The cat’s out of the bag now, isn’t it?
A group of researchers commissioned by the United States government has unwittingly found that cannabis can actually kill cancer cells.
The research was done by a team at St. George’s University of London and found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) weakened cancer cells and made them more susceptible to radiation treatment.
The study, which was published in 2014 in the medical journal Molecular Cancer Therapies, found “dramatic reductions” in fatal types of brain cancer where cannabinoids were used in conjunction with radiation therapy.
“We’ve shown that cannabinoids could play a role in treating one of the most aggressive cancers in adults,” wrote lead researcher Dr. Wai Liu, in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
“The results are promising… it could provide a way of breaking through glioma [tumors] and saving more lives.”
“Recent animal studies have shown that marijuana can kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others,” the NIDA report said.
“Evidence from one animal study suggests that extracts from whole-plant marijuana can shrink one of the most serious types of brain tumors.
Research in mice showed that these extracts, when used with radiation, increased the cancer-killing effects of the radiation.”
As you’re likely aware, Cannabis has been a Schedule I status drug since 1970 with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act.
This, of course, means the government classifies the plant as having high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.
Looks like they may have shot themselves in the foot with this study they hoped would prove once and for all that cannabis doesn’t impact cancer.
Do you think they’ll reschedule or legalize the plant any time soon?
