Cannabis and Cancer

Cannabis is the name given to the dried buds and leaves of the cannabis plant variety that grows wild in warm and tropical climates around the world and is cultivated commercially. It goes by many names, including pot, grass, hemp, weed, cannabis, hash, cannabis, cannabis and dozens of others.

Cannabis has been used in herbal medicine for centuries. Scientists have discovered many bioactive components in cannabis. These are called cannabinoids. The two best-studied ingredients are the chemicals delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (commonly known as THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Other cannabinoids are being studied.

Currently, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lists cannabis and its cannabinoids as Schedule I controlled substances. This means they cannot be legally prescribed, owned or sold under federal law. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved whole or crude hemp (including hemp oil or hemp oil) for any medical use. But the use of marijuana to treat certain ailments is legal under state law in many states.

Dronabinol, a pharmaceutical form of THC, and a man-made cannabinoid drug called nabilone have been approved by the FDA to treat certain conditions.

Cannabis / Marijuana

Different compounds in cannabis have different effects on the body. For example, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) appears to cause the “high” reported by cannabis users, can also help relieve pain and nausea, reduce inflammation, and acts as an antioxidant. Cannabidiol (CBD) can help treat seizures, can reduce anxiety and paranoia, and can counteract the “high” that THC causes.

Different varieties (strains or types) or even different crops of cannabis plants may contain different amounts of these and other active compounds. This means that cannabis can have different effects depending on the strain used.

The effects of cannabis also vary depending on how the cannabis compounds enter the body. The most common ways to use marijuana are in food (eating marijuana) and smoking or smoking marijuana (inhaling marijuana):

Edible cannabis: When taken orally, such as in cooking oils, beverages (beer, tea, vodka, soda), baked goods (biscuits, brownies, biscuits), and candy, THC is poorly absorbed and can take hours to be absorbed. absorb. Once absorbed, it is processed by the liver to produce a second psychoactive compound (a substance that acts on the brain and alters mood or consciousness), which has a different effect on the brain than THC. It’s important to know that the amount of THC in cannabis-fortified foods is often unknown, and consuming too much THC may lead to symptoms of overdose.

Inhaling marijuana: When marijuana is smoked or vaporized, THC enters the bloodstream and quickly enters the brain. The second psychoactive compound is produced in small quantities and therefore less effective. The effects of inhaled marijuana fade faster than oral marijuana.

How does marijuana affect cancer symptoms?

A few small studies on smoking marijuana have found that it can help with nausea and vomiting from cancer chemotherapy.

Some studies have found that inhaling (smoking or vaporizing) marijuana can help treat neuropathic pain (pain caused by damaged nerves).

In studies, smoking marijuana also helped improve food intake in people with HIV.

There are no studies on hemp oil or the effects of hemp oil.

Research has long shown that people who take cannabis extracts in clinical trials tend to need less pain medication.

Recently, scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids, such as CBD, slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells grown in lab dishes. Some animal studies also suggest that certain cannabinoids may slow growth and reduce the spread of some cancers.

There are already some early clinical trials of cannabinoids for the treatment of human cancers, and more research is planned. While research to date suggests cannabinoids are safe for cancer treatment, they do not show that they help control or cure the disease.