# delta-9-THC prevent cancer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483 "2005-06-02T01:59:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shine_on_You_crazy_Diamond)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/1 "2005-06-02T01:59:59Z")
I have heard rumors that the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana can prevent cancer. Is this true? Obviously the effects would be countered through smoking if this were true, but keep in mind that marijuana can be used recreationally in other ways, like cooking it into foods. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/2 "2005-06-02T02:04:16Z")
I wonder if this rumor started because cancer patients often smoke it to combat nausea from chemotherapy. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/3 "2005-06-02T06:28:54Z")
I’m pretty sure regular smokers have developed cancer later in life. I’m not saying marijuana causes cancer, but I doubt that it’ll prevent it either. Or maybe just certain cancers. IANAD, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/4 "2005-06-02T08:58:27Z")
> [@Shine on You crazy Diamond](#): > > I have heard rumors that the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana can prevent cancer. Is this true? > > Obviously the effects would be countered through smoking if this were true, but keep in mind that marijuana can be used recreationally in other ways, like cooking it into foods. It is not true. Cannabinoids can be used to treat symptoms of cancer chemotherapy, as Revtim says, such as vomitting, loss of appetite, nausea, pain etc, but there is no strong evidence of any anticancer effect of THC. There is evidence of THC augmenting cancer, though, in some studies (sorry no cite to hand that doesn’t involve a license). It can suppress the antitumour immune response in some animal models, leading to enhanced tumour growth. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/5 "2005-06-02T12:27:32Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I’m pretty sure regular smokers have developed cancer later in life. I’m not saying marijuana causes cancer, but I doubt that it’ll prevent it either. Or maybe just certain cancers. IANAD, etc… Of course it does, if it’s smoked at least. Burning vegetation is not great for your lungs, no matter how much fun it is. Does anyone know of research giving evidence that vaporizers are really significantly safer than simply smoking marijuana? I’ve heard the claim before, and it makes sense, but I’m not sure how to evaluate it. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/6 "2005-06-02T12:58:48Z")
It didn’t do poor Bob Marley any good. ---
**Author:** ![Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shine_on_You_crazy_Diamond)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/7 "2005-06-02T21:40:38Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Of course it does, if it’s smoked at least. Burning vegetation is not great for your lungs, no matter how much fun it is. Does anyone know of research giving evidence that vaporizers are really significantly safer than simply smoking marijuana? I’ve heard the claim before, and it makes sense, but I’m not sure how to evaluate it. It makes sense in theory, but with many vaporizers being at home creations (like the growing popularity of the clear-lightbulb vaporizer) it would be difficult to regulate the temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/8 "2005-06-02T22:18:13Z")
It’s a schedule 1 drug, which, along with LSD and a couple others, means the government prevents publicly funded studies. Does anyone have cites for their assertions? To my knowledge, research on schedule 1 drugs in the U.S. is illegal. Correct me if I’m wrong. In short, there’s no way to really answer your question. ---
**Author:** ![Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shine_on_You_crazy_Diamond)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/9 "2005-06-02T22:28:23Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > It’s a schedule 1 drug, which, along with LSD and a couple others, means the government prevents publicly funded studies. Does anyone have cites for their assertions? To my knowledge, research on schedule 1 drugs in the U.S. is illegal. Correct me if I’m wrong. In short, there’s no way to really answer your question. This most definitely slipped my mind… But what about Alaska? It is legal in Alaska in certain amounts (up to 4oz and/or 24 or less plants, in your home), so it would seem the door would be opened for public research. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/10 "2005-06-02T22:55:57Z")
> [@Shine on You crazy Diamond](#): > > This most definitely slipped my mind… But what about Alaska? It is legal in Alaska in certain amounts (up to 4oz and/or 24 or less plants, in your home), so it would seem the door would be opened for public research. Marijuana hasn’t been legal in Alaska since 1991. > [@](#): > > Alaska State Law prohibits marijuana and cocaine use. It > was not until March 1991 that Alaska made marijuana > illegal. Marijuana was made legal for medicinal purposes > in 1999 under Alaska Statute 17.37.010. [From Here](http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/mchepi/MCHFacts/fs2005na_v1_05.pdf) - WARNING - PDF! It is allowed for medicinal use, but as always, federal law trumps state law. Marijuana is most difinitely still illegal under federal law, and the feds have been known to bust grow operations in states where medical marijuana is allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Shine\_on\_You\_crazy\_Diamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shine_on_You_crazy_Diamond)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/11 "2005-06-02T23:06:52Z")
> [@The Unkempt One](#): > > Marijuana hasn’t been legal in Alaska since 1991. > > [From Here](http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/mchepi/MCHFacts/fs2005na_v1_05.pdf) - WARNING - PDF! > > It is allowed for medicinal use, but as always, federal law trumps state law. Marijuana is most difinitely still illegal under federal law, and the feds have been known to bust grow operations in states where medical marijuana is allowed. [http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm\_view=&Group\_ID=4522](http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4522) But yes, I forgot about the fact that federal law takes precedence over state law. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/12 "2005-06-02T23:20:25Z")
The legend that marijuana cures cancer has been around since the early 1970’s, and perhaps earlier. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/13 "2005-06-02T23:24:53Z")
> [@Shine on You crazy Diamond](#): > > [http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm\_view=&Group\_ID=4522](http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4522) > > But yes, I forgot about the fact that federal law takes precedence over state law. I was not aware that the state had ruled that the initiative passed in 1990 was not constitutional. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/14 "2005-06-03T00:05:58Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > It’s a schedule 1 drug, which, along with LSD and a couple others, means the government prevents publicly funded studies. Does anyone have cites for their assertions? To my knowledge, research on schedule 1 drugs in the U.S. is illegal. Correct me if I’m wrong. In short, there’s no way to really answer your question. Research on Schedule I drugs is not illegal. Lots of permits are needed, and a great degree of regulation and monitoring is done, but research projects are done. Back in med school, one of my Professors, Dr. Solomn Snyder, head of the Neuroscience department at Johns Hopkins, the “The godfather of synaptic chemistry”, had a Schedule I permit. He did research with those substances. He still does, as far as I know. He just got awarded the National Medal of Science earlier this year. Doc S. was quite entertaining during his lectures. He talked about those neuroactive chemicals like LSD, Delta-9 THC (which he referred to as “the good stuff”), endorphins, opiates, ketamine, and PCP. Fascinating! He also served beer to us students in his noontime special tutorial on opiates, which led me to be a bit buzzed for my afternoon clinical skills course. Which was just a harbinger of things to come for me. :eek: Good thing I never got a Schedule I permit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/15 "2005-06-03T07:09:52Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > It’s a schedule 1 drug, which, along with LSD and a couple others, means the government prevents publicly funded studies. Does anyone have cites for their assertions? To my knowledge, research on schedule 1 drugs in the U.S. is illegal. Correct me if I’m wrong. In short, there’s no way to really answer your question. There’s a big difference between in vitro, molecular level research and in vivo clinical research. In the former, working with controlled substances is not a big deal at all, there are literally thousands upon thousands of papers looking at the pharmacology and biochemistry of natural products like the cannabinoids, cocaine alkaloids, morphine alkaloids etc, all of which are controlled substances. So it would be quite possible to answer the OP at this level, and establish that THC has no known anticancer effect in any in vitro study or in vivo animal model. As **Qadop** says, clinical research is a different story, with a far, far higher level of regulation. You are right to point out that a controlled trial of the anti-cancer effects of weed smokiing in humans would be very difficult to set up and implement in the US, it would be regulated out the bazoo. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/16 "2005-06-03T13:45:00Z")
Google is thy friend there have been some twelve or so studies looking at the anticancer properties of THC that showed positive results e.g. [http://www.drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/cancer/THC\_cancer\_sep\_1975.htm](http://www.drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/cancer/THC_cancer_sep_1975.htm) a good review of them is avaialble at [http://americanmarijuana.org/Guzman-Cancer.pdf](http://americanmarijuana.org/Guzman-Cancer.pdf) (pdf) ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delta-9-thc-prevent-cancer/306483/17 "2005-06-05T01:19:42Z")
A local research group, [RTI International](http://www.nida.nih.gov/about/organization/nacda/marijuanastatement.html) controls contracts to grow marijuana for research purposes.