Brain Cancer Patients And Cannabis

According to Men's Health Magazine, UK company GW Pharmaceuticals just unveiled preliminary data from an early trial of its cannabis-derived therapy. The company claims that its substance—which combines cannabidiol and THC, the element that produces the “high” in marijuana—boosts brain cancer patients’ median survival rates by about six months, compared to a non-cannabis placebo. The type of brain cancer targeted is glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly nasty and fatal form of the disease. Those who get it have only a 30 percent chance of living past two years, and they suffer significant brain damage along the way. The recent study suggests that when THC and cannabinoids are put together, they work together to reduce the viability of cancer cells, resulting in a longer life for the patient. The GW drug uses concentrated marijuana derivatives in very specific doses that are being clinically tested. So it's unlikely that self-medicating will bring about the same results.