Research into the potential medical benefits of cannabis has exploded in recent years, raising one intriguing question: Could cannabis treat cancer?
Plant-made cannabinoids, of which more than 100 have been identified by scientists, plug into this same system and affect its activity. These plant-made molecules include tetrahydrocannabinol , which is largely responsible for the characteristic"high" associated with cannabis, and cannabidiol , which doesn't produce a high but has been studied for its potential medicinal effects.
There are several ways in which cannabinoids have been shown to have anticancer properties, Liu said. For example, in rodent studies, cannabinoids have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth by flipping specific molecular switches in tumor cells. And in cell studies, cannabinoids have damaged tumors by flooding them with harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, he said.
In the first trial, conducted in 2006, scientists showed that THC injections directly into the tumors of patients with brain cancer could safely and effectively inhibit their growth. The trial included just nine patients with glioblastoma. So, although these results were encouraging, the sample size of the study was too small to make any firm conclusions about the drug's safety and efficacy.