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Action

Help Cancer Patients Access Cannabis Medicine

Goals

The primary goal is to stimulate reforms in governments and healthcare systems to enable access to cannabis medicine by cancer patients. The following initiatives would maximize benefits to patients.

  1. Legalize the possession, use, and sale of full-spectrum medical cannabis products
  2. Allow insurance or other programs to cover the costs of medical cannabis, especially for low-income individuals
  3. Conduct extensive clinical trials and other research into cannabis and cancer treatment
  4. Implement educational programs for healthcare providers

Strategy

Contact governments, media, and relevant organizations to advocate for needed reforms. Sign this Change.org petition. Continuous action will be taken until reform is achieved.

When discussing this topic with any entity, it is important to be aware of the evidence supporting cannabis as an anticancer treatment. The Supporting Evidence page summarizes key points, while the Human Cases and Cancer Studies pages list dozens of primary resources. Listeners will inevitably and understandably raise objections, so potential responses are explained on the Common Objections page.

Government

Writing to your Congressional representative and senators is one of the most important things anyone can do. You can find your representative here and your senators here. If you can set up an in-person meeting, that is even better. You can also reach out to your local and state legislators, who are more likely to meet in person or provide a direct response. These legislators can quickly be located through Google searches. For individuals in other countries, finding your local representatives can often be done with a Google search. Depending on the country or state you live in, and your particular situation, the nature of your request may be different. Someone in an area where cannabis is completely prohibited may find it best to simply request legal access, while those in areas where cannabis is legal but prohibitively expensive may want to request legislation that provides financial assistance for cancer patients. The most important thing is to emphasize the strong evidence of the anticancer effects of cannabis as justification for change.

Media

The media is a powerful force for raising awareness with the general public and governments. All companies provide some means to contact them. A list of contact points for major media organizations is located on the Media Contacts page. With enough people reaching out, more media companies will run more stories on cannabis for cancer, which can directly and indirectly influence necessary reforms.

 

Sample Letters

Sample letters for media and government entities are included below. They are largely the same except for introductory and concluding clauses. As noted above, the nature of what you say will be influenced by your personal situation and your location, and these examples are just for guidance purposes. However, two key elements should be included – a brief summary of the evidence, and a disclaimer that cannabis therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Not only is the disclaimer clearly true based on the evidence, but people rightfully shut down when therapies are claimed to be all-effective or outright cures. They are more likely to listen when the truth is directly stated.

Letter To Media

Hello, My name is [Name], and I am writing to encourage you to run a story on the direct anticancer effects of cannabis. A massive body of scientific, anecdotal, clinical, and logical evidence demonstrates that cannabis can, in at least some cases, produce anticancer effects in humans. For over a decade, patients across the world have been reporting that the administration of cannabinoids, via cannabis extracts rich in THC and/or CBD, resulted in remissions from terminal cancers or other significant anticancer effects. Several cases are now published in formal medical journals and backed up in principle by a Phase II placebo-controlled trial conducted by GW Pharmaceuticals, which found that a THC/CBD combination could synergize with chemotherapy to significantly extend the lives of patients with glioblastoma. The scientific evidence is also exceptionally strong, showing that not only do cannabis-derived compounds like THC and CBD kill many types of cancer cells, but our own self-made endocannabinoids also kill cancer cells through similar mechanisms.

I strongly encourage you to review this short Supporting Evidence page on CannabisDeclaration.com to understand the primary points. The website also lists over two dozen doctors and researchers who agree with the need for patient access. While cannabis absolutely does not produce anticancer effects in all patients, there is no doubt it can work exceptionally well in some. Given the devastating impact of cancer, it is paramount that more attention is given to this issue and the benefits that patients can experience so that access is accelerated.

Letter to Government

Dear Representative/Senator [Name],

My name is [Name], and I am writing to encourage you to consider enacting legislation that facilitates the use of cannabis by cancer patients who desire it. A massive body of scientific, anecdotal, clinical, and logical evidence demonstrates that cannabis can, in at least some cases, produce anticancer effects in humans. For over a decade, patients across the world have been reporting that the administration of cannabinoids, via cannabis extracts rich in THC and/or CBD, resulted in remissions from terminal cancers or other significant anticancer effects. Several cases are now published in formal medical journals and backed up in principle by a Phase II placebo-controlled trial conducted by GW Pharmaceuticals, which found that a THC/CBD combination could synergize with chemotherapy to significantly extend the lives of patients with glioblastoma. The scientific evidence is also exceptionally strong, showing that not only do cannabis-derived compounds like THC and CBD kill cancer cells, but our own self-made endocannabinoids also kill cancer cells through similar mechanisms.

I strongly encourage you to review this short Supporting Evidence page on CannabisDeclaration.com to understand the primary points. The website also lists over two dozen doctors and researchers who agree with the need for patient access. While cannabis absolutely does not produce anticancer effects in all patients, there is no doubt it can work exceptionally well in some. Given the devastating impact of cancer, it is critical that legislation is enacted quickly to improve patient access. Legislation that would fund further research is also welcome since there is much more to be learned about the extents and limits of cannabis therapy, but helping cancer patients gain access to cannabis medicine is paramount. Thank you for your consideration.