Letter: Research needed into 'holy' marijuana oil

Some men, including Biochemist Dennis Hill, claim they were able to cure themselves of advanced prostate cancer using an oil extracted from the marijuana plant. Hill kept a diary during his surprisingly short battle with cancer. He also gave a biochemical explanation for how the oil works.

Apparently, the oil has molecules called cannabinoids, which can latch onto and kill cancer cells but not normal cells. Our immune system produces basically the same cannabinoids to fight illness. But, if it cannot produce enough cannabinoids fast enough, it can get overwhelmed by an aggressive disease such as cancer.

The oil helps it to fight back.

There have been claims that the oil can also stall the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. This is obviously relevant to N.L., which has an aging population prone to this disease. Apparently, the oil has the ability to clear blocked signal pathways in the brain.

It seems odd that plants and animals would have the same molecules.

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Paul Morrissey, marijuana oil advocate, dies

However, it is believed that, over a billion years ago, they evolved from a common ancestor, a single cell floating organism that lived in the oceans, so they share much of the same DNA. The ancestor organism still exists in the oceans and is a type of plankton.

Several years ago, a local inventor and friend of mine, Paul Morrissey, tried to cure his prostate cancer with the oil. He learned about the oil from the video “Run from the Cure.” He was a very religious man and called it the “Holy Oil.”

His supply of the oil was erratic, and its quality was usually poor, and, in the end, he died. The Telegram ran several stories on his case. He butted heads with the local medical establishment by refusing to take standard treatments. Before he died, he called for a clinical study to prove him right or wrong about the oil. This was ignored. Paul was a good person and deserved better.

For several years now, a very high quality oil known as Phoenix Tears has been available from Health Canada approved stores such as Herbal Dispatch. Medical Researchers at MUN and Eastern Health could do clinical studies with this oil. They could lead the world with such work. N.L. has plenty of people who might benefit from it.

A group of doctors in Alberta recently issued a statement, which was published in The Telegram, downplaying the medical benefits of marijuana, even though there is lots of factual and anecdotal evidence suggesting it works.

This might be an attempt by drug companies to discredit marijuana, because it could be bad for business.

Mike Hinchey

St. John’s