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Marijuana Substitute Combats Nerve Gas JERUSALEM -- The best available protection against nerve gas attack comes from an Israeli-made synthetic equivalent of marijuana, U.S. military experiments have shown. In U.S. Army tests, rats injected with Dexanabinol, a chemical substitute for hashish, were more than 70 percent less likely to suffer epileptic seizures or brain damage after exposure to sarin and other nerve gases, according to results published in the Israeli press Thursday. The drug was developed by an Israeli pharmaceutical firm, Pharmos, to treat head injuries and strokes, but now it looks likely to become part of the standard chemical warfare kit carried by NATO troops after the results of the tests were announced at a conference in Maryland last month. Dr. Anat Biagon, deputy director-general for research at Pharmos, told the newspaper Ha'aretz: ``Dexanabinol can be used as part of the standard treatment in an attack using nerve gas, along with atropin. The drug can diminish nerve damage of the kind we witnessed in Gulf War syndrome.'' It is thought to interact with neural receptors in the brain in the same way as marijuana, and thereby block the damaging effects of nerve agents. The U.S. tests suggest it's effective as an antidote and as a preventative measure. So far, tests have only been carried out on rodents, but experiments on humans are expected to be the next stage. Until then, no one can be sure whether Dexanabinol has the same mellowing side-effects as organic marijuana.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings are made available without profit for research and educational purposes. |
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