Marijuana is the name for the dried leaves and buds of the Cannabis sativa plant. Alternative names for the substance are ganja, marihuana, hemp, weed, hash, grass, pot and more. The plant has been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Marijuana has biologically active cannabinoids, many of which have a therapeutic effect on your body. Scientists have identified THC and CBD in particular. In fact, Dronabinol, a pharmaceutical form of THC and a manmade cannabinoid medication, and Nabilone have both been approved by the FDA for the treatment of some conditions.
In Canada, Nabiximols/Sativex, which contains both THC and CBD, is approved for the relief of pain in people with multiple sclerosis and advanced cancer.
endocannabinoids
The active cannabinoids in the plant mimic your internal endocannabinoid system (ECS). Your body’s endocannabinoids are responsible for keeping your critical biological functions — for example, pain, immune system, appetite and sleep in balance. When your body is out of balance and in a state of stress, your endocannabinoids work to correct this imbalance. The endocannabinoids in the plant enable your body to restore its sense of balance, which is one of the reasons cannabis works so well for you if you have cancer.
Marijuana and Cancer: Clinical Evidence and Research
The incidence of cancer in the general population has steadily increased along with accelerating advancements in medical technology. As people live longer, the ability for cells to faithfully copy their DNA is diminished resulting in mutations in somatic cells — everything excluding the sperm and ovum. Current research has shown that possible benefits of using medical marijuana to treat cancer and related conditions are evident in the prevention of the spread of tumors throughout the body and in alleviating the side effects associated with chemotherapy and other aggressive drug therapy.
Some scientific studies have looked at cannabis as an effective anti-cancer treatment with promising results. Individual components of the cannabis plant, for example, may be able to help stop the growth of several types of cancer tumors, such as those found in liver, breast, brain and other types of cancer. They have also shown promise in helping to stimulate the death of tumor cells, a process known as apoptosis.
According to information from the National Cancer Institute:
Studies in rats and mice have shown that cannabinoids may prevent cell growth and block the development of blood vessels that are needed by tumors to grow. They may also inhibit the growth of tumors by causing cell death.
Animal and laboratory studies have shown that cannabinoids may kill cancer cells while protecting your healthy cells.
Studies have shown that cannabinoids may help prevent and treat colon cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
Multiple studies in animals have illustrated that cannabinoids can stimulate appetite.
Animal studies have indicated that cannabinoids could prevent nerve problems that result from chemotherapy.
There are also some studies currently in progress investigating the effects of marijuana on the following:
Treating graft vs. host disease in people who’ve undergone stem cell transplants with CBD.
Treating recurrent glioblastoma multiforme with an oral spray containing CBD/THC.
Treating solid tumors with an oral form of CBD.
Although research is promising, so far it’s been limited to “preclinical” studies, which involve testing treatments or drugs in animals before they are used on humans. This preclinical research is offering hope to many cancer patients, but a great deal more is needed. More rigorous studies must be conducted.
For that to happen, the federal government will have to loosen the restrictions on medical marijuana research. Even though the National Cancer Institute — a program that runs on federal funds — has acknowledged that cannabis has shown the ability to kill cancer cells, the government still refuses to help researchers conduct more extensive studies into how marijuana may be able to help people fighting the disease.
Cancer and Marijuana Cannabinoids
The active molecular components in marijuana, known as the cannabinoids, are known to have neuroprotective and analgesic, or pain-relief, effects. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the cannabinoid that many cannabis researchers have focused on in the past several decades of studies of marijuana and cancer-related ailments. However, many medical marijuana patients and physicians believe that the purified form of THC or its synthetic counterparts are not as effective as orally consuming foods, referred to as edibles, or liquids, called tinctures, made with cannabis, or the smoking of the buds on the marijuana plant. It is possible that the marijuana plant’s multitude of different natural cannabinoids provides an increased therapeutic effect as opposed to a single synthetic cannabinoid.
Cannabinoids have also been researched for their possible use in cancer prevention and cancer treatment. Cancer is most notably defined by the multiplication of mutated somatic cells in the body. The mutated cells have damaged DNA that was not copied correctly during cell division. Cancer cells multiply more rapidly than normal cells and often have altered functions due to the cells’ mutated genetic code.
Cannabinoids have been proven to stimulate the apoptotic pathway in cells, which is the programmed death of a cell that has acknowledged that it is no longer functioning efficiently. In this way, marijuana can actively prevent tumor growth by signaling cancerous cells to “commit suicide.” Also, the cannabinoid receptors arrest the Growth 1, or G1, phase of the cell cycle. This ultimately prevents the cancer cell from maturing any further, which would inhibit the number of harmful toxins created by the cancer cell.
The CB1 receptors also prevent inflammation in other parts of the body as an effect of the marijuana use with certain cancer patients suffering from inflammation. These were some of the first implications that suggested the cannabinoid receptors activated by marijuana and cancer could help prevent cancer cell inflammation and nerve pain associated with inflammatory response in cells.