The Hard Facts on Cannabis for Cancer 

Do you or one of your loved ones have cancer? It can be one of the hardest things you have to go through in your entire life.

Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to numb the pain. As we learn more about cancer and get better at treating it early, more people are surviving than ever.

Here’s everything you need to know about cannabis for cancer.

Relaxes Cancer Patients

Cannabis or marijuana is a relaxant that can take away the pain and the mental stress that cancer causes.

Many cancer patients are able to get a prescription for it from a doctor to alleviate the pain. It’s particularly important that cancer patients are relaxed after chemotherapy which can wear them down and make them vomit for days.

There are two official cancer drugs that patients can take that are approved by the FDA – The Food and Drug Administration. The first is Dronabinol. This can give cancer patients their hunger back and can make them feel less like being stomach sick.

The second is Nabilone. This is not technically cannabis but a synthetic substance, grown in a lab. It too is best used to treat sickness. 

Slowing Growth

As well as relieving pain, what evidence is there cannabis can slow tumor growth? Can weed cure cancer? There’s no firm evidence on the topic.

Because cannabis/marijuana is regarded as class 1 drug and the consequences for possession are jail in most states, very little research has been conducted into the relationship between cancer and cannabis or its competent drugs like THC or CBD and it’s actively discouraged.

Here are some statistics on marijuana that you might not know to help you make your decision.

Edibles vs Smoking

There is a difference between smoking cannabis and consuming it as an edible. 

Smoking it leads to a faster, more potent reaction. But smoking anything is not good for your lungs.

Eating cannabis in a cake or a cookie can lead to the slower burning of the ‘high’ and it might not be as potent. But it can be a better decision for some users. Taking the two drugs approved by the FDA -Dronabinol and Nabilone – strikes a balance between safety and potency.

It is also possible to get CBD as a chemical on its own and there is currently a price cut due to the pandemic.

Mental Illness?

One of the biggest potential side effects of Cannabis is an increase in mental health conditions, notably psychosis. Those who have a predisposition to mental health conditions could see an increase in symptoms after cannabis use. 

However, the trade-off to this is that if your loved one is already at a low point in their life due to the cancer diagnosis anyway. Cannabis could alleviate their pain and the mental health risks are long term risks that would only affect users who smoked or ingested cannabis several times a day over a number of years.

Cannabis for Cancer: Choose What’s Right For You or Your Loved One

Deciding whether to take cannabis or not is a personal decision for your or loved one who has cancer. There is much to consider from the long term mental health implications to whether it will have any effect.

Interested in learning more about cannabis for cancer? Then be sure to check out the rest of our site.