It’s official – cannabis does kill cancer cells.
There have been rumblings in the past, following reports that scientists have conducted tests with the drug, and now the U.S. government have one hundred per cent confirmed the news on their website.
In a page of official advice, the U.S. government wrote:
Cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory.
The National Cancer Institute, part of the U.S. Department of Health, now claims that “cannabinoids may be useful in treating the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment” by smoking, eating it in baked products, drinking herbal teas or even spraying it under the tongue.
Although they are also keen to stress that marijuana has only shown these effects on mice, and are not yet ready to recommend the drug for human use in fighting cancer, the news will nevertheless be a huge step in the fight for those who want to see the drug legalised across the U.S. (and the UK, where it remains illegal nationwide).
Given all those prior examples of the health benefits of cannabis, it’s not surprising that the site also lists numerous other uses for cannabis including anti-inflammatory activity, blocking cell growth, preventing the growth of blood vessels that supply tumours, antiviral activity and relieving muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis.
Although Cancer Research pointed out that there is not yet enough evidence to determine whether cannabis can be effectively used for cancer treatment, this could be a big moment in the battle against the disease.
So, following this revelation, as well as last month’s news that an e-petition gained more than 100,000 signatures to debate the legalisation of the drug in the UK, is it time Britain officially gave marijuana the green light?
