Over the past decade, many cancer patients have increasingly turned to medical cannabis to potentially treat their cancers. In at least some cases, cannabis therapy was clearly responsible for achieving profound anticancer effects, including remissions from terminal cancers or significantly extended survival times. Most, but not all, such cases have involved the use of high doses of cannabinoids delivered via extracts of the cannabis plant. Despite this profound success, cannabis is still a prohibited medicine throughout most of the world. Even where legal, patients must spend devastating amounts of money to sustain high doses. This cruel reality can no longer be tolerated in the face of current evidence.
The purpose of this initiative is to accelerate global cannabis reform and allow safe access to affordable cannabis medicines for cancer patients. No one should need to break the law or empty their bank account to acquire a simple plant-based medicine which holds the real possibility of saving their life. While cannabis is definitely not effective or right for everyone, it works often enough that patients indisputably deserve it as an option. While more research is urgently needed to fully understand the benefits and limits of cannabis as an anticancer agent, patients deserve access to cannabis medicine now. Doctors must be able to legally recommend cannabis therapies as part of their pharmacological toolbox and understand how to work with it. Cannabis has been used safely for thousands of years, and whole-plant pharmaceutical preparations are already approved by regulators across the world. Like all medicines, best practices will improve as further research is conducted, but enough current evidence justifies the use of cannabis for cancer patients immediately.
How Cannabis Fights Cancer
There is a tremendous amount of scientific, media-reported, clinical, and logical evidence supporting the anticancer effects of cannabis. Dozens of scientific studies show plant-based cannabinoids like THC and CBD induce death in cancer cells and inhibit cancer development through other mechanisms, such as slowing proliferation and blocking metastasis. Hundreds of successful human cases have been reported in the media and medical journals. The number and depth of the cases is surprisingly extensive. Primary sources for some of the scientific and human evidence are found on the following pages. An overall summary is found on the Supporting Evidence page.
Scientific Studies on the Inhibitory Effects of Cannabinoids on More than 15 Types of Cancer
Media and PubMed Reports of Anticancer Effects of Cannabis in Humans
If you’re skeptical that cannabis can actually fight cancer, that’s normal and the proper initial reaction. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. As you examine the evidence, the truth will slowly become clear – cannabis can produce anticancer effects in humans, but is highly imperfect with many uncertainties still present. Skeptical notions and responses to them are addressed on the Common Objections page.
Take Action to Help Cancer Patients
The best thing you can do to help raise awareness and stimulate change is educating yourself and sharing your knowledge with as many people as possible. Family, friends, local government officials, and media companies are all excellent to contact. More information on what you can do is found on the Action page. By continuously sharing information and repeatedly speaking with those who have the power to implement reform, especially government agencies, pressure will build to the point where reform must happen. Just as overwhelming public outcry dramatically accelerated access to CBD-rich products for epilepsy patients, such outcry can also improve access for cancer patients.
Sign the Petition
One of the easiest things you can do is sign and share this petition calling for access to cannabis medicine for cancer patients. Awareness will continue to grow as more people sign on.
