Marijuana - A Natural Cancer Blocker

By James Donahue

In our series examining the benefits of cannabis we choose this week to look at one of the most exciting discoveries by a Japanese research team – Marijuana has been found to block a cancer-causing enzyme commonly found in cigarette smokers.

In an article published in the national science journal J-Stage, the study, financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Academic Frontier Project, found that chemicals in marijuana blocked the CYP1A1 enzyme from causing cancer in the bodies of cigarette smokers.

The study suggested that these marijuana compounds could be useful not only in preventing the onset of cancer, but in anticancer chemotherapy.

This is only the latest of a long list of similar research studies, all strongly showing that cannabis, especially when consumed orally, can be an effective treatment against all forms of cancer in the human body. Following is a list of some of these studies:

--The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Complutense University, Madrid, published the results of a study in the British Journal of Cancer, showing that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids found in marijuana inhibit tumor growth and actually decreased tumor cells in two out of nine patients in the study. The cannabinoid would found to have zero psychoactive effects on the patients.

--A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience examined magnetic resonance imaging in rats subjected to THC. The researchers found that THC reduced neuronal injury in the rats and determined that cannabinoids can actually protect the brain against neurodegeneration.

--A study published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics reinforced the Japanese study and determined that the non-psychoactive cannabinoid compound CBD in marijuana led to a dramatic drop in brain tumor cells. The study concluded that cannabidiol could be a significant antitumor treatment.

--A study published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics told how brain tumors are highly resistant to current anticancer treatments. The article noted that it was critical to turn to new therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of patients suffering from brain tumors.

--The California Pacific Medical Center, in a study published in the U. S. National Library of Medicine, found that cannabidiol in Marijuana inhibits human breast center cell growth and that CBD significantly reduces tumor mass.

--The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics published a study that supported the findings published above and confirmed the potency and effectiveness of the compounds found in cannabis.

--Articles published in the Journal Molecular Cancer and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also reported how further studies determined that cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell proliferation and said there was strong evidence for the use of cannabinoid based therapies for management of breast cancer.

--A study by researchers at the Harvard Medical Schools Experimental Medicine Department determined that the THC in marijuana "inhibits epithelial growth" in lung cancer cells and that the substance "should be explored as novel therapeutic molecules in controlling the growth and metastasis of certain lung cancers." The study was published in the journal Oncogene.

--German researchers for the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology, in a study published by the US National Library of Medicne, confirm the Harvard research writing that cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell invasion of lung tumors.

A series of papers published in the US National Library of Medicine reports on various studies showing the potential effectiveness of cannabis as a treatment against prostate cancer.

--A study published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology, and financed through grants from the Swedish Cancer Society, theSwedish Research Council and Center Society in Stockholm, found that cannabinoids induce growth inhibition and apoptosis in matle cell lymphoma. This study was supported by another study published in the International Journal of Cancer.

--Yet another study by the Department of Pharacology and Toxicology at Virginia Commonwealth University found that cannabinoids destroys leukemia cells. The study was published in the US National Library of Medicine.

--Other studies found in the US National Library of Medicine found that cannabinoids are potent inhibitors of toxic to highly malignant oral tumors. Another study found that THC reduces the growth and viability of cancer tells in the human liver.

--A study published in The American Journal of Canter found that cannabinoid receptors reduced the growth of tumour cells and inhibited the spread of pancreatic tumor cells.

While marijuana and its cousin hemp, are not found to be cures for cancer, the research to date indicates that they can be effective in slowing the spread of most cancer cells once they develop in the human body. And contrary to the years of propoganda claiming that consumption of this plant is harmful to the body and a prelude to drug addiction, the research is showing that the very opposite is true.

Consumption of marijuana is far less harmless that consumption of alcohol and many perscribed and over-the-counter drugs. In many respects, marijuana may actually offer a healthy alternative.