A study published in Current Oncology published by scientists who have bee studying the anti-tumour effects that multiple compounds within cannabis have on cancer state:

In addition to the well-known palliative effects of cannabinoids on some cancer-associated symptoms, a large body of evidence shows that these molecules can decrease tumour growth in animal models of cancer. They do so by modulating key cell signalling pathways involved in the control of cancer cell proliferation and survival. In addition, cannabinoids inhibit angiogenesis and decrease metastasis in various tumour types in laboratory animals. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of cannabinoids as antitumour agents, focusing on recent discoveries about their molecular mechanisms of action, including resistance mechanisms and opportunities for their use in combination therapy. Those observations have already contributed to the foundation for the development of the first clinical studies that will analyze the safety and potential clinical benefit of cannabinoids as anticancer agents.

The study explains how cannabinoids impair tumour progression at “various levels”, Explaining that:

Their most prevalent effect is the induction of cancer cell death by apoptosis and the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. At least one of those actions has been demonstrated in almost all cancer cell types tested. In addition, in vivo experiments have shown that cannabinoids impair tumour angiogenesis and block invasion and metastasis.

The study also makes a very important, concerning points, stating that “despite the huge amount of preclinical literature on how these rationally designed compounds work, their use in clinical practice is still limited.'”

If any sort of pharmaceutical drug shows half the potential of cannabis, it seems clinical trails are setup and funded right away. How come there have been none for cancer and cannabis patients?

Something to think about.

You can read the full study here.