What Your Government Knows About Cannabis And Cancer -- And Isn't Telling You

Senator Ted Kennedy is putting forward a brave face following his recent surgery but the sad reality remains. Even with successful surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatment, gliomas -- a highly aggressive form of brain cancer that strikes approximately 10,000 Americans annually -- tragically claim the lives of 75 percent of its victims within two years and virtually all within five years.

But what if there was an alternative treatment for gliomas that could selectively target the cancer while leaving healthy cells intact? And what if federal bureaucrats were aware of this treatment, but deliberately withheld this information from the public?

Sadly, the questions posed above are not entirely hypothetical. Let me explain.

In 2007, I reviewed over 150 published preclinical and clinical studies assessing the therapeutic potential of marijuana and several of its active compounds, known as cannabinoids. I summarized these numerous studies in a book, now in its third edition, entitled Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A Review of the Scientific Literature. (NORML Foundation, 2008) One chapter in this book, which summarized the findings of more than 30 separate trials and literature reviews, was dedicated to the use of cannabinoids as potential anti-cancer agents, particularly in the treatment of gliomas.

Not familiar with this scientific research? Your government is.

In fact, the first experiment documenting pot's potent anti-cancer effects took place in 1974 at the Medical College of Virginia at the behest federal bureaucrats. The results of that study, reported in an Aug. 18, 1974, Washington Post newspaper feature, were that marijuana's primary psychoactive component, THC, "slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent."

Despite these favorable preliminary findings (eventually published the following year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute), U.S. government officials refused to authorize any follow-up research until conducting a similar -- though secret -- preclinical trial in the mid-1990s. That study, conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program to the tune of $2 million, concluded that mice and rats administered high doses of THC over long periods had greater protection against malignant tumors than untreated controls.

However, rather than publicize their findings, the U.S. government shelved the results, which only became public after a draft copy of its findings were leaked to the medical journal AIDS Treatment News, which in turn forwarded the story to the national media.

In the years since the completion of the National Toxicology trial, the U.S. government has yet to authorize a single additional study examining the drug's potential anti-cancer properties. (Federal permission is necessary in order to conduct clinical research on marijuana because of its illegal status as a schedule I controlled substance.)

Fortunately, in the past 10 years scientists overseas have generously picked up where U.S. researchers so abruptly left off, reporting that cannabinoids can halt the spread of numerous cancer cells -- including prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and brain cancer. (An excellent paper summarizing much of this research, "Cannabinoids for Cancer Treatment: Progress and Promise," appears in the January 2008 edition of the journal Cancer Research.) A 2006 patient trial published in the British Journal of Cancer even reported that the intracranial administration of THC was associated with reduced tumor cell proliferation in humans with advanced glioblastoma.

Writing earlier this year in the scientific journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, Italian researchers reiterated, "(C)annabinoids have displayed a great potency in reducing glioma tumor growth. (They) appear to be selective antitumoral agents as they kill glioma cells without affecting the viability of nontransformed counterparts." Not one mainstream media outlet reported their findings. Perhaps now they'll pay better attention.

What possible advancements in the treatment of cancer may have been achieved over the past 34 years had U.S. government officials chosen to advance -- rather than suppress -- clinical research into the anti-cancer effects of cannabis? It's a shame we have to speculate; it's even more tragic that the families of Senator Kennedy and thousands of others must suffer while we do.

Comments

[Tomlastliberalleft]

Great article...one thing though...Bob Marley. Hard to understand how he died of cancer, all things considered.

[Brinna]

On the one hand the US government classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug, having no medicinal value, and on the other hand, they file for, and are awarded a patent on the medical use of cannabis in the treatment of a wide variety diseases including stroke, trauma, auto-immune disorders, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and HIV dementia. Yep, it's US Patent # 6,630,507, and the US Department of Health and Human Services is the patent holder. So which explanation is worse: Purposeful disinformation or heartless hypocrisy? I hope that everyone who reads this article writes to their representatives, locally and federally, pointing out these discrepancies, and demands that cannabis be reclassified immediately. Lives are literally at stake.

[moldy]

As a member of NORML and a medical cannabis user this is old news to us but it may be new news to many of you. Paul has been literally SCREAMING at main stream media for years to get this message out but all we hear is OMG! POT IS STRONGER! LOOK OUT FOR THE NEW "LETHAL" SKUNK!!!! SAVE THE KIDS, etc. Ugh! We've all heard it for years and they have managed to lock-up a lot of us but it's too late now. The truth is out there and the majority finally knows it. They know it can't kill you. Many of us use it as medicine. Many of us use it to relax instead of using a toxic drink that kills over 100K a year in this country. The law (Marijuana Stamp Act) was introduced in 1937 purely as a way to control, arrest, and incarcerate minorities using (drum roll and all that crap) .......FEAR! Sound familiar??

And you think the drug war is a failure? Not if you count the number of minorities that are in jails or prisons across this country!! It seems that the drug war has done exactly what they intended it to do.
Check out....
http://www.youtube.com/chrychek
http://norml.org

[wayoutleft]

as we speak, mendocino's crop is being uprooted by federal agents. never happened during clinton's 8 years that i am aware of. you cynical stoners don't have to do anything but get out and vote democrat nov 8. if your set is on some kind to bomb iran, get osama, right-wing jag- correct now. there are tens of millions of you. you must understand that your rights cannot be publicly embraced by local- let alone national- candidates yet. but you have friends in coats and ties in washington and your state governments. they are virtually all democrats (though not all democrats support you, i realize) the kennedys and the clintons are sophisticated people and your friends. be a friend to obama and your local democrats nov 8 and make life easier. john mccain is your enemy and there is no evidence he is any advantage against osama or radical muslims.
this is america- and if you are in the sports, motorcycle or auto racing subcultures- especially if you are white- please understand you are entitled to keep your politics to your self and even lie about your vote. i understand liberals are despised there but yet there are many stoners. you are entitled to vote your own interests.

[Cathexis]

Their black-and-white ideology has labeled drugs as "bad." Therefore, any "facts" that lessen that perception are attacks and must be treated as such.

As usual: When Facts and Ideology collide, our reactionary government sides with Ideology.

[Syco]

the government knows that there is no money in curing disease.

[JustifiablyParanoid]

Exactly.

[elgrande]

How can we trust a government that is terrified by a non-toxic plant to protect us from real terrorism? Marijuana prohibition will go down in history as one of the most irrational and counterproductive policies ever--a form of mass hysteria. Our leaders need to get past the 60's and embrace the many benefits of this amazing plant resource. This will happen only when the mainstream press realizes that, like WMDs, they have been swept up in a lie.

[Koa]

There are many, many medical applications for marijuana. My husband has myotonic muscular dystrophy, at times his hands cramp up so bad he cannot let go of things or he cannot take hold of things. He has had a medical marijuana card for years, when he smokes it or vaporizes it, it relieves these symptoms for him. It is useful for many other applications as well, chronic pain, nausea, dizziness, appetite booster and on and on. It is sinful that more people are not allowed the use of a medicine that is naturally helpful for so many different ailments.

[Antigone]

This is one of the best articles on this site. We need these posts. Thank You

[HoagieWan]

$$$$ baby.

it's all about $$$$$$.

the average cost for "treatment" is $300,000 from cancer inception to termination.

THC would cure people. and the AMA will have none of that!!!!!

look into rick simpson - vancouver, ca

also research royal raymond rife. he cured cancer in 1932!!!!!

[dexxjones]

every few years like clockwork we begin to hear about how today's pot is "far more potent" and "potentially highly addictive"

this is to downplay what most people already know: a good portion of the population has smoked it with largely positive results of all kinds.

of course big pharma was the original push behind the marijuana boogieman and of course they are even more powerful today. restless leg syndrome my arse.

[wisdomtom]

"of course big pharma was the original push behind the marijuana boogieman" might be an incomplete assessment..
Seems to me that William Randolph Hearst was largely behind the demonization of marijuana, which up until his time had been referred to as hemp. Mr. Hearst used his newspaper empire to ensure that paper would be made from wood pulp rather than hemp fiber, and to instill fear in American society by replacing the term hemp with the scarier, foreign-sounding word marijuana.

Thanks to Mr. Armentano for posting here.