Cannabis and Cancer
As of February 2022, a total of 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical purposes. Cancer is a qualifying condition in nearly all of these states. Despite this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved cannabis for cancer or cancer-related symptoms on a federal level However, there is growing interest and research that shows great potential in the treatment of cancer and cancer-related symptoms with the use of cannabis or cannabis-derived medicine.
Marinol and Cesamet
Even though cannabis has not been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment, there are two approved prescription medications based on cannabis: dronabinol (Marinol) and nabione (Cesamet). These two approved medications are used for the treatment of nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite caused by chemotherapy. However, both of these drugs are synthetic versions of single cannabinoids, as opposed to the whole cannabis plant, which contains hundreds of cannabinoids that are known to have a synergetic effect that can’t be reproduced through single artificial cannabinoids alone. More information about Marinol can be found here.
Cancer Studies
Unfortunately, because cannabis is still listed as a Schedule I drug, studies done on the its potential have been limited and their findings don’t necessarily apply to humans, but what has been discovered so far has been positive and warrants further research. It has been found that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD may slow the growth or even cause the death of certain types of cancer cells grown in lab dishes and animals.
In one study done on mice and rats, it was found that THC may have a protective effect in the development of certain types of tumors in organs, including mammary glands, pituitary, testes, and pancreas.
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In another study, it was found CBD induced the death of breast cancer cells, in addition to inhibiting the growth other cancer cells in the mammary glands, while having little effect on the healthy cells. Similar studies have also shown the anti-tumor effects of cannabinoids in preclinical models of breast cancer.
Finally, a study done in Israel found CBD helpful in the treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) among patients who had undergone an allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant—most often used to treat blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma. The study found patients who received CBD appeared to have a lower incidence of grade II to grade IV GVHD than those who hadn’t.
In sum, there is significant evidence that cannabis could be very useful in the treatment of cancer and cancer-related symptoms, such nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. THC-based medications, such as Marinol, have already been approved and have been in use for more than a decade to treat these symptoms, but other cannabinoids, or combinations of cannabinoids, may prove to be more effective than THC or CBD alone. For this reason, more lab studies and human studies are needed to fully understand the potential benefits of cannabis in the treatment of cancer. This is a sentiment shared by the American Cancer Society, which succinctly states on its website:
The American Cancer Society supports the need for more scientific research on cannabinoids for cancer patients, and recognizes the need for better and more effective therapies that can overcome the often debilitating side effects of cancer and its treatment. The Society also believes that the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration imposes numerous conditions on researchers and deters scientific study of cannabinoids. Federal officials should examine options consistent with federal law for enabling more scientific study on marijuana.
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