Conspiracy theorists have been saying it all along – but cannabis does apparently kill cancer cells.
That’s according to the US government, which has added their official cancer guidance site and a page on using cannabis and cannabinoids.
The National Cancer Institute, part of the US Department of Health, now guides that ‘cannabinoids may be useful in treating the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment’ by smoking, eating it in baked products, drinking herbal tea as well as spraying it under the tongue.
“This cancer information summary provides an overview of the use of Cannabis and its components as a treatment for people with cancer-related symptoms caused by the disease itself or its treatment.
This summary contains the following key information:
• Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.
•By federal law, the possession of Cannabis is illegal in the United States, except within approved research settings; however, a growing number of states, territories, and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to legalize its medical use.
•The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved Cannabis as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition.
• Chemical components of Cannabis, called cannabinoids, activate specific receptors throughout the body to produce pharmacologic effects, particularly in the central nervous system and the immune system.
•Commercially available cannabinoids, such as dronabinol and nabilone, are approved drugs for the treatment of cancer-related side effects.
•Cannabinoids may have benefits in the treatment of cancer-related side effects.”
