The law in Utah allows cancer patients to use medical cannabis with a medical provider’s recommendation and a state-issued medical cannabis card. As you may or may not know, cannabis is recommended to cancer patients to help them manage the pain of the disease as well as many of the symptoms resulting from treatment. As yet, there is no proof from human studies that cannabis is actually a cancer cure. But research is looking into it.
To be sure, there is no known cure for most cancers. Medical science treats cancer patients in hopes of helping them achieve remission. There are four primary types of therapies we currently utilize in this country:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy.
Researchers continue looking for that elusive cure. Growing numbers of them are beginning to think that the answer might be in cannabis. Given that the endocannabinoid system plays a vital role in human biology, and that it’s activity is found in every cell, it is quite possible that the cannabis plant holds the answer to the cancer question.
Research Is Ongoing
If you would like links to tons of cannabis and cancer research studies, check out this article published by The Cannigma website. There is lots of good study information here. For our purposes though, let’s stick with talking about the endocannabinoid system and something known as homeostasis.
From a biological perspective, homeostasis is a process by which a living organism maintains cellular stability so that the body is able to adapt and survive regardless of external conditions. Homeostasis in human beings is largely dependent on the endocannabinoid system. It is believed that cancer patients are experiencing a lack of homeostasis in those cells that become cancerous.
The endocannabinoid system in those cells is also not working properly. The question is this: did the cancer disrupt the endocannabinoid system or was there some failure of the endocannabinoid system that led to cancer? Either way, one of the most exciting areas of research right now is looking into the possibility of curing cancer by restoring the endocannabinoid system in damaged cells.
Homeostasis Causes Death
One of the strange things homeostasis does is promote cell death. Allowing older cells to die and be replaced by new cells is one of the many ways the body maintains homeostasis. So the thinking is that restoring the endocannabinoid system in a cancer patient might encourage the patient’s body to naturally kill off cancer cells and replace them with new ones. The process of maintaining stability would essentially lead the body to eradicate itself of cancer.
All of this is speculation right now. Rest assured that it will be big news when researchers finally have a breakthrough to report. For now, though, cancer patients can at least be comforted by the fact that they can get their medical cannabis cards to gain access to a drug that can help alleviate their pain, nausea, and other symptoms.
If you or someone you love is dealing with cancer, know that the disease is a qualifying condition for a medical cannabis card in Utah. Ask your medical provider about it. With a card in hand, you could visit our Salt Lake City or Brigham City pharmacies where you could purchase a variety of medical cannabis products designed to help you feel better.
Research into cannabis as a cancer cure is being conducted even as you read this post. Here’s hoping that researchers ultimately find a cure for this terrible disease. In the meantime, you might find relief from disease and treatment symptoms through medical cannabis. If nothing else, at least consider it.
