The Cannavist USA Issue 1 | Page 19

Organisms that cause infections such as HIV/AIDs, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract disease, chest infections, bloodstream infections and food poisoning are already resistant to a large range of anti-microbials. Some cases of tuberculosis and gonorrhoea are already resistant to last resort antibiotics. The bacteria are divided into two classes such as gram positive, which have a thick single cell membrane and gram negative, which have inner and outer cells making them harder to treat. Brown found that CBG had little effect on the gram-negative strains until mixed with small quantities of Polymyxin B, an existing antibiotic that disrupts the outer membrane. The cannabis compound successful destroyed the drug resistant pathogens. The most ‘critical’ bacteria highlighted by the World Health Organization are all listed as gram negative. more than 2.8 million antibiotic- resistant infections occur in the US each year and more then 35,000 people die as a result. However, this study highlights the need for development and research of new antibiotics as the most recent discovery came over 30 years ago. Cannabis is just one plant that offers an alternative. Other plants that have shown antibiotic properties include garlic and tea tree oil along with the spices, curcumin and turmeric. “There is much work to do to explore the potential of cannabinoids as antibiotics from the safety standpoint” – McMaster University Microbiologist Statistics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 19