# Cannabis Extracts for the Primary Treatment of Cancer, Epilepsy, and More **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 11, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684 "2013-11-11T22:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/482 "2013-11-22T15:15:49Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > OK Avandia may not have been the best example . . . I’ll say. You seem to be focusing on the fact that even FDA-approved medications can have unanticipated side effects. Absolutely. But, what you fail to acknowledge is that drugs that are approved for use, like Avandia, must have actually been _shown to work_; they do what they were supposed to (i.e. in the case of Avandia, insulin resistance was diminished and diabetes control was improved). The fact that it turned out to have serious side-effects doesn’t undo its beneficial effect on diabetes. Have cannabinoids been shown to “cure cancer” or possess any of the other near-miraculous properties claimed of them by **JKander**? Has their side-effect profile been thoroughly elaborated? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/483 "2013-11-22T15:21:25Z")
Don’t want yet another pile o’ reports to sift through-Give us the best double blind study you’ve got that shows pot _curing_ cancer(or any other equally destructive disease). No anecdotes. No “assists in the lessening of when in conjunction with other treatments”. No “relieves pain from said disease”(while not dealing with the disease itself. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/484 "2013-11-22T15:23:01Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > What extraordinary claims? It worked for me. Still just an anecdote. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/485 "2013-11-22T15:27:13Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > What extraordinary claims? It worked for me. You don’t know that. You used cannabis. Your symptoms went away. You have no way of knowing if one caused the other. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/486 "2013-11-22T15:40:31Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Seriously? Let’s see some cites for this. Have you read all of that webmd report? > > On pregnancy… > > [Drugs and Prisons, Jails, Probation, and Parole | Drug Policy Facts](http://www.november.org/stayinfo/breaking06/DreherStudy.html) That study depended on the mothers to self-report their usage along with members of the community to verify.As far as [the scale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonatal_Behavioral_Assessment_Scale) that was used. > [@](#): > > Despite the influence of the Brazelton scale, it has some drawbacks. The biggest is that no norms are available. Therefore, as examiners and researchers say that one infant scored higher than another one, there is no standard sample with which to compare. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/487 "2013-11-22T16:00:12Z")
First of all, where did I say it cured cancer? I’m just saying that they may be on to something, get your facts straight and go badger someone else. > [@](#): > > Give us the best double blind study you’ve got that shows pot curing cancer(or any other equally destructive disease). Since you don’t want to wade through the reports, how about you find me a study that shows it does not help. > [@](#): > > You don’t know that. You used cannabis. Your symptoms went away. You have no way of knowing if one caused the other. Are you serious? They just miraculously went away after I started using medication that my doctor prescribed? Well I guess we can hold that to all the other meds in the world. That is a foolish argument. Someone already said, OK it’s good for that, but what about…?. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/488 "2013-11-22T16:10:46Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Since you don’t want to wade through the reports, how about you find me a study that shows it does not help. Once again(and please pay attention): It’s _your_ pile of reports, so the job of going through them is _yours_. If you are going to give us a list of links without even bothering to go through them first to see if they provide the evidence you purport they do, then any “badgering” you receive is well-deserved. You claim there’s a pony in that pile of crap? Start digging. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/489 "2013-11-22T16:11:53Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > find me some double blind studies to prove that it doesn’t work. Yet another classic rejoinder from the woo files, “prove me wrong”. You’d swear they follow a playbook. Of course, the playbook that all evidence-based practitioners must abide by, obliges them to furnish proofs to support their claims. And in order to be taken seriously, you need to do the same. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/490 "2013-11-22T16:17:47Z")
Tics [http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww\_en\_db\_study\_show.php?s\_id=98](http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww_en_db_study_show.php?s_id=98) > [@](#): > > CONCLUSION: Our results provide more evidence that THC is effective and safe in the treatment of tics. It, therefore, can be hypothesized that the central cannabinoid receptor system might play a role in TS pathology. Fibromyalgia > [@](#): > > .CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrated that a generalized statement that delta-9-THC is an analgetic drug cannot be made. However, a sub-population of FM patients reported significant benefit from the delta-9-THC monotherapy. The unaffected electrically induced axon reflex flare, but decreased pain perception, suggests a central mode of action of the cannabinoid. Chronic non-cancer pain > [@](#): > > Pain, sleep and mood were most frequently reported as improving with cannabis use, and ‘high’ and dry mouth were the most commonly reported side effects. We conclude that cannabis use is prevalent among the chronic non-cancer pain population, for a wide range of symptoms, with considerable variability in the amounts used. Discussions between patients and health care providers concerning cannabis use may facilitate education and follow up, and would allow side effects and potential interactions with other medications to be monitored. **Clinical trials of cannabis for chronic non-cancer pain are warranted**. The treatment of spasticity with Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol in persons with spinal cord injury. > [@](#): > > Conclusion:THC is an effective and safe drug in the treatment of spasticity. At least 15-20 mg per day were needed to achieve a therapeutic effect. The effect of orally and rectally administered delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on spasticity: a pilot study with 2 patients. > [@](#): > > ral and rectal THC reduced at a progressive stage of illness the spasticity, rigidity, and pain, resulting in improved active and passive mobility. The relative effectiveness of the oral vs. the rectal formulation was 25-50%. Physiological and psychological parameters were used to monitor psychotropic and somatic side-effects of THC. No differences in the concentration ability, mood, and function of the cardiovascular system could be observed after administration of THC. Acute effects of smoked marijuana and oral delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol on specific airway conductance in asthmatic subjects. > [@](#): > > The acute effects of smoked 2 per cent natural marijuana (7 mg per kg) and 15 mg of oral Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on plethysmographically determined airway resistance (Raw) and specific airway conductance (SGaw) were compared with those of placebo in 10 subjects with stable bronchial asthma using a double-blind crossover technique. After smoked marijuana, SGaw increased immediately and remained significantly elevated (33 to 48 per cent above initial control values) for at least 2 hours, whereas SGaw did not change after placebo. The peak bronchodilator effect of 1,250 myg of isoproterenol was more pronounced than that of marijuana, but the effect of marijuana lasted longer. After ingestion of 15 mg of THC, SGaw was elevated significantly at 1 and 2 hours, and Raw was reduced significantly at 1 to 4 hours, whereas no changes were noted after placebo. These findings indicated that in the asthmatic subjects, both smoked marijuana and oral THC caused significant bronchodilation of at least 2 hours duration. Effects of smoked marijuana in experimentally induced asthma. > [@](#): > > After methacholine-induced bronchospasm, placebo marijuana and saline inhalation produced minimal changes in specific airway conductance and thoracic gas volume, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana and isoproterenol each caused a prompt correction of the bronchospasm and associated hyperinflation. After exercise-induced bronchospasm, placebo marijuana and saline were followed by gradual recovery during 30 to 60 min, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana and isoproterenol caused an immediate reversal of exercise-induced asthma and hyperinflation. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/491 "2013-11-22T16:25:13Z")
Pain relief and muscle relaxant for some people. _Duh._ ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/492 "2013-11-22T16:30:18Z")
I hear it cures skinny people. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/493 "2013-11-22T16:32:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Duh. Stop being so ignorant, it comes off as childish. The science is young, stop knocking it. I hope someday you will be proved wrong, and there are health benefits, and people will benefit, but at least give it a chance. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/494 "2013-11-22T16:36:53Z")
> [@](#): > > I hear it cures skinny people. Yeah, I heard that also, more silliness. > [@](#): > > A new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology finds an intriguing connection between marijuana use and body weight, showing that rates of obesity are lower by roughly a third in people who smoke pot at least three times a week, compared with those who don’t use marijuana at all. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/495 "2013-11-22T16:42:21Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Stop being so ignorant, it comes off as childish. The science is young, stop knocking it. I hope someday you will be proved wrong, and there are health benefits, and people will benefit, but at least give it a chance. I’ll give the proper _study_ of it all the time in the world…but I’m not even going to give the time of day to the dangerous notion that we should skip that process and jump into using it as an established cure-all “medicine” based on marketing and ill-thought-out anecdotes. You came in here in support of the half-assed notions of a marketing major that pot is some sort of miracle cure, and the _best_ you can provide in support is a pile of reports you haven’t even studied yet and links that show it might be able to lessen pain and calm muscle tics in some people. Where the hell are the “miracle cures” for major diseases? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/496 "2013-11-22T16:43:24Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Yeah, I heard that also, more silliness. Link, please. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/497 "2013-11-22T16:43:49Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Are you serious? They just miraculously went away after I started using medication that my doctor prescribed? Well I guess we can hold that to all the other meds in the world. That is a foolish argument. Sez you. All the other medications went through double blind trials. That’s how I know they work. Cannabis hasn’t. As far as I know, your results were coincidence, if they happened at all. I am unpersuaded. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/498 "2013-11-22T16:54:34Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Yeah, I heard that also, more silliness. Folks who smoke pot more than three times a week are also more likely to use other harder drugs and/or cigarettes, and that in itself can lead to nutritional disfunctional habits and metabolic control issues. Time magazine [analized the study](http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/08/marijuana-slims-pot-smoking-linked-to-lower-body-weight/). > [@](#): > > Also consider that one of the most popular uses of medical marijuana is to stimulate appetite in people with cancer, AIDS or other diseases. Such patients are significantly less likely to be obese than the general population — so in this case, weight loss would precede or prompt the marijuana smoking. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/499 "2013-11-22T17:19:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Sez you. All the other medications went through double blind trials. That’s how I know they work. Cannabis hasn’t. As far as I know, your results were coincidence, if they happened at all. I am unpersuaded. I don’t care, that’s your problem. > [@](#): > > I’ll give the proper study of it all the time in the world…but I’m not even going to give the time of day to the dangerous notion that we should skip that process and jump into using it as an established cure-all “medicine” I have never once disagreed with you on that, nor have I claimed any different. > [@](#): > > if they happened at all Are you calling me a liar? Because I take offense to that if you are. > [@](#): > > analized the study Nice, so you accept science from a journalist, but not a marketing major. > [@](#): > > Where the hell are the “miracle cures” for major diseases? > Reply With Quote I have never made any of these claims, but you are saying “No Way” without any studies to back up your claims Czarcasm I’m 5’8" and 179 pounds, I’m not obese by any stretch of the imagination, look at the halloween picture in the Boo thread, my wife is 5 3 and 123, not obese either and we are both in out forties and smoke daily. The stoner stereotypes are not real for everyone you know. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/500 "2013-11-22T17:40:33Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > I don’t care, that’s your problem. If only all my problems were so insignificant and easily dismissed. > [@](#): > > Are you calling me a liar? Because I take offense to that if you are. Easy there champ; I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I think your positions are misinformed, perhaps willfully so. Intellectually incurious maybe, lacking rigor, certainly; but not lies. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684/501 "2013-11-22T18:57:42Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Since you don’t want to wade through the reports, how about you find me a study that shows it does not help. As has been explained: No one here is trying to prove that it does not help. Rather, we are asking you for proof that it does help. > [@](#): > > Are you serious? They just miraculously went away after I started using medication that my doctor prescribed? Well I guess we can hold that to all the other meds in the world. That is a foolish argument. Someone already said, OK it’s good for that, but what about…?. [Post hoc, ergo propter hoc](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc) is the foolish argument here–and it’s the one you’re making. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabis-extracts-for-the-primary-treatment-of-cancer-epilepsy-and-more/673684.md?page=26)