Ever since its classification as a schedule one drug in 1970, cannabis has been defined by many as a dangerous hallucinogen with a lot of negative effects because of the psychoactive effects of one of its components delta -9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The consequences of this negative and biased definition is that people who are suffering from chronic illnesses that cause them a lot of pain such as cancer, glaucoma and epilepsy have been denied a chance to benefit from the positive aspects of cannabis.
According to cancer (n.d) cannabis has another compound, cannabidiol (cbd) that “inhibits tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow.” This is great news to cancer patients as the growth of tumors is what leads to the progression of cancer. Clinical trials done by McAllister and Desprez (2007) found that “a cannabinoid with a low-toxicity profile, could down-regulate Id-1 expression in aggressive human breast cancer cells.” These are the cells that cause cancer in the human body. The best thing about CBD is that it does not have the psychoactive properties that cause hallucinations and memory loss.
Another very important role that cannabis components such as CBD plays in cancer treatment is in the reduction of pain which many cancer patients suffer from. It also has anti-emetic properties that are especially helpful for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Loss of appetite that cancer patients have is reduced by cannabis which boosts appetite.
REFERENCES
National Cancer Institute . Questions and Answers About Cannabis.
Retrieved from
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/patient/page2
McAllister S & Desprez P. (2007) Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells.
Retrieved from;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025276
