Patents Prove US Government Prepared for Medical Cannabis Use Even as It Fights Legalization

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently decided to not change its stance on medical marijuana, calling it a substance with no viable use. Curiously, the action contradicts two patents sponsored by the government. Both geared toward taking advantage of medical marijuana usage.

U.S. Patent No. 6,630,507 belongs to the Department of Health and Human Services. The patent involves the use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids in brain procedures that manage damage or degeneration resulting from diseases like cirrhosis.

The other patent, 20130059018, relates to phytocannabinoids. The idea is the substance, in either an isolated form or manufactured as a botanical drug, would be applied in cancer treatments, particularly cancer of the prostate, colon, or breast cancer. It’s expected phytocannabinoids could also be applicable in the treatment of skin, lung, bone, and glioma cancers, or in conjunction with other cancer treatments.

Advocates for legalization are blowing up social media, calling No. 6,630,507 the epitome of government b.s.

On October 7, 2003 The United States Government as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services was granted a U.S. Patent (#6630507) on any and all uses and applications of: Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.

In other words, THE GOVERNMENT ALREADY OWNS THE ORGANIC THC OIL BY FORCE… and now THEY OWN THE SYNTHETIC THC OIL
BY PATENT… along with any and all combinations of the beneficial compounds found in cannabinoids.

Government proponents defend themselves, claiming the patents aren’t about legalization or even money. It’s about the transfer of technology. The study, invention, and funding of research and development of cannabis as a therapeutic has always been important to governing bodies. The new patents simply align with those objectives. So they claim.

But the fact is with these patents, any entity that hopes to use non-psychoactive cannabis compounds will need the government’s okay.

This patent describes the therapeutic potential for cannabinoid chemical compounds that are structurally similar to THC, but without its psychoactive properties, thereby treating specific conditions without the adverse side effects associated with smoked marijuana.

Supposedly, the government intends to keep beneficial tech from getting withheld from the public. They argue the complexity behind patents and licensing is now streamlined. Universities and governments use the patents. Entities behind newdiscoveries get paid per any licensing agreement.

The tech transfer team at the National Institutes of Health advertise their cannabinoid patents on the agency’s website. Outreach is also part of the agenda along with license packages that offer elements of exclusivity.

And when and if there’s ever national legalization, there will likely be a swarm of queries about and applications to take advantage of the patents. An analysis shows besides the two patents mentioned here, there are over four dozen cannabis-related utility patents. The analysis did not take into accountplant patents which are tougher to get.

Ironically, even as the Fed keeps cannabis illegal, it’s poised to rake in the bucks for use of cannabis-derived inventions.

Cannabinoids have been shown to have an anti-proliferative effect on different cancer cell lines. The cannabinoids THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBG and CBC and the cannabinoid BDS THC and CBD were tested on eight different cell lines including DU-145 (hormone-sensitive prostate cancer), MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer), CaCo-2 (colorectal cancer) and C6 (glioma cells).

The data for each cannabinoid in each different type of cancer varied but generally the best data were observed with CBD or CBD BDS. The IC50 values for all the cannabinoids on the DU-145 were quite high inferring that none of the cannabinoids tested were particularly effective in the inhibition of hormone-insensitive prostate cancer (Ligresti, 2006).