Medical marijuana has been legal and used by Canadians since July 30, 2001. Now that both recreational and medicinal cannabis is legal in Canada, it’s even easier for people to try marijuana for their common ailments or other medical reasons without a card.
One of the most frequent medical reasons people turn to cannabis for relief is cancer. Whether it’s to treat the terrible side effects of chemotherapy or to help with the symptoms of the disease, medical marijuana is highly effective. There are many medical uses for cannabis, you can learn more about those by reading our previous blog post, “15 Medical Cannabis Health Benefits: Breaking Down the Science.” Keep reading to learn more about medical cannabis and how it can be used to treat cancer.
Toronto-Based Physician Shares Insights
Upfront, Vincent Maida, MD, a Toronto-based palliative care physician, wanted to clarify that he himself is not a “hippie pothead”. However, more than 20 years ago, he realized that medical cannabis deserved serious consideration. This was before medical marijuana was legal in Canada, yet he had patients coming to him often and confiding in him about their regular use for the relief of symptoms. According to Dr. Maida:
“They would say, ‘I’ve gone to my oncologist, they’ve given me all the [legal] drugs, but I’m still having pain, nausea, and vomiting. My friend got me some stuff from the local drug dealer, and it made me feel better.’ I’ve heard that story hundreds of times.”
However, Maida says that medical marijuana is especially helpful for cancer patients. He also believes that it should be incorporated into a holistic treatment regimen. While Maida is more of a pioneer in this field, with the recent changes to marijuana legislation, more western MDs who were skeptical are now changing their minds.
Studies Show Physicians Vouch for the Efficacy of Medical Marijuana
A study released in May 2019 presented the findings of the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology found that an overwhelming majority of the oncology providers surveyed believed that medical marijuana does help cancer patients.
Sounds great, right? Well, there is one caveat when it comes to the physicians. Less than half of them felt qualified to prescribe it. While medical marijuana is now legal across Canada and in most of the United States, most healthcare providers have been given any education on its uses and benefits.
Barriers to Prescribing Cannabis for Cancer Patients
Another issue to consider is that there is very little standardization when it comes to the products. For example, if you go into a store and buy Tylenol, you know exactly what you’re getting. However, the various cannabis strains, the names are not always regulated and the products can vary from dispensary to dispensary. The strains also vary in terms of their potency and specific effects. Therefore, it can be difficult to measure a precise dose (depending on your cannabis consumption method of choice).
Despite Challenges, Risks are Low and Patients Benefit
Medical cannabis is relatively safe and serious adverse events are very rare. While there is still a lack of transparency and education on the part of the doctors for the many medical benefits of cannabis for cancer treatment. Jessie Gill, RN, a certified cannabis nurse talks about the benefits for cancer patients, and she mentions that it can help with nausea, insomnia, pain, and loss of appetite. She also emphasized the fact that because this is one medication to treat pain, nausea, and insomnia, this can help cut down on possible side effects and interactions.
“Cannabis can also help prevent some of the nerve damage that’s often associated with chemotherapy and radiation.”
How Does Medical Cannabis Work?
Studies have shown promising results about the effects of cannabis and cancer patients, however, there is limited research to date. This makes it difficult to firmly establish the efficacy. Therefore, much of the body of research that does exist has been on small populations of patients or on animals.
However, just because much of the evidence is anecdotal, that doesn’t mean you should discount the information. According to Maida, “Cannabinoids and other [cannabis] extracts have been used for thousands of years. The highest form of evidence is something that’s stood the test of time.”
Another oncologist, Donald Abrams, MD, a professor of clinical medicine and integrative oncology at the University of California in San Francisco, explains that it’s not a cure-all, but cannabis does have the potential to treat a variety of ailments that might seem unrelated. He admits that this may be suspicious, but this substance does have a myriad of effects.
“Aspirin is helpful for pain, inflammation, and fever, and some people like it for sleep,” he notes. When it comes to cannabis, these wide-reaching effects are explained by the human endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system is composed of cannabinoid receptors that are throughout the body.
Tips for Those New to Medical Cannabis for Cancer
Not everyone reacts to cannabis the same. In terms of tolerance and reaction, these effects can be quite unique from one person to the next. If you would like to try medical cannabis for your cancer, here are a few pointers for getting started and also considerations to keep in mind:
- Consider it a treatment, not a cure. Test tube and animal studies have shown that cannabis can shrink cancer cells, but this does in no way make it a cure-all for cancer tumors. Consider the supplementation of medical marijuana as an add-on to your treatment, not a cure. It’s best used as an adjunct to your current treatment to ease symptoms.
- Use a product with a good ratio. CBD (cannabidiol) has the ability to balance out the psychoactive effects of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It’s good to have a balance because sometimes the THC-heavy strains can cause unpleasant side effects such as dizziness. It’s ideal to start with a ratio of one-to-one.
- Keep your oncology team in the loop. In fact, in Canada, your oncologist might either prescribe medical marijuana or refer you to a pharmacist who is more knowledgeable about the various types and their effects. Even if your oncologist can’t shoot you a referral, it’s still important that you let them know that you are using it. While there are not many drugs used to treat cancer that cannabis interacts with, there are a couple of chemotherapy drugs — etopocide and paxlitaxel — that could cause issues if mixed with cannabis use. Furthermore, it’s also advised to avoid cannabis if you take any type of blood thinner as it could increase your risk of bleeding.
- Use the whole plant. There are benefits from CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids in marijuana plants. There are many fragrant oils (terpenes) and other cannabinoids that elicit effects, including the ease of nausea.
- Vaping is the fastest cannabis consumption method that delivers results. You can vape cannabis in a variety of ways. You can vape the whole flower in an herbal vaporizer, or you can vape the concentrated oils which are much stronger. Maida says, “The quickest way to deliver it is through vaping or smoking, but as a doctor I don’t recommend smoking”. You should feel the results in less than 5 to 10 minutes, which is critical if you are using cannabis for the treatment of cancer pain. Furthermore, you can buy tinctures that are dropped under the tongue and those also absorb quickly. If you decide to use edibles, these are a great option, but they may take 40 to 60 minutes or more to kick in. They also have a prolonged effect, so you might prefer these prophylactically for pain or in the treatment of insomnia.
- Expect a learning curve. There will be some trial and error in the beginning as you try to figure out which strains, doses, and delivery methods work best for you and the cancer symptoms you experience. Abrams explains, “this is a medicine that I don’t think requires a packaged insert. I think that most people can figure out how to use it to their benefit.”
- Do some research. Even if you are unsure about what you want to buy or try, go online and learn about various cannabis products and which ones elicit the effects you are looking for.
- Start low and go slow. This is true if you are vaping, eating edibles, or even puffing. If you are new to smoking cannabis, you should try a low-THC flower to start. Wait about 15 minutes after your first hit and see how you feel before you continue. If you are going to eat an edible, be sure there is no more than 2 or 2.5 mg of THC. Plus, there are some people who do not get any effects the first couple of times they use marijuana. Keep your dose low, stay patient, and try a couple of more times if this is you. Once you get an idea for your threshold and consumption practices, you can start to gauge up or down depending on your desires.
- Choose a reliable dispensary. When it comes to buying weed online in Canada, it’s crucial you shop with a company that’s established trust with its clientele. The best way to gauge the reliability status is by reading real customer reviews about a weed dispensary in Canada you are choosing. This same logic applies to brick and mortar dispensaries and those who sell online. If you are shopping in person, feel free to talk with the budtenders about the symptoms you are experiencing and they will likely give you recommendations. If you are shopping at a medical marijuana dispensary in Canada, a pharmacist should be available to give you advice.
Naked Cannabis is the Easy, Secure Way to Buy Weed Online
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