# Is this the cure for cancer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615 "2009-05-16T04:35:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tgan3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ea924/32.png) [@tgan3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tgan3)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/21 "2009-05-18T23:01:01Z")
Why would anyone go around claiming that hemp oil cures cancer( without having any profits ), and freely give away hemp oil if he does not believe it will work? ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/22 "2009-05-18T23:16:59Z")
> [@tgan3](#): > > Why would anyone go around claiming that hemp oil cures cancer( without having any profits ), and freely give away hemp oil if he does not believe it will work? Because he’s making a shit load from selling the marijuana and can afford the PR boost? Personally, I’m betting he’s just deluded. It’s still dangerous and possibly criminal to hand out drugs that have no proven record, especially when dealing with potentially lethal diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/23 "2009-05-18T23:22:59Z")
One thing that I always think about in claims like these is this: I am almost 100 percent sure that there is no cure for baldness. I am almost 100 percent sure there is no guaranteed quick and easy way for weight loss. I am almost 100 percent sure that the get rich quick schemes advertised are a scam. How? Because there are still bald men and still overweight people around and not everyone is rich. If something can cure cancer and more than one person knows about it, why are there still people with cancer? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/24 "2009-05-18T23:25:30Z")
> [@tgan3](#): > > Why would anyone go around claiming that hemp oil cures cancer( without having any profits ), and freely give away hemp oil if he does not believe it will work? Who cares what some random idiot believes? ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/25 "2009-05-19T01:45:29Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > I am almost 100 percent sure that there is no cure for baldness. > > I am almost 100 percent sure there is no guaranteed quick and easy way for weight loss. > > I am almost 100 percent sure that the get rich quick schemes advertised are a scam. > > How? Because there are still bald men and still overweight people around and not everyone is rich. What do you mean? Plastic surgery can give anyone hair, and losing weight is as easy as cutting out your stomach. Get rich quick schemes work, but only for the first couple people to try them. (Of course, by some standards we’re all already rich, although by others only a fraction ever could be.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/26 "2009-05-19T02:10:58Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > Lone amateur makes brilliant discovery from personal adversity… Evil corporate/medical culture refuses to accept The Truth out of grubby financial self-interest… The good thing about hemp oil is that you can get 200 miles per gallon with it. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/27 "2009-05-19T02:30:31Z")
Jeez, my Bullshit Detector is still going off. Hemp/marijuana isn’t going to cure cancer, restore vision to the blind, revolutionize the textile industry, stabilize the world economy, wipe out the national debt, stop global warming or make anyone’s penis larger. When all is said and done, there’s only one _genuine_ reason so many people want it legalized/decriminalized; it gets you high and doesn’t fuck up your body as severely as most other intoxicants. That’s it; all of the other claims are goofy just attempts to justify legalization/decriminalization by making MaryJane palatable to a buttoned-down, mainstream, non-Phish-listening-to audience. I used to _love_ smoking weed; and if it ever gets legalized I plan on getting reaquainted with my old friend at least once or twice a week, but it’s not the salvation of the human race. C’mon, it’s _just_ weed. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/28 "2009-05-19T10:39:58Z")
> [@tgan3](#): > > Why would anyone go around claiming that hemp oil cures cancer( without having any profits ), and freely give away hemp oil if he does not believe it will work? By the way, kudos on completely and blithely ignoring every single word of argument posted in this thread and posting this instead. That really helps establish your credibility as someone who’s genuinely interested in the truth. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/29 "2009-05-19T11:59:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The good thing about hemp oil is that you can get 200 miles per gallon with it. But you only drive 10 miles an hour, and have to stop at every single restaurant a long the way for munchies. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/30 "2009-05-19T12:10:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The good thing about hemp oil is that you can get 200 miles per gallon with it. Hemp oil even kicks Chuck Norris’s ass. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/31 "2009-05-19T12:34:32Z")
No. [Shark cartilage is.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2567/does-shark-cartilage-prevent-cancer) Cecil is simply wrong. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/32 "2009-05-19T14:57:57Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > EDIT: Actually, you may be correct that “hemp” oil would primarily contain CBD if it were made from hemp, although it would be uneconomical to do this vs making it from marijuana. I would be surprised if anyone does it. Hemp oil and hemp seeds are readily available in health food stores. I used to cook with it. It may be more expensive to make the oil from hemp rather than marijuana, but since the former is legal and the latter is not, it’s hemp oil that you can regularly buy. As for the cancer claims, hemp oil is rich in the Omega fatty acids as well as vitamin E… blah, blah, blah… it’s better for you than cooking lard and has antioxidants that are helpful, but that guy who thinks it’s a cure-all has a screw loose. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/33 "2009-05-19T15:49:29Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > Yes. Just yes. > > Btw, isn’t hemp oil just purified weed? Then definitely. It will cure everything. “I was gonna go to chemo, but then I got high… Trala lala la” Thank you for making me laugh out loud. I keep rereading it and it’s still funny. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/34 "2009-05-19T17:23:54Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Hemp oil and hemp seeds are readily available in health food stores. I used to cook with it. It may be more expensive to make the oil from hemp rather than marijuana, but since the former is legal and the latter is not, it’s hemp oil that you can regularly buy. And this hemp oil contains CBD? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/35 "2009-05-19T17:35:26Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > “I was gonna go to chemo, but then I got high… Trala lala la” Darn you, **Alex**! ::shakes fist:: ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/36 "2009-05-19T17:37:53Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > [Paclitaxel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paclitaxel). From your link … > [@](#): > > On August 21, 1962, one of those botanists, Arthur S. Barclay, collected bark from a single Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia, in a forest north of the town of Packwood, Washington as part of a four month trip collecting material from over 200 different species. That “forest” is the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Public land. [There is a bronze plaque at the location](http://www.phcog.org/Taxus/Plaque.html). See [RTI International | Research Institute](http://www.rti.org/page.cfm?objectid=9491CD26-CAE0-4C59-A93C60A239DD7B38) The importance of this discovery cannot be overstated. If hemp oil is just as significant, it, too, will be so honored. I won’t hold my breath (not inhale). ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/37 "2009-05-19T18:00:49Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > When all is said and done, there’s only one _genuine_ reason so many people want it legalized/decriminalized; it gets you high and doesn’t fuck up your body as severely as most other intoxicants. That’s it; all of the other claims are goofy just attempts to justify legalization/decriminalization by making MaryJane palatable to a buttoned-down, mainstream, non-Phish-listening-to audience. I wouldn’t say that’s entirely correct. For example, while I’m sure that there are plenty of “medical marijuana” proponents who just want to be able to say “I’ve got a sniffle so I can legally light up” that’s not all of them. My aunt is currently undergoing radiation treatment and chemotherapy for throat cancer and marijuana was the only thing that would settle her stomach so that she could eat (critical thing for her). The doctors and nurses at the (major cancer treatment hospital here) are very much in favor of legalized marijuana for appropriate medical use. Luckily CA passed Prop 215 so she can get it. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/38 "2009-05-19T18:09:22Z")
Have you ever noticed that whenever someone asks a question like this, they usually get angry when they’re not told what they want to hear? The thread title should have been “Agree with me that hemp oil is a cure for cancer!” ---
**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:** [May 19, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/39 "2009-05-19T18:31:03Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > I wouldn’t say that’s entirely correct. For example, while I’m sure that there are plenty of “medical marijuana” proponents who just want to be able to say “I’ve got a sniffle so I can legally light up” that’s not all of them. My aunt is currently undergoing radiation treatment and chemotherapy for throat cancer and marijuana was the only thing that would settle her stomach so that she could eat (critical thing for her). The doctors and nurses at the (major cancer treatment hospital here) are very much in favor of legalized marijuana for appropriate medical use. Luckily CA passed Prop 215 so she can get it. Now that’s appropriate medical use of marijuana. Condolences. Unfortunately (or fortunately in some ways), that is less than 1% of what ‘medical marijuana’ is getting used for in Cali. Chronic headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic musculoskeletal low back pain, and other rather poorly defined syndromes are far more common ‘reasons’ for using marijuana. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615/40 "2009-05-19T19:08:17Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Unfortunately (or fortunately in some ways), that is less than 1% of what ‘medical marijuana’ is getting used for in Cali. Chronic headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic musculoskeletal low back pain, and other rather poorly defined syndromes are far more common ‘reasons’ for using marijuana. Yep. While attempting not to go into GD territory, essentially California’s medical marijuana system has been taken over by people using it to score legal weed for any ailment. Now, if it were just legal to begin with, people wouldn’t need to abuse the medical route to obtain it… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-cure-for-cancer/496615.md?page=3)