Marijuana could become a treatment for autoimmune disease, says new study

Marijuana is back under the spotlight as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and lupus, thanks to research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
One of the most abused drugs, marijuana can also be used for medicinal purposes and has previously been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.
We know that the environment in which we live can alter our genes – but little research has been done to establish if the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana are due to this.
Now a team from the University of South Carolina claims to have discovered a novel pathway through which marijuana can suppress the body’s immune functions. The recent findings suggest that marijuana tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can suppress inflammation by changing critical molecules of epigenome called histones.
So it seems that marijuana smoking may suppress beneficial inflammation in the body (which is negative) but because of the particular way it does this, it may help treat autoimmune diseases in which chronic inflammation plays a central role, such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
But there is still evidence stacked up against the use of marijuana in the treatment of arthritis. For more, read our previous report.
Click here to read the original research regarding the above story.