Cannabis shows potential for cancer treatment, study finds

A NEW STUDY IS SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE ROLE MEDICAL CANNABIS COULD PLAY IN CANCER CARE…BOTH AS A WAY TO RELIEVE SYMPTOMS AND POTENTIALLY FIGHT THE DISEASE ITSELF.

RESEARCHERS AT THE WHOLE HEALTH ONCOLOGY INSTITUTE SAY STUDIES HAVE BEEN SLOWED FOR YEARS—MAINLY BECAUSE CANNABIS IS STILL CLASSIFIED AS A SCHEDULE ONE DRUG UNDER FEDERAL LAW, MAKING IT ILLEGAL NATIONWIDE.

WHILE AT LEAST 39 STATES HAVE DECRIMINALIZED MEDICAL MARIJUANA, THE CONFLICT BETWEEN STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS CONTINUES TO BLOCK DOCTORS AND RESEARCHERS FROM MOVING FORWARD.

RESEARCH DIRECTOR RYAN CASTLE TOLD THE GUARDIAN, “In order to move beyond bias – conscious or not – it was essential to use a large-scale, radically inclusive methodology based on mathematical reasoning,”

TO GET A CLEARER PICTURE, HIS TEAM ANALYZED MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND PEER-REVIEWED STUDIES—LOOKING AT NEARLY FORTY THOUSAND DATA POINTS—TO FIND OUT IF THERE’S TRUE SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS ON USING MEDICAL CANNABIS TO TREAT CANCER.

THEIR FINDINGS WERE RELEASED THIS WEEK IN THE JOURNAL FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY WHICH THEY SAY THE RESEARCH SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT. 

THE ANALYSIS SHOWS POSITIVE SENTIMENT AROUND MEDICAL CANNABIS IS MORE THAN THIRTY TIMES STRONGER THAN OPPOSITION.

RESEARCHERS FOUND IT CAN HELP MANAGE PAIN, NAUSEA AND APPETITE LOSS—AND MAY EVEN HAVE CANCER FIGHTING PROPERTIES THANKS TO ITS ANTI INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS.

SCIENTISTS SAY THIS IS A GROWING CONSENSUS IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY—AND IT COULD SIGNAL A MAJOR SHIFT IN HOW WE VIEW AND REGULATE CANNABIS IN HEALTH CARE.

THE STUDY’S AUTHORS SAY IT’S TIME TO RE-EVALUATE CANNABIS AS A LEGITIMATE TREATMENT OPTION—EVEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. RIGHT NOW, THE FDA HAS NOT APPROVED CANNABIS AS A TREATMENT FOR MOST MEDICAL CONDITIONS.

RESEARCH INTO CANNABIS AND CANCER HAS MOSTLY FOCUSED ON RELIEVING SYMPTOMS BUT SCIENTISTS ARE NOW TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT WHETHER CANNABIS MIGHT ACTUALLY HELP FIGHT THE CANCER ITSELF.

PATIENTS WHO USED CANNABIS TO TREAT THEIR CANCER SYMPTOMS REPORTED POSITIVE RESULTS—WITH UP TO 90% SAYING THEY FELT IMPROVEMENTS AND FEWER THAN 5% EXPERIENCING SIDE EFFECTS.

PRECLINICAL LAB STUDIES HAVE SHOWN CANNABINOIDS—THE ACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN CANNABIS—CAN SLOW TUMOR GROWTH AND EVEN CAUSE CANCER CELLS TO DIE.

SCIENTISTS SAY THERE’S A LOT OF PROMISE—BUT ALSO A LOT TO LEARN. THEY’RE CALLING FOR MORE CLINICAL RESEARCH TO FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW CANNABIS COULD PLAY A ROLE IN CANCER TREATMENT.

HOWEVER, RESEARCHERS POINT OUT THAT CANNABIS MAY NOT WORK THE SAME FOR EVERYONE—SINCE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER, AT DIFFERENT STAGES, CAN AFFECT HOW WELL IT WORKS.

THE U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IS IN THE PROCESS OF RESCHEDULING CANNABIS FROM A SCHEDULE 1 NARCOTIC, A CATEGORY THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE HEROIN, TO SCHEDULE 3. THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR PHARMACEUTICAL TESTING WITH FEWER GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS. AS OF MARCH, THE PROCESS HAS BEEN PUT ON HOLD.