Is there a connection between cannabis use and cancer? Recent studies indicate that there may be an answer to this question. There have been several clinical trials involving the use of medical marijuana or cannabis extracts. Some of these studies have shown promising results, while others have failed to produce any significant benefit. This begs the question: is there a medicinal use for cannabis and can it cure cancer?
Most medical experts agree that medical marijuana can have limited benefits for patients with cancer. However, in very elderly people, even oral cannabis can be effective as an anti-emetic. In other words, it can treat cancer by preventing it from progressing. In very ill patients with cancer, long-term medical use is known to cause depression, which can further compromise the patient’s ability to fight the disease. In healthy adults, however, the medical use of cannabis is generally not recommended, since there is no medical evidence that it has a beneficial effect on any aspect of cancer survival.
Those who support the medical use of cannabis point out that it is unlikely that medical marijuana will work against cancer. In reality, marijuana has no measurable effect on cancer in people who are in good health. It is also not known whether the medical use of it causes any damage in people who are already sick. Even so, some cancer sufferers may wish to try it because they have already reached the end of their desired treatment. For these people, it is difficult to accept that their cancer cannot be cured and that alternative medicine might be a better choice.
If medical use of cannabis is indeed effective in preventing the growth of cancer cells, then it would seem that it would have a beneficial effect on other forms of cancer. However, there is still some skepticism about the link between cannabis and cancer. The reason is that there is no adequate scientific evidence that the drug can have any effect on cancer in humans. Similarly, there is no clinical test currently available to show that medical marijuana reduces the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
There is some evidence, however, that the substance could affect some types of cancers. One example is leukemia. Some recent studies have shown that cannabis may help to treat the disease. This is seen as particularly important because while most cancer cases at present are not fatal, they do lack the ability to cure. By making chemotherapy treatments more successful, medical use of the drug could open up possibilities for those who suffer from certain forms of cancer.
Currently, it is unlikely that medical use of cannabis will become widespread. Several countries, including Canada and New Zealand, have legalized the drug, but the US remains relatively hostile to it. Currently, it is largely ignored by the medical community. This means that users must continue to find ways to get it through the black market, which may be more difficult than simply growing it themselves.