This is why it’s so important to eschew such cure-related hyperbole when reviewing the cancer-treating components of cannabis oil, which could all too easily be lumped into the same National Enquirer “wonder cure” category.
The National Cancer Institute has said that “Cannabis oil has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory.” (Presumably it does something similar outside of the laboratory, but taking cannabis oil from lab to bedside is an exercise in Schedule-I bureaucratic frustration.) In addition, the NCI states that “[c]annabinoids appear to kill tumour cells but do not affect their non-transformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death.”
Anecdotes of success in treating cancer with cannabis oil can’t be ignored—they’re what’s driven the medicalization of cannabis oil for a long time.
This is because cannabis oil is what’s known as “pro-apoptotic.” Apoptosis means that a cell commits suicide. Cannabis oil encourages this in some cancer cells while protecting non-cancer cells from the same fate. As any oncologist will tell you, killing cancer cells while not affecting normal tissue is one of the Holy Grails of treatment. Cannabis oil can also prevent cancer cells from further dividing, spreading, and growing.
Even the National Institute of Drug Abuse—an organization historically devoted to vilifying cannabis—has gotten on board, stating that “marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others.” Not even they can ignore science.
Anecdotes of success in treating cancer with cannabis oil can’t be ignored—they’re what’s driven the medicalization of cannabis oil for a long time. But anecdotes aren’t enough to support touting cannabis oil as a miracle cure. As always with cannabis oil and its 144 cannabinoids, the range of effects and variations is vast. Rick Simpsons Oil is still the wild west. One size simply does not fit all. There are just too many permutations.
Let’s not further embolden biased clueless conservatives, who look for reasons to further vilify cannabis oil and stigmatize cannabis oil users. Now is the time for common sense and reason rather than common screech and rhetoric. Overcoming stigma means reversing ideas that are all too often loosely formed yet firmly held.
Progress in cannabinoid science is truly exciting and packed with great promise If we are to advance, the focus needs to be on objective science and studies. Let’s keep it that way.
Disclaimer: the principles contained here is not designed nor meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is only achieved for educational confidences only. You should assume full responsibility for the way you decide to use this information on this blog.
Tags: Cancer
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