Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

Sommer Nix
Research and Technique
Leslie Drake
Research Paper
Does Marijuana have an impact on Cancer Patients?
Abstract
This essay explains what marijuana is and how the stimulants that it does to the body can
be effective for those who are dealing with cancer. Specifically, pain, nausea and munchies
(the want to eat everything due to a chemical imbalance from the marijuana in the brain), are
discussed because those are the main problems that cancer patients endure while they are going
through therapy such as chemo and/or radiation. Having all of these problems make it difficult
for some patients to be able to go and do an everyday task because they are tired from their body
trying to recover for what is missing (nutrients from not being able to eat). Also talked about, are
the different forms of how to get marijuana into the bodies system. Those two ways are inhale
(vaporization and smoking) and taken orally (through a pill or a drop underneath the tongue).
Studies have been taken place to see which is more effective and determine which method has
the longest lasting effects on the body. Once the different forms have been discussed, then
Cannabinoid Drugs, Dronabinol and Nabilone, which are pills that are FDA approved and safe to
use because they are sold in doses that are safe for someone to take. Specifically, these two pills
help with nausea as well as the loss of appetite. Lastly, the benefits and drawbacks are addressed
because while the use of marijuana as a medicine can be healing or help with some side effects

Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

from other medicine or therapy, there are risks such as lung and breathing problems that can
occur from smoking the marijuana.
Introduction
When society hears marijuana, many think of it as a recreational drug. It is much more
than that. The stimulants that marijuana can give to the body can be effective to the body in those
who are suffering from cancer. So what exactly is marijuana? Marijuana is the name given to
the dried buds and leaves of varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant (Kramer). The simulants that
marijuana can provide for the body are appealing to cancer patients because some suffer from
pain from the amount of therapy they are enduring as well as nausea from the therapy and
possibly the pain medicines prescribed. Many people suffer from different types of cancer each
day and hope there will be a solution to help beat it and survive. From personal experience, my
mother, suffers from a cancer called Clear Cell Carcinoma and it is considered ovarian as well
(because there is a mass located on her ovaries). My family tried marijuana and some of the
effects of it helped my mother, therefore I do believe that marijuana has an impact on cancer
patients. Discussion topics will include and range from what marijuana is and how it stimulates
the body, the different forms that are available Cannabinoid Drugs and arguments for and against
the use of medical marijuana.
How Marijuana Stimulates the Body
Marijuana has been known for providing a stimulus for the body with any form of it
taken. Stimulants include things like the urge to eat, otherwise known as the munchies,
reduction is nausea and less pain medication. Munchies, or increased appetite, is a side effect
from marijuana that makes the user more prone to eat. Endocannabinoids are substances made

Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

by the brain that affect brain function and chemistry in ways that resemble the effects of cannabis
derivatives (Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week). What that is saying is that marijuana tricks the
brain into thinking that the body is hungry and needs food, when in reality the chemical sequence
is being affected. In some cases, cancer patients have a hard time keeping food down and simply
have a lack of appetite. Because the marijuana stimulates the brain, it tricks the patient into
thinking they are hungry and when they eat, they are getting some nutrients, fats and proteins
that the body needs to function properly.
Patients that are dealing with cancer, tumors and therapy such chemotherapy and
radiation therapy can cause a great amount of pain. Pain is an agitating part that comes with
cancer and with it gone and controlled, it can improve your quality of life (NCI). Marijuana,
however, may not work on all patients the same way. An example is a patient who has one of the
most aggressive cancers there, the marijuana assisted in lowering her nausea as well as
decreasing her pain, whereas another cancer patient she knows, marijuana had no effects on her
nausea, it simply took her pain away and allowed her to continue to do everyday tasks. Stated by
the NIH, some questions that should be asked before starting the use of marijuana are When did
the pain start? How long is the pain and have there been changes in where or when the pain
occurs? In asking these questions, it forces the patient to be aware of when and where the pain
hits, the pain could be triggered by a certain event or even an environment. Knowing the pains
rhythm, the patient is able to prepare for the attack and either stop it from happening or make it
less vicious. Maria Soriano-Co, Mihaela Batke and Mitchell S. Cappell did research on males
that are twenty-one years of age and older on cannabis and its effects. Their studies concluded
that in some cases, the nausea was recurrent while in other males, the nausea and vomiting has

Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

subsided. They also concluded that the nausea was not caused by the food that were putting in
their bodies, another condition that was going on within the body.
Forms of Marijuana Available
There are different forms of marijuana that are available to users. Users are able to take it
orally, put in the mouth and swallowed such as a pill, to being smoked and/or vaporized, inhaling
the substance in the bodies system. Orally taken marijuana can be taken in the form of a pill or it
can be eaten as an edible. An edible is where the cannabis is cooked into say, a brownie, and then
consumed normally. Once digested and in the bodies system, the cannabis is released and
stimulates the body as if you had smoked or inhaled the cannabis (marijuana). Edibles are often
used to help younger children with their cancer or issues such as epilepsy. Because kids should
not be smoking, edibles are more appealing because of the variety they can come in. Edibles can
range from a brownie (any baked good) to soft drinks. In eating the cannabis, the kids may not
realize what they are doing, but they receive the stimulants from the marijuana while enjoying a
treat. In some cases, the marijuana worked so well that the family picked up everything and
moved to places where marijuana is legalized and easier to get. In moving, this enables the child
to get the proper treatment, that they family feel he or she needs. Families who are unable to do
so, want to get marijuana decriminalized and view as a medical tool rather than a recreation and
street drug used just to get high, instead of medical needs. Dr. Cooper, who had his study
published in Neuropsychopharmacology, stated that This was a study that really needed to be
done because theres so much to talk about medical marijuana now, and nobody has ever looked
at a comparison between the 2 routes of administration oral and smoked especially under
these kinds of controlled condition. Cooper added, we did not set out to prove that the oral was
better than the smoked or the smoked was better than the oral; we were out to see what the data
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Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

looked like. To get the results, Dr. Cooper had a group of people, who have been smoking the
same amount of marijuana for the same amount of time and conducted touch, temperature of
water, tests to see how long each stimulant would last. What Dr. Cooper was able to conclude
from this experiment is that whether the subjects smoked marijuana or took it orally, both had the
high effect, but those who smoked, seemed to acquire the stimulants for a longer period of
time. Also concluded, the effects of marijuana did not favor a sex, both males and females had
similar effects whether they had the oral cannabis or if they had smoked it. Rick Simpson is
becoming a famous man in the world of cancer and marijuana. He created a substance called
Simpson-oil, which has cured a diversity of cancers, leukemia, depression, migraines and
regulation of body weight. Rick Simpson simply I want people to know how to heal
themselves. Back in 2003, Simpson cured himself of a metastatic skin cancer and has since
then devoted his life the spreading the truth of hemp oil. Despite many going against his theory,
Rick Simpson has successfully treated over 5,000 patients (free of charge) (Reichard). The
Simpson-oil is made from cannabis oil that has certain parts extracted and converted into an oil
by putting it into a rice cooker and slowly heating and then condensing it over a period of time.
Once it is done, what looks to be little to nothing is actually a lot. Some, only need a drop a day
under their tongue to get the effects, although because not everyone is the same, some need a full
capsule worth or oil in order the receive the effects. A benefit that the Rick Simpson-oil provides
cancer patients is that because only certain portions of the cannabis are being used, the THC is
taken out getting rid of the high feeling that some patients may not want. Basically, the patient
receives the stimulants with the high and light headed feeling caused from the THC.

Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

Cannabinoid Drugs
Other forms of cannabis drugs are out there, Cannabinoid Drugs; Dronabinol and
Nabilone. Dronabinol is a type of cannabis drug that is FDA approved and helps with nausea and
reduce the lack of appetite that can occur in cancer patients. It is a safe and effective way to help
with the nausea and eating, it can also be delivered in standardized doses, so people do not
have to worry about taking the wrong amount and not getting enough but not getting too much
that it could become harmful. Although this may be safe and standardized, it takes a long time
for the body to activate it, leaving the patient possibly uncomfortable for a long period of time.
Similar Dronabinol, is Nabilone, another cannabinoid drug that is FDA. Nabilone and
Dronabinol are very close, but what sets these two drugs apart is that Nabilone has higher
bioavailability, meaning how long it takes to drug to become effective within the body, and more
clear dosage. When digested orally, the stimulants of Nabilone are much better and will work
more quickly. Compared to Dronabinol, Nabilone showed that when being taken, there was a
reduction in the use of marijuana over Dronabinol.
Arguments for and Against
Just like everything else, the use of marijuana and cancer has its benefits as well as
drawbacks. Obvious drawbacks are the cost of which marijuana can cost, especially over a long
period of time. Aside from the cost of it, because the THC gives you the high feeling, that
creates a possible loss of control of the body, brain impairment and a chance of hallucinations.
Also, marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than
does tobacco smoke and has the potential to cause cancer of the lungs and respiratory tract.
Marijuana smoke is commonly inhaled deeper and held longer than is tobacco smoke, increasing
the lungs' exposure to carcinogens (Mayoclinic.com Health Library). Before patients consider
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Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

using this drug they need to go over what could go wrong or what could occur if they choose to
use medical marijuana. Another drawback is that these use of marijuana is illegal in some states.
Medical marijuana cards are available, but they require tons of paperwork and approval to get
one. The problem with legalizing such a popular drug is because people abuse it and use it just to
get the stimulants and have fun, for recreational use rather than medical. Health care providers
would have to change their policies that are in place and convert them to allow marijuana at
whatever dosage deemed legal. They are finding however, that in the state of Colorado, that
marijuana is profitable. With it being legal there, News reports have indicated that sales of the
drug have been brisk. Marijuana-infused food products have been unexpectedly popular,
exceeding sales projections (Durkin). However, marijuana is not completely negative, it does
have benefits. The drug acts as a sedative and reduces anxiety, which may itself have a
therapeutic effect (IOM). In other words, it allows the user to become more calm and relaxed if
there are experiencing anxiety, possibly from their medication. As mentioned before, the three
main benefits that marijuana has are the increase in appetite (munchies), helps reduce nausea and
could possibly help control pain (reducing the amount of pain medication the patient could be
taking from the therapy they are receiving).
Conclusion
Although marijuana does have its drawbacks such as price and limitability, a good
question that the patients and their families should ask is: is all of this really worth it? Marijuana
does have an impact on cancer patients. With the chemical stimulants it gives to the body, such as
subsiding pain, less nausea and the urge to eat, allows the patient to feel more normal rather than
being sick. Normal meaning that the patient is not being fully dependent on their medication just

Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

to make it through the day. The patient is the one who gets to make the decision and they need to
consider all aspects to make sure the impacts are what they want and/or need for their cancer.

Does Marijuana have an Impact on Cancer Patients?

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