By Joyce McNeely aka "Mrs. Green" - Cannabis Educator

Hello and welcome to Mrs. Green’s Q&A. I take Cannabis questions from curious folks like you and answer them. Starting out on my own Cannabis journey, I had a lot of questions. I hope that answering some of your most burning questions here will help you along your journey as well. Come along! Let’s get started!

A couple of questions came in this past month about Cannabis and cancer. So I will do my best to answer those here.

How Do People Use Cannabis For Cancer? And What Is Cannabis Doing To Help?

People have used Cannabis for cancer in a number of ways. It largely depends on the individual’s specific medical needs and the level of support provided by their doctor around Cannabis use.
Three areas that Cannabis can assist within the overall realm of Cancer is:

• Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
• Weight Loss and Loss of Appetite
• Cancer Pain

First up is chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Typically, Cannabis is effective because the THC acts quicker than that of any other cannabinoids or pharmaceuticals because it can be inhaled or vaporized. Therefore, providing faster relief.

Faster Relief and A Better Chance of Getting Nutrition

Other FDA-approved orally taken medicines or tinctures take time to work because they need to cycle through the liver before being available. When a cancer patient is really suffering with this, faster relief is always better. And when less nausea is happening, a person can actually get some nutrition in them to help them stay strong. Granted, most of the stories we are hearing about Cannabis and nausea are anecdotal because, in the States, Cannabis is federally illegal limiting scientific study.

There Have Been FDA-Approved Medicines That Are Derived From The Cannabis Plant

These are not whole plant-derived and are considered synthetic CBD and THC. They are dronabinol and nabilone. Both are FDA-approved and used to help with Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting that can come from chemo treatments. According to Dr. Bonnie Goldstein’s book, Cannabis is Medicine, "the cannabinoids were highly effective…and the patients preferred the cannabinoid-based medicine better than the typical pharmaceuticals”. (Goldstein 183)

Weight Loss/Loss of Appetite - When The Munchies Can Be Beneficial

Secondly, some cancer patients have issues with loss of appetite and even unwanted weight loss during their treatments. Have you heard that cannabis can give a person “the munchies”? Well, Cannabis can help a patient eat by making the food they eat taste better. That’s right. If your food tastes better, you are going to *want* to eat. And not just eat a few bites because you know you should. Imagine actually enjoying a meal during cancer treatments instead of tolerating them. It can be a possibility.

A Promising Alternative To Opioids

The third condition that Cannabis can help assist with during cancer treatments is Cancer Pain. Pain during cancer treatment is common and can truly lead to a downturn in quality of life experience. However, not all cancer pain is the same and the current gold standard treatment for cancer pain of any kind is still opioids. Those come with significant side effects like nausea and constipation. Talk about uncomfortable! Some people cannot tolerate opioids for this reason or they are just not effective for their type of cancer pain.

My own dad could not tolerate opioids. They made his gut shut down and refused to work. Imagine if I had this Cannabis knowledge then? Maybe I could have helped and talked to his doctors about this kind of pain-controlling alternative. I think of this often and wonder if he would have accepted that THC and CBD from a natural plant could help control his post-surgical pain.

We Still Have Work To Do…

One thing to remember is that Cannabis is not federally approved. Therefore, there are very few cancer/Cannabis studies to be had. When I was researching and reading about this subject, I found that most trials seemed to be from outside the United States. There just are not many human trials for Cannabis and cancer prevention and cancer treatments. It is not typically the first choice for cancer treatments. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for it, because there absolutely is.
Anecdotal stories from cancer patients have played a crucial role in advancing our understanding of the potential benefits of Cannabis for cancer treatment, and they continue to inform research in this area today. Many of the early studies in this field were initiated because of patient reports of symptom relief.

As more research is conducted, we may gain a better understanding of the precise role that Cannabis can play in cancer treatment and how it can best be used to help patients manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

If You Are Looking For Guidance

If someone is looking for more information on this subject, I would suggest talking to a doctor that is Cannabis friendly and has that specific knowledge of Cannabis and cancer. I would also consider talking to one of our wonderful Cannabis Coaches here at ECN as well. They have a superb background in helping folks navigate the Cannabis world and all of its intricacies.

References: 

1. Oxford University Press (OUP). "Cannabis ingredient can help cancer patients regain their appetites and sense of taste, study finds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 February 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110222192830.htm>.

About Mrs. Green

Mrs. Green is a Certified Cannabis Educator, Patient, and Advocate. Each month she will take cannabis questions from people new to medical cannabis and answer them without getting too far into the weeds (pun intended).

Are you new to medical Cannabis and have questions about how it works? Ask Mrs. Green, and perhaps she will answer your questions in a future issue! Follow the link to read other blogs by Mrs. Green and to submit a question.

Effective Cannabis Newsletter is a platform to educate on the vital role of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) in one's health. The information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information contained in or available through this newsletter is for general information purposes only. It is not medical advice; it is health awareness.