Can Cannabis Cure Cancer and the Rick Simpson Story

Rick Simpson is a simple man who was an engineer in Canada. In 1997, he had a head injury at work and suffered chronic dizziness and tinnitus for years after the incident.  He was not getting any symptom relief with pharmaceuticals and was motivated to look into medical cannabis after watching a documentary.   He found relief from his symptoms and continued to use it.   He was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2003.  He had read that cannabis can treat cancer, so he began using medical cannabis oil for his skin cancer.  He noticed that the cancer spots on his skin were disappearing.  

It was after this experience with his own basal cell carcinoma that Rick Simpson became an advocate and activist for medical cannabis. He began to grow cannabis on his own land and made oil for people who wanted to use it.  He was arrested multiple times for growing cannabis, but that did not deter him. The directions for making what is now referred to as Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) are available on his website without cost as well as on many other places on line. 

The question remains, does cannabis cure cancer?  This question has a long answer. According to the CDC, cannabis has been studied to see how it helps to manage the side effects of cancer and its treatments.  Studies suggest that the cannabinoids in cannabis such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) can help to relieve side effects.  But beyond that, research with whole plant cannabis has just begun.  

The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) states that in pre-clinical research, which is lab and animal studies, cannabis-derived cannabinoids can have some activity against cancer.  There are two human trials that showed this to be true. The first study was done with patients who had a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. When cannabis was injected into the cancerous areas it caused a decrease in the spread of the cancer in some of the nine people who received this treatment, though death was not prevented. The second study with patients was small in number as well, but was also placebo controlled, randomized and double blinded which meant that neither the patients nor the caregivers knew if the patient was receiving the cannabis treatment or a placebo. All patients received chemotherapy plus either a 1:1 THC-CBD nasal spray or a placebo. Those who received the cannabis nasal spray had a better survival rate.

 As yet, according to the SIO, there are no human studies giving evidence that cannabis can cure cancer.  Almost all studies have been done in the lab or with animals, and the studies done with humans are after they have failed traditional treatment and are close to the end of life. The SIO warns that trying alternative treatments for cancer may cause a delay of established therapies, which could give the cancer time to progress.  A delay may affect outcomes in a negative way. This is one of the barriers to researching cannabis as a cure for cancer.  However, there are proven benefits of cannabis for treating the side effects of cancer and chemotherapy.  It can help with neuropathic pain, nausea, and it improves appetite. 

Rick Simpson grew cannabis illegally and made the oil in his backyard to give away to people who wanted to use it for cancer.  The oil that he made was actually used by many.  It contained a very high THC content and continues to be illegal in some states and federally in the US.  Yet it is hard to ignore some of the anecdotal stories surrounding the use of his oil to treat cancer. Rick Simpson has written two books and toured the world speaking of medical cannabis and the people he knew who were healed of cancer by taking the oil.  

The facts about medical cannabis and all the ways it can heal and help are still to be discovered.  The illegal status of cannabis has been prohibitive for research. Clinical trials with people using cannabis are beginning to emerge as the legality of cannabis becomes less of a barrier to research. There is still hope that cannabis and many other plant-based medicines will be helpful in treating the multitude of diseases that cause illness and death.  And as most research studies state at the end of their conclusions, more research and clinical trials are needed.

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/cancer.html

https://integrativeonc.org/knowledge-center/sio-research-blog-vlog/326-does-cannabis-cure-cancer

 https://www.healthline.com/health/rick-simpson-oil-cancer#takeaway