- Cannabis in the latest medical research
- Can cannabis help in the prevention and cure of cancer?
- The potential benefits of cannabis in cancer treatment
- Can high CBD cannabis be helpful in cancer-related pain treatment?
- Can cannabis help manage the adverse effects of chemotherapy?
- Is it true that smoking cannabis can cause cancer?
Cannabis in the latest medical research
We just announced the latest news in medical research that recently put cannabis at the forefront of the fight against covid – or, better said, how the cannabinoids CBDA and CBGA have been found to be effective in stopping coronavirus from diffusing in the human body after the infection.
Today is World Cancer Day, and we wanted to contribute through our blog on the topic of cannabis in the fight against cancer. Many of you might not know that cannabis has been for decades, and still is today, also at the forefront of the medical research for fighting and curing cancer.
To date, hundreds of scientific articles on cannabis vs. cancer have been published, but these studies have not uncovered enough scientific data to establish their effectiveness in treating cancer safely and successfully. Hundreds of experts are exploring the potential of cannabinoids in the treatment of cancer and other ailments, including members of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS), who are focusing on the possibility of using cannabis to treat cancer and its side effects, such as nausea, pain, loss of appetite, depression.
While most of the research on cannabis and cancer has been conducted in scientific laboratories, it is still very difficult to be 100% sure that cannabis or cannabinoids can cure cancer. This is because nearly all scientific studies on whether cannabis can cure cancer have been conducted on laboratory-generated cancer cells or on animals. These studies are an important element of research because they provide early indicators of the benefits of certain cancer therapies or treatments, but unfortunately, they may not always be applicable to humans.
So far, hundreds of laboratory tests and scientific research have shown the best results when using a combination of highly pure THC and cannabidiol (CBD), where the relaxing effects of CBD counteract the euphoric ones of THC, discovering further additional beneficial effects when using also artificial cannabinoids, such as compound JWH-133.
Hundreds of laboratories all around the world are currently active in testing the effectiveness of cannabis in the fight against a variety of cancer-related diseases, including glioblastoma, brain tumors, and several cancer types affecting prostate, breasts, lungs, and pancreas, showing surprisingly positive results. However, the take-home lesson is that different cannabinoids appear to have different effects on different types of cancer, suggesting they are far from "universal" therapy. There is also contradictory evidence about cannabis’ negative side effects when it comes to the psychotropic effects of its high THC content in high dosages, but it’s the most effective way (the high THC dosage) to destroy cancer cells.
Can cannabis help in the prevention and cure of cancer?
To date, there is no conclusive and definitive evidence that cannabis can help prevent and cure cancer in humans. Studies have shown that endocannabinoids can prevent tumor development, and animals treated with extremely high doses of pure THC appeared to have a reduced chance of getting cancer and high effectiveness in igniting the regression of cancer cells if present in the research specimen.
However, there is not enough reliable scientific data to show that cannabinoids or cannabis can reduce people's risk of cancer.
The potential benefits of cannabis in cancer treatment
To examine and validate the potential benefits of cannabis in cancer, large-scale clinical trials that include control groups of patients treated with placebo (who are not given the drug in question) would be needed.
Some clinical studies have been done to investigate the benefits of cannabis for people with glioblastoma, such as a pilot clinical study in which 9 people with advanced and incurable multiform glioblastoma (the most aggressive brain tumor) were injected highly purified THC directly in the brain, revealing that THC administered in this way is safe and does not appear to cause significant side effects. However, as this was an early-stage experiment with no alternative placebo group, it was not possible to prove whether THC helped patients live longer lives.
A second clinical trial, funded by the UK's Experimental Cancer Medicine Center (ECMC), investigated whether the drug Sativex (nabiximols), a highly purified pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extract containing THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids, could treat people with recurrent glioblastoma and multiform brain cancer. The full results of this research for the treatment of people with recurrent glioblastoma with Sativex in combination with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide were published in 2021.
The researchers found that the addition of Sativex (in this case, patients were free to determine the amount they took) resulted in tolerable levels of adverse effects such as vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and headache. They also found that after one year, Sativex users were more likely to be alive (83%) than placebo users (44%). However, this Phase 1 study included only 27 patients, which was insufficient to demonstrate any possible benefit of Sativex and aimed to see if it was safe to use for the most severely ill patients. This experiment should be extended to phase 2 (known as ARISTOCRAT) to determine whether this drug is successful and which patients are most likely to react to it. If the experiment is approved, it will begin in 2022, with over 230 people recruited.
Can high CBD cannabis be helpful in cancer-related pain treatment?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid, a substance found naturally in cannabis plants (marijuana and hemp). CBD, unlike THC, is not psychotropic and doesn’t give the "high" feeling often associated with cannabis, and in recent years more and more people have approached and started appreciating CBD and CBD-related products.
CBD may provide an option for chronic pain patients who are currently dependent on drugs such as opioids, which can be addictive and lead to further adverse effects, as in this 2020 research that concludes with “CBD could significantly reduce opioid use and improve chronic pain and sleep quality among patients who are currently using opioids for pain management“. More studies are needed, however, to confirm the pain-relieving benefits of CBD oil and other products.
Some chronic pain patients have been using topical or oral CBD products for many years, especially CBD oil, to relieve symptoms such as pain, inflammation, and neuralgia. Research on CBD products has proved encouraging, and a scientific study published in 2021 investigated the impact of CBD in cancer patients, recommending CBD as an adjuvant or as a therapeutic treatment, particularly for osteosarcoma, listing numerous health benefits and very few side effects.
While official approvals that certify the effectiveness of CBD as medicine are still needed, there is more and more positive evidence of the benefits of CBD from the experience and the narrative of individuals as well as treatment centers that have, in fact, already started pioneer CBD treatments and cures for humans, especially in the fields of pain treatment, as well as psychological treatment of trauma-induced diseases such as PSTD, in the treatment of opioids, alcohol and even tobacco additions, as well as in the treatment of muscle and nerves inflammations. We have just dedicated a blog article on the role of CBD in sports practice, with a focus on how CBD is the number one solution today for professional rugby athletes.
CBD-rich hemp oils should be considered a versatile nutraceutical with applications in cancer management and cancer-related pain treatment, and although CBD is the main pharmacologically active compound in hemp oil, this product should be viewed as a complex blend of bioactive molecules with natural synergistic properties.
Can cannabis help manage the adverse effects of chemotherapy?
There is strong evidence on how cannabis can help with cancer pain and with the side effects of all cancer-related and pain treatment drugs, including chemotherapy. Cannabinoid drugs such as Dronabinol (synthetic THC) and Nabilone were used to relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting as early as the 1980s. However, there are now safer and more effective alternatives, and cannabinoids are often used only when other techniques fail.
Medical Marijuana has been legalized in several areas of the world to relieve cancer-related and cancer treatment-related symptoms, including chronic and acute pain. However, one of the disadvantages is the difficult dosage control, when patients smoke cannabis or consume it in the form of tea, the dosage is sometimes erratic, making it difficult for them to manage the consumption. As a result, researchers are trying to alternate techniques of dosage as a mouth spray, which delivers a constant and controlled amount.
Is it true that smoking cannabis can cause cancer?
The fact that smoking tobacco can cause certain types of cancer such as lung, throat, and mouth cancers, has been already covered by thousands of scientific research, whose output in terms of harmful results must be actually being communicated by law using bold ads even on the same tobacco product packaging.
When it comes to whether cannabis can cause cancer, the data is far less clear. This is because most cannabis users smoke the herb along with tobacco, which is known to cause cancer. In the UK, more than three-quarters of cannabis smokers said they usually mixed cannabis and hashish with tobacco, and so it’s the trend across Europe, where the “bong culture” of the United States has never really taken off.
This makes it difficult to distinguish the possible influence of cannabis on cancer risk from the impact of cigarettes; however, there are exceptions, as some CBD cannabis brands have chosen to eliminate tobacco from smokable CBD products, such as the Pre-rolled Joints produced by MA True Cannabis. Our Pre-rolled Joints are one-of-a-kind ready-to-smoke joints, composed of a unique blend of high-quality cannabis flowers and a selection of two organic medicinal herbs that enhance the scent, taste, and effect of cannabis.
Being nicotine-free, our pre-rolled joints will certainly keep you away from the addictive nicotine. Also, their very fragrant and pleasant smell will please you, as you will also avoid the bad effects of tobacco which, besides being hurtful to your body, will also leave a bad smell in your clothes, your breath, and your hands. To make purists happy our Pre-rolled line also includes PURE, a pre-rolled joint of “pure CBD cannabis” for those who want to experience the true flavor of cannabis.