More Cancer Patients Turning To Cannabis To Help Manage Their Symptoms

More cancer patients have been turning to cannabis to help them manage the symptoms of their illness, according to a report in Benzinga.

The report cites a blog post from Carmen Phillips at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The post notes that according to recent studies, anywhere from about 20% to 40% of people being treated for cancer use cannabis or cannabinoids to ease side effects such as nausea, pain, sleeplessness, anxiety, and stress. The increasing availability of medical marijuana, which is now legal in 38 states, has made it easier for patients to obtain cannabis products.

“Patients are highly interested in cannabis to help them deal with cancer’s physical and mental fallout,” said Dr. Richard T. Lee, head of the Cherng Family Center for Integrative Oncology at City of Hope in California.

At the same time, Phillips’ post said, the growing use of cannabis points to a need for further scientific research to help health care providers understand its ramifications and offer guidance.  For example, oncologists want to know more about how cannabis might interact with standard treatments for cancer.

A survey conducted by the NCI found nearly 40% of oncologists said they were comfortable discussing cannabis with their patients, but only 13% felt knowledgeable enough to provide accurate advice.

The blog post notes that because cannabis remains classified as a Schedule 1 drug under federal law, researchers are restricted from conducting large-scale studies on its potential benefits and risks for cancer patients.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has recommended categorizing marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act instead of its current Schedule 1 classification, which subjects it to the same strict restrictions as narcotics such as heroin, methamphetamines and LSD.  Rescheduling it would allow for more comprehensive research.

“The potential harms, particularly with immunotherapy, are not fully understood. Without rescheduling, we can’t investigate this properly,” said Gary Ellison, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the NCI.

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