and survival. Their research reveals that anandamide levels in the fallopian tubes are governed by two enzymes: one called NAPE-PLD increases levels of anandamide, while NAAH reduces them. Cannabinoid receptor Significantly, the team also found that exposing the mice to certain drugs disrupted this delicate balance, thereby impeding an embryo's ability to pass into the womb. One such substance is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC}, the major psychoactive component of marijuana. Like anandamide, it binds to the cannabinoid receptor CBl, thereby displacing anandamide and. boosting levels of the chemical present in the oviduct. The discovery poses worrying questions about the ability of marijuana, the most widely used illegal drug among women of reproductive age, to harm pregnancy, says the lead researcher, Sudhansu Dey. "This is worrying because embryo retention. is a significant cause of ectopic pregnancy in women," he says. He also notes that the incidence of such. abnormal and dangerous pregnancies has risen sharply in. tl.~e past decade. Another expert in .reproductive biology, Herbert Scheel at the State University of New York in Buffalo, US, points out that some new medicines also interacted with CB] receptors and therefore had the potential to disrupt amandine levels and embryo development. One such drug, the slimming pill rimonabant -- sold. as Acomplia - is already licensed in the UK. "Given the results of the study, we need to be very sure that rimonabant doesn't have unwanted effects on women of reproductive age," Scheel says. CB 1 receptors are not just present in the brain but all over the body, including the reproductive system, he adds, "so we shouldn't be surprised i.f it has unwanted effects". A spokeswoman for rimonabant's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, said the company dial not recommend the use of rimonabant during pregnancy anal advised patients who are planning to become pregnant to seek immediate medical advice. 3oumal reference: Journal of Clinical Investigation (vol. 116, p 2087) Source: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/dn9653-marijuana-may-cause- pregnancies-to-fail.html Why teenagers should steer clear of cannabis 1.6:21 OS :Culy 2006 NewScientist.com news service Gaia Vince Adolescents' use of marijuana may increase the risk of heroin addiction later in life, a new study suggests. Researchers say the work adds to "overwhelming" evidence that people under 21 should not use marijuana because of the risk of damaging the developing brain. The idea that smoking cannabis increases the user's chance of going on to take harder drugs such as heroin is highly contentious, Some dub cannabis a "gateway" drug, arguing that peer pressure and exposure to drug dealers will tempt users to escalate their drug use. Others insist that smoking cannabis is unrelated to further drug use. Now research. in rats suggests that wing marijuana reduces future sensitivity to opioids, which makes people more vulnerable to heroin addiction later in life. It does so by altering the brain chemistry of marijuana users, say the researchers. 16 75A-90