“They would say, ‘I’ve gone to my oncologist, they’ve given me all the [legal] drugs, but I’m still having pain, nausea, and vomiting. My friend got me some stuff from the local drug dealer, and it made me feel better,’” says Dr. Maida, who is an associate professor of palliative medicine at the University of Toronto. “I’ve heard that story hundreds of times.” Although there may be a number of medical uses for cannabis, Maida says it’s especially beneficial for cancer patients and that it should be incorporated into their treatment regimen. In recent years, many western MDs who were previously skeptical have also started to come around to his thinking. A May 2019 study presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, for instance, found that the overwhelming majority of surveyed oncology providers believe that medical marijuana can help cancer patients. The catch: Less than half feel qualified to prescribe it. Medical cannabis is now legal in the United States in most states, yet most healthcare providers haven’t received any education on it. Meanwhile, there’s little standardization. If you walk into any drugstore and buy a bottle of Advil, you know exactly what you’re getting. But cannabis strains (and their names) aren’t regulated and can vary from dispensary to dispensary. Strains also differ in terms of potency and specific effects (i.e., relaxing versus energizing) and, depending on your preferred delivery method, it can be difficult to measure a precise dose. Despite these challenges, cannabis has many pros, especially when compared with the current FDA-approved options for treating cancer-related symptoms. It’s relatively safe — serious adverse effects are extremely rare — and it may ease nausea, pain, loss of appetite, and insomnia, says Jessie Gill, RN, a certified cannabis nurse. “Cannabis can also help prevent some of the nerve damage that’s often associated with chemotherapy and radiation,” she says. The fact that it’s one drug instead of several (one for nausea, one for pain, one for insomnia, etc.) also means that it might cut down on side effects and interactions.
How Medical Cannabis Works
If you’re looking for hard proof the cannabis really works, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find it. Thanks to a long history of prohibition as well as current federal restrictions, cannabis is extremely difficult to research, so most studies that pertain to its use in cancer have been small or conducted on animals. That may change as the laws evolve, but for now the best evidence is anecdotal. Still, Maida says, you shouldn’t discount it: “Cannabinoids and other [cannabis] extracts have been used for thousands of years. The highest form of evidence is something that’s stood the test of time.” Cannabis isn’t a cure-all, but it does seem to have the potential to work for a number of seemingly unrelated ailments. While that might seem suspicious, it’s hardly the only substance that has a myriad of effects, says Donald Abrams, MD, a professor of clinical medicine and integrative oncologist at the University of California in San Francisco. “Aspirin is helpful for pain, inflammation, and fever, and some people like it for sleep,” he notes. In the case of cannabis, the wide-reaching effects can be explained by the fact that humans have cannabinoid receptors throughout the body.
Medical Cannabis: Tips for Beginners
Everyone reacts to cannabis differently, says Gill, but if you have cancer and cannabis is legal in your state, experimenting with it might make sense. Not sure where to start — or what to expect? Here are a few useful pointers.
Consider it an add-on, not a cure. Test-tube and animal studies have shown that cannabis might impact tumor cells, but don’t bank on it to cure your disease, says Dr. Abrams. It’s best used as an adjunct to ease symptoms, not as a cancer cure, so don’t ditch your oncologist and mainstream treatment plan.Go for the whole plant. The two most famous components of cannabis are CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). CBD is anti-inflammatory and seems to be the chemical that’s largely responsible for a variety of health benefits, but it’s not the only active ingredient. A variety of fragrant oils (terpenes) may also play an important role, says Gill. Meanwhile, THC is best known for making you feel “high,” but it, too, has some health benefits. In fact, two FDA-approved drugs that are synthetic versions of THC Cesamet (nabilone) and Marinol (dronabinol) have been shown to help with nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. Still, Abrams says, it’s better to use the whole plant, because if you isolate one compound you’re likely missing out on others.
It’s also worth noting that CBD tends to balance out the psychoactive effects of THC, which is why some patients who try THC-heavy strains or FDA-approved drugs like Cesamet and Marinol often feel dizzy and drowsy, says Ashley Glode, PharmD, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She says that in Canada, where marijuana is now legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes, all the products that are sold for health purposes have a one-to-one ratio of CBD to THC.
