There is no doubt that cannabinoids – both natural and synthetic – are interesting biological molecules. Hundreds of scientists around the world are investigating their potential in cancer and other diseases – as well as the harms they can cause – brought together under the blanket organization - The International Cannabinoid Research Society.
Unfortunately, due to the legalization movement along with Marijuana being controversial, there is a significant amount of misinformation on the internet.
Because the Government made Marijuana a Schedule 1 it makes it damn near impossible for pharmaceutical companies to research. However, those laws are slowing changing so I do think we will see more cannabis-based medication going into the future.
All current medical data was done on mice or in the lab (except one clinical trial below). In mice models cannabis shows the best effect when use in vitro with another agent such as chemo or radiation. On its own It does appear to kill tumor cells by apoptosis. Here is the problem 4 out of 100 or 4% of murine models translate into humans.
There is no doubt it has a place in the management of seizures as we have seen in the positive phase II study GWPH just released.
GWPH Trials
There is One Completed Clinical Trial on Humans:
Nine people with advanced, terminal glioblastoma multiforme – an aggressive brain tumor – were given highly purified THC through a tube directly into their brain.
Eight people’s cancers showed some kind of response to the treatment, and one didn’t respond at all. All patients died within a year, as might be expected for people with cancer this advanced.
Study found here - http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v95/n2/full/6603236a.html
My Personal Experience:
I used cannabis with radiation/chemo and I do feel it had a significant impact but in all reality how do I know - it could have been chemo & radiation?
My doctors were “surprised” that my tumor was no longer visible on the MRI which gave me hope. However, I am very lucky to have both mutations and a Grade II strait olie – Which responds very well to treatment.
Most people are unaware that there are negative studies regarding cancer and cannabis:
Positive Studies Done on Mice:
Sensational News Reports:
I have seen a significant amount of news about someone curing themselves using Marijuana however they are completely irrelevant.
Why?
Malignant Brain Tumors have an extremely high reoccurrence rate and can go into spontaneous remission. If you have 1,000 cancer patients taking cannabis and 1 goes into spontaneous remission the press has a field day. If you follow up on the stories, not to be gruesome, you will see most are dead.
A perfect example is my personal case, you cannot see any tumor on an MRI – Does that mean I don’t have cancer, absolutely not.
Pharmaceutical Companies Can't Patient:
Foxgloves (Digitalis) are a useful source of chemicals called cardiac glycosides, first purified in 1785 – a date widely considered to be the beginning of modern drug-based medicine. These drugs are now used to treat many thousands of people around the world with heart failure and other cardiac problems. But the entire plant itself is highly toxic, and eating just a small amount can kill.
As another example, although the antibiotic penicillin was first discovered in a fungus, it doesn’t mean that someone should munch some mold when suffering an infection. In fact, the bug-beating powers of ‘natural’ penicillin are confined to a relatively small range of bacteria, and chemists have subsequently developed a wider range of life-saving antibiotics based on the drug’s structure.
My gut feeling is that cannabis medicine for cancer will be an offshoot of THC/CBD for maximum effect.
Pharmaceutical Companies Do Not Want a Cure:
Modern medicine has cured:
Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Yellow fever, Malaria, Typhoid fever, Whooping cough, Pneumococcal disease, Tuberculosis (TB), Tetanus, Diphtheria, Chickenpox/shingles, Bronchitis, Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), Otitis, Media (Ear Infection), Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s), Skin or Soft Tissue Infection, Streptococcal Pharyngitis (Strep Throat), Traveler’s diarrhea, Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Stage I Cancer (In the majority of cases) & Stage II Cancer (In some cases)
So let's take just smallpox as an example which was cured by modern medicine - Prior to the vaccine, it killed over 300,000,000 people.
Government Has a Cure For Cancer:
Joe Biden’s – Our Vice President’s Son - just died of Brain Cancer, kind of puts a hole in that story.
Cancer survival rates have doubled over the past 40 years.
A bill in the US was just passed to accelerate a cure for cancer.
Marinol (Dronabinol)
This can be prescribed by your doctor for a slew of cancer symptoms, however, most doctors do not is because of the side effects.
Me personally - I hate the effect of THC but I find CBD before bed quite enjoyable. CBD slows brain waves and is terrible for working any type of mental job, I feel dumb the following day.
My Conclusion:
We need real human clinical trials which are going on right now (GWPH) and without human data everything else is guess work based on Mice / Lab studies.
Personally, I am much more interested in Nano-Technology, Immunotherapy, CRISPR, & Enzyme Inhibitors to name a few.A