Medical cannabis: all properties confirmed

The best-known indication of marijuana –which has been used medicinally for about 5,000 years– is treatment of chemotherapy side effects: nausea, vomiting and lack of appetite. But recent research shows that therapeutic cannabis also works directly against diseased cells.

cannabis against cancer

A clinical study led by Manuel Guzmán, a researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid, with nine patients with aggressive brain tumors showed that THC –delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the most characteristic active principle or cannabinoid of the plant– was able to slow down the growth of tumors. The study suggested that the effects observed before in vitro and in animals they also occurred in sick people.

Guzmán, together with his collaborators Guillermo Velasco and Cristina Sánchez, explained in an article in the magazine Nature that cannabinoids could be effective on their own and potentiate the action of chemotherapy. In addition to brain cancer, it suggests that they are probably useful against others such as those of the pancreas, skin and liver.

How therapeutic cannabis works

If cannabis is capable of acting in the body, it is because its cannabinoids resemble substances produced by the body itself. Being similar, they bind to the same cell receptors. These endogenous substances are endocannabinoids, the most important of which is anandamide (ananda means “entrapment” or “bliss” in Sanskrit).

The difference is that while anandamide only works for a few moments, cannabinoids do. more intensely for several days. This is so because they accumulate in adipose tissue, from where they gradually pass to the liver and blood. Once inside the body, they act on cells endowed with the appropriate receptors, called CB1 and CB2, which are abundant in neurons.

The action of cannabinoids on different areas of the brain explains why they are effective for treat side effects of chemotherapy. When they act on the basal ganglia they reduce tremors, spasms and other movement disorders; in the hypothalamus they open the appetite; and in the “nucleus of the solitary tract” they control nausea and vomiting.

Its benefits for the brain

According to Mauro Maccarrone, from the BioMedical University of Rome, endocannabinoids are crucial in the development, communication and regeneration of neurons. Research suggests that cannabis could reduce inflammation and oxidation of neuronsand enhance the generation of new and healthy nerve cells.

At the same time, THC produces the symptoms that have led to its prohibition: laughter, slowness, difficulties following conversations, but also increases creativity and sensory acuity.

All these effects are moderate in plants rich in the cannabinoid CBD. On the other hand, the toxicity is not significant, and the addictive effect is not greater than that of caffeine.

In any case, it is advisable to continue the treatment under the supervision of a doctor Knowledgeable about cannabis. Its use is not indicated in minors or in people with cardiovascular conditions.

Prohibition and patents for the medicinal use of cannabis

Research on cannabis is encouraging, but much resistance still needs to be overcome. It doesn’t help that it’s a prohibited drug in most countries. Nor that the active principles of the plant are not patentable and that, therefore, there is no industry interested in financing clinical studies with people.

For now, in Spain only expensive synthetic cannabinoids such as Sativex, Marinol and Cesamet can be prescribed. But synthetic cannabinoids do not achieve the same effects as leaves and flowers, that contain more than a hundred cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids that act in synergy. On the other hand, in the Netherlands or Uruguay the production and prescription of natural cannabis is already legal.

Guzmán, who has been studying cannabinoids for 20 years, explains that not having enough support from the industry is not collecting all the experience of doctors, caregivers and patients who use cannabis on their own.

It is surprising that only one plant that exists on Earth is so well suited to the needs of cancer patients. It is also useful in the treatment of AIDS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome… However, doctors cannot prescribe the marijuana plant. Why and until when?