Medical Cannabis and Cancer: Do You Know the Whole Story?

With more and more states choosing to legalize medical marijuana, there has been increased interest in using cannabis to treat certain medical conditions, such as different types of cancer.

By Loren Devito | Ganjapreneur.com

With more and more states choosing to legalize medical marijuana, there has been increased interest in using cannabis to treat certain medical conditions, such as different types of cancer. And, although cannabis has shown promise in helping patients with cancer, claims that cannabis can actually cure cancer may leave patients feeling unsure of what to believe. Sometimes it’s hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the role that cannabis plays in treating certain medical conditions.

A recently updated publication from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers an overview of evidence-based information about the effects of cannabis on different types of cancer and outlines the discoveries that science has made, as well as what remains unknown.

Administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to reduce the incidence of liver and colon cancer in animal models. Researchers have also found that cannabis may protect normal cells from death and may even kill cancer cells. So, yes, it is possible that cannabis aids in the fight against the cellular processes that promote cancer growth. But these data have not been replicated in humans, meaning that it is largely speculative for now.

Read the entire article at Ganjapreneur.com

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