Cancer

Cancer is everywhere. It’s a reality, one in four Canadians will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. There are over 100 types of cancer, and chances are we all know someone who has either gone through it, is currently going through it, or passed away from the terrible disease, no matter their age. The treatment of cancer often includes the administration of chemotherapy and radiation, which typically result in a number of unpleasant symptoms. Patients have experienced favorable management of multiple symptoms as a result of medical marijuana therapy.

Cancer is currently the leading cause of mortality in Canada. According to a 2024 report by the OECD, cancer accounts for one in six premature deaths (before the age of 75) in the country.

Not only has the American Association for Cancer Research found marijuana to slow down growth in tumours on the brain, breasts, and lungs, but the California Pacific Medical Centre also announced that marijuana may prevent cancer from spreading when they experimented on patients with high levels of ID-1 in their breasts. ID-1 is a protein that plays a huge role in cell growth and cell differentiation (when cells change from one to another).

Too high of levels might often be found in a variety of cancers like breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and more. When these high levels of Id-1 were met with marijuana treatments, the cells became less invasive and slowed down tumor growth.

Medical marijuana could help cancer patients manage nausea and vomiting, pain, and loss of appetite. The potential of managing multiple symptoms makes cannabis an appealing medicine for cancer patients.

When the common ingredient in cannabis, Cannabinoid, interacts with the cell receptors in our bodies, like the ones that affect our mind and body, it might help relieve pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and improve loss of appetite, which is important to maintaining a healthy weight as you go through treatment. If you’re struggling through rounds of chemotherapy, medical marijuana could reduce feelings of nausea or vomiting during treatment. Chemotherapy might also cause nerve pain and a feeling of weakness, but marijuana has proven to improve these side effects.

As a natural response to the toxicity of chemotherapy treatment, nausea and vomiting result from an elevated level of a serotonin metabolite called 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid. The elevated levels of this compound in the bloodstream trigger chemoreceptors in the brain, leading to nausea and vomiting. The primary action of the cannabinoids in managing nausea and vomiting is thought to be to downregulate the activity of chemoreceptors, reducing the frequency and severity of emetic events.

Evidence in favor of the use of cannabinoids in the management of emetic symptoms associated with chemotherapy has been growing since the 1980s. Cannabinoids have been shown to reduce emetic events and the severity of nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy. There is also evidence to suggest that medical marijuana in low doses will improve the efficacy of conventional antiemetics.

In addition to the management of symptoms associated with chemotherapy, clinical studies have shown cannabinoids are beneficial in the management of nausea and vomiting associated with radiation therapy and in post surgery settings

THC has been shown to promote appetite and reduce wasting in patients who suffer from AIDS as well as those experiencing anorexia-cachexia as a result of cancer, and cancer treatments.

The appetite-promoting component of medical marijuana, coupled with the reduction of emetic symptoms, has led many cancer patients to explore the use of cannabis to manage symptoms.