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- A big study of over 10,000 studies shows 3 studies favored cannabis benefits for cancer for every 1 against it.
- Things in cannabis like THC, CBD, and CBG may slow tumor growth and make cancer cells die.
- Over 30% of cancer patients say they use cannabis for pain, sleep, nausea, and feeling worried.
- Studies are hard to do because the government lists cannabis as a high-risk drug and it costs a lot for patients.
- The NIH is giving $3.2 million to study medical cannabis with cancer treatments that use the body's defense system.
Medical Cannabis for Cancer: Does Science Agree?
Cannabis was seen for many years as only for fun or going against the rules. But that is changing fast. Science is learning more and more about it, and now it is looked at as a real option in cancer treatment. At Purple Rose Supply, we see cannabis as something for life and health. We will look at how medical cannabis helps people not just feel better, but it might help them heal better too. This happens when they face really hard health problems.
What Science Just Found Out About Cannabis and Cancer
Scientists are learning more and more about medical cannabis for cancer treatment. The biggest study yet looked at over 10,000 other studies. They checked what happened, how the studies were done, and what the numbers showed.
What they found was important.
For every study that said cannabis did not work for cancer care, three others showed it helped in real ways. That is a big 3:1 difference that favors medical cannabis. It is not common to see numbers like this in science. The scientists who did the study said this means there is "overwhelming scientific agreement" that medical cannabis helps in cancer care (Castle et al., 2025).
Having this much proof is not just a strange number. It strongly says that cannabis should be part of medical talks now. This is true especially when it comes to helping with problems from cancer, making life better for patients, and maybe doing more.
What Medical Cannabis Helps With in Cancer Treatment
People are using medical cannabis more for cancer treatment. This is not just because it helps people relax, but because science shows it can help in other ways. Cancer and strong treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can cause many physical and emotional problems for patients. Medical cannabis seems to help with some big problems:
Pain Management
Many cancer patients report having pain for a long time. This is especially true later on or if they have surgery and radiation. Things in cannabis like THC, CBD, and CBG work with the body's own system (called ECS) to change how people feel pain. Many studies show cannabis might be a better choice than opioids for pain. Opioids work, but they can cause people to become dependent or need more over time.
Nausea and Vomiting (CINV)
Chemotherapy often causes bad nausea and vomiting. This is one of the hardest problems for cancer patients. Medical cannabis, especially man-made THC like dronabinol, is already allowed in some countries to help with this. More and more people like using cannabis plants or things made from them. This is because all the parts together seem to work better.
Appetite and Weight Loss
Cancer can cause patients to lose a lot of weight and muscle. This happens to up to 80% of people with cancer that is far along. It is called anorexia and cachexia. THC can make people feel hungry by working on the brain. This helps patients eat enough food, which is very important for getting better, staying strong, and living well.
Sleep Disorders and Insomnia
Many cancer patients have trouble sleeping. This is because of pain, stress, or problems from their medicine. Studies show THC and CBD can help people sleep better. They can help people fall asleep faster and wake up less during the night. This lets patients get real rest while they are getting better.
Anxiety and Depression
Finding out you have cancer affects how you feel in your mind as much as it affects your body. Patients often feel like they have PTSD, or they feel worried and sad. CBD does not make you high. Many studies look at how it helps with feeling worried (anti-anxiety) and sad (antidepressant). This is often true when people use it along with regular therapy.
Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation that lasts a long time is tied to cancer growing and almost 80% of all diseases that last a long time. CBD and CBG seem to fight inflammation well. They might slow down ways that bad cells communicate. This could help the whole body heal and stop new problems from starting.
These ways cannabis helps do more than just calm people down. They also lead to real changes in how well people live and how well they stick with their treatment.
More Than Just Helping: What Science Says About Fighting Cancer
Many people only think medical cannabis helps by making things easier during cancer treatment. Like making chemotherapy less hard to handle, lessening bad effects, or helping patients get through it. But some studies look further. They suggest things in cannabis might actually possess anticarcinogenic properties (fight cancer cells).
New studies done in labs show that main things in cannabis, like delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabigerol (CBG), might mess with how cancer cells live and grow in some strong ways:
- Make cancer cells die naturally.
- Stop tumors from making blood vessels.
- Slow or stop cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.
- Stop cancer cells from dividing and growing.
These are not just wild ideas anymore. Important scientists are now writing about early proof that things in cannabis can kill cancer cells. They see this happening with brain cancer (glioblastoma), breast cancer, prostate cancer, and a type of blood cancer (multiple myeloma) [(Discover Oncology, 2024)].
But it is important to know that most of this information comes from lab tests in tubes or from studies on animals. We still need studies done on people. But because top research places are looking into how this works, it shows this is a real and growing area of study.
How Much Does Science Agree on Cannabis for Cancer Care?
If you think science is starting to like cannabis more, you are right. But it is doing more than just starting; it is fully getting behind it.
The study of 10,000 other studies said research that supports cannabis was 31.38 times stronger. This means those studies were set up better, had good results more often, and showed clearer ways cannabis helps. This was true compared to any studies against using medical cannabis for cancer patients (Castle et al., 2025).
To show how big this is, many drugs the FDA has okayed do not have science agree this much. So, we are not saying cannabis should take the place of normal cancer treatment. But it seems right to say medical cannabis should be part of the talk when planning treatment.
How Many Cancer Patients Use Cannabis: What the Numbers Show
These studies are interesting. But what matters more is how many patients actually use cannabis:
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The National Cancer Institute said that 20 to 40% of cancer patients use cannabis. They might get it with a doctor's note or from stores in states where it's legal.
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A big check asked many patients and found 32.9% use cannabis to help with problems like pain, not wanting to eat, trouble sleeping, and feeling worried [(JNCI Monographs, 2023)].
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Cancer places all over the U.S. now have medical cannabis talks as part of how they care for patients. This shows that hospitals are changing how they think, along with what patients want.
It is clear: more people are using it. This is not just stories, but it is also happening in real medical practice. Science is now finding out what patients seemed to know already.
Learn About the Main Things in Cannabis That Help
There are over 110 different things in cannabis. But three are most important for cancer treatment:
🌿 THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)
- Makes you feel high
- Helps you feel hungry (important for weight loss)
- Works as a light pain helper and stops nausea
- Might make cancer cells die in certain kinds of cancer
🌿 CBD (Cannabidiol)
- Does not make you high
- Helps with swelling and feeling worried
- Helps with sleep and how you feel in your mind
- Might stop cancer cells from growing in lab studies
🌿 CBG (Cannabigerol)
People call CBG the "mother" thing in cannabis. Early tests show it might help fight cancer, especially blood cancers like leukemia and multiple myeloma [(Discover Oncology, 2024)].
Using these together can help more, which people sometimes call the "entourage effect." This can lead to better results overall.
Why Medical Cannabis Is Important for Everyone
You do not have to have cancer to care about this.
Knowing how cannabis helps with bad health problems can change what people think about cannabis in general. Whether you use cannabis sometimes or are really into wellness, it is key to get good info about it. This is not just for your health. It is also to help push for using it wisely, better rules, and making it easier for people who need it to get it.
Saying cannabis is a real way to help health stops it from being a forbidden topic. It helps people be more open, and it helps science learn more.
Things Stopping Cannabis Medicine: What Needs to Change
Science is finding good things about cannabis. But some things still make it hard for cannabis to be a common cancer treatment.
⚖️ How the Government Lists It
- Cannabis is still a Schedule I drug under federal U.S. law. This puts it with drugs like heroin and LSD.
- Because it is listed like this, it makes it hard to study it on people. And it stops doctors from writing notes for it.
💰 Problems with Cost and Getting It
- Many insurance companies do not pay for medical cannabis.
- A University of Minnesota study said cost was a big reason people could not use it. This was very true for patients who felt very sick but did not have much money.
🔬 Not Made the Same Way
- It is not clear how much people should use.
- Labels on products are different, so it is hard to know how much to take on your own.
- Laws are different in each state. This stops us from having the same good ways to use it everywhere in the country.
For cannabis to be a real medical choice that people can get, rules need to change. Insurance needs to pay for it. And more money is needed to study it.
Cannabis, How We Use It, and Using It with Purpose
At Purple Rose Supply, we think using cannabis on purpose is at the heart of feeling good and in charge of your health. Whether you make a CannaMold cannagar to share with friends or use CBD oil for worrying, how you use it is important.
Cannabis can be fun. But it also works to help you. Thinking of it as a special part of your health routine can help how you feel and what happens. This is extra true if you are dealing with health problems.
Ideas for Using Medical Cannabis Safely
If you want to use cannabis to help with your health:
- Start small, go slow: Begin with small amounts, mostly with things you eat
- Know about the type: Sativa to feel better, indica to relax, mixes for both
- How you use it is important: Vaping and drops are often safer than smoking for long-term problems
- Talk to your doctor: This is key if you are taking it with chemotherapy or other medicines
Knowing how to use it means it works better.
What Comes Next? Studying Cannabis and Cancer
The NIH is helping pay for this idea. In 2023, it gave a $3.2 million grant to look into how cannabis might help cancer treatments that use the body's own defense system [(NIH, 2023)].
Other things scientists want to study next are:
- Find the best mixes of cannabis parts and how much of each
- Look at how people's genes might change how cannabis affects them
- See what happens over a long time when cannabis is used with cancer treatments
- Check if cannabis can help make healthcare more fair and treatments cheaper for everyone
We are just starting this. But it looks like good things are coming.
Seeing Cannabis as Something That Helps Your Health
Medical cannabis is not just something strange anymore. It is tested, studied, and used more and more in cancer treatment for many people around the world. Whether you use cannabis to help with problems that last a long time. Or you help someone you care about who is getting treatment. Or you just want to learn more. No matter why, one thing is true:
Cannabis is more than a lifestyle. It helps people.
Let us keep telling people about it, sharing what we learn, and making a future where everyone knows how much this plant can help and can get it easily.
Citations
- Castle, R., et al. (2025). Cannabis and Cancer: A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Oncology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2025.1490621
- National Cancer Institute. (2023). Cannabis Use Among Cancer Patients. Retrieved from NIH database.
- JNCI Monographs. (2023). A Cancer Center Survey on Cannabis Use.
- Discover Oncology. (2024). Cannabinoids as Anticancer Agents.
- University of Minnesota. (2024). Patient-Reported Outcomes on Medical Cannabis Symptom Relief.
- NIH. (2023). Research Grant Announcement: Cannabis and Cancer Immunotherapy.
