Considering Alternatives
Contributed by Meghan Fitzgibbons, UCF Navigator
The assertion that marijuana’s active components, cannabinoids, alleviate some of the symptoms of cancer and chemotherapy is not a new one.
The American Cancer Society relays that “marijuana is promoted to alleviate pain, control nausea and vomiting, and stimulate appetite in people with cancer.”
In 1997, the Office of National Drug Control Policy commissioned the Institute of Medicine to assess marijuana’s health benefits and risks.
The results confirmed the positive effects of marijuana, but because it contains numerous active compounds, it cannot be expected to provide precise effects unless the individual components are isolated.
“Marijuana is promoted to alleviate pain, control nausea and vomiting, and stimulate appetite in people with cancer.”
More recent laboratory studies have shown that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and other cannabinoids slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells.
Some early human clinical trials of the effects of cannabinoids on cancer have indicated that they can be safe in treating cancer, but they have not been shown to control or cure the disease yet.
A brand new study out of the University of London suggests that two of marijuana’s key ingredients, THC and cannabidiol, can help to shrink brain tumors. This article highlights the results of the study and explains how the cannabinoids act on the glioma cells.
You can find additional information related to the use of cannabinoids to treat cancer and its side effects in some of the following articles and essays.
The National Cancer Institute addresses cannabinoids’ antitumor and appetite stimulation effect.
This American Association for Cancer Research journal article reviews recent workexamining potent, nontoxic, and non-habit forming cannabinoids for cancer therapy.
And here, the University of Sydney reviews the limitations of cannabinoids’ effects.
It is important to note that possessing or selling crude or raw marijuana is still illegal under federal law in the United States.
RELATED POSTS
Regina’s story
HUMANS OF ULMAN FOUNDATION Regina's Story What I thought was the flu turned into a non-stop bloody nose and bruising all over my body. I was scared. My primary care physician (PCP) had no idea what was going on and ordered any
Ulman House: A Magnificent Lighthouse
Ulman House: A Magnificent Lighthouse By Julia, Ulman House Resident The first time you hear those three spectacularly awful words, a thousand questions pop into your mind. The doctor says, “You have cancer,” and suddenly the way forward
Ulman House Year In Review
Ulman House Year In Review Residential Recap In our first ten months of operations at Ulman House, we have welcomed guests from 30 miles away to 4,200. Young adults living with rare cancers and more common ones. Caregivers standing
Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan Visits Ulman House
Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan Visits Ulman House First Lady Yumi Hogan joined the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives to visit the Ulman House on October 10th, 2020. Staff from the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives volunteered to prepare, cook,