Hemp 101: What is Hemp? Why is it illegal? Can it be used to treat neurological disorders?

Informational piece about the history of hemp and why you should know a little bit about the plant.    -JR

What is Hemp? What's it Used for, and Why is it illegal? 

Perhaps most importantly, how can hemp extract help people with neurological conditions including epilepsy and lennox-gastaut syndrome.

Hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops known to man. It has been used for paper, textiles, and cordage for thousands of years. In fact, the Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a scrap of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC.

There are many different varieties of the cannabis plant. Hemp -- also called industrial hemp -- refers to the non-psychoactive (less than 1% THC) varieties of Cannabis sativa L. Both hemp and marijuana come from the same cannabis species, but are genetically distinct and are further distinguished by use, chemical makeup, and cultivation methods.

Hemp fibers and stalks are used in clothing, construction materials, paper, biofuel, plastic composites, and more.

Hemp can do a lot, but it can’t get you “high.” Because hemp varieties contain virtually zero tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), your body processes it faster than you can smoke it. Trying to use hemp to put you on cloud nine will only put you in bed with a migraine!

Then why is hemp illegal?

In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act strictly regulated the cultivation and sale of all cannabis varieties. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified all forms of cannabis -- including hemp -- as a Schedule I drug, making it illegal to grow it in the United States (which is why we’re forced to import hemp from other countries as long as it contains scant levels of THC -- 0.3% is the regulation for hemp cultivation in the European Union and Canada). As a result of this long-term prohibition, most people have forgotten the industrial uses of the plant and continue to misidentify hemp with its cannabis cousin, marijuana.

FULL ARTICLE HERE:

Link found between epilepsy and obstructive sleep apnea

Doctors find key link between epilepsy and obstructive sleep apnea

By medical reporter Sophie Scott

Updated Sun Jun 2, 2013 11:01pm AEST

PHOTO: In the general population, the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is 3 to 7 per cent. ()

Australian doctors have found a new link between epilepsy and obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition where patients stop breathing at night.

Professor Terry O'Brien from the Royal Melbourne Hospital says there has been some evidence from other studies that patients with epilepsy may have an increased incidence of sleep-disordered breathing.

Professor O'Brien says there are similar symptoms of daytime sleepiness and fatigue between the two conditions.

He says patients with epilepsy can gain weight as a result of their medications, something that increases their risk of sleep-disordered breathing.

"We put two and two together and thought we should look into this," he said.

Doctors recruited 87 patients with epilepsy and monitored them in a sleep unit.

They found 25 per cent had significant sleep-disordered breathing that was severe enough to require treatment.

In the general population, the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is 3 to 7 per cent.

Awake for up to three days straight

Thirty-six-year-old Daniel Goldstein had always had strange sleeping habits, which included rocking back and forth during the night while he slept.

Eventually, he was diagnosed with epilepsy but it was hard to stop seizures.

To identify the issue, Mr Goldstein undertook a sleep study at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was found to have severe sleep apnoea.

He said at times he would be awake for up to three days straight.

Since being treated for sleep apnoea, Mr Goldstein has also been able to reduce his epilepsy medications.

Mr Goldstein was also given a CPAP machine which he says helps him soundly throughout the night.

"Now I've got energy in a way I didn't have before. It's like learning to walk again," he said. "I feel just phenomenal."

Well-established treatment for sleep-disordered breathing

Professor O'Brien says the beauty of this recent research is that there is a well-established treatment for sleep-disordered breathing.

He says when epilepsy patients were given a CPAP machine, there was a significant improvement.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-02/link-between-epilepsy-and-obstructive-sleep-apnoea/4728076