India: researchers call for a review of the status of cannabis

A recent study conducted at Amity University in India concluded that the legal status of cannabis should be re-examined, in view of existing research showing that cannabis components can be used for medical purposes, including inhibiting tumor growth and helping to manage cancer. Possession of cannabis is still illegal in India, although the law is rarely enforced, and large-scale open-air cultivation sites have sprung up in the north of the country.

The scientists reached this conclusion after reviewing the literature on the subject. The effects of cannabinoids on different types of cancer, and the anti-nausea, appetite-stimulating and pain-relieving properties of cannabis have been proven. In fact, a recent study revealed that the properties of two molecules, cannflavin A and cannflavin B, In terms of inflammation reduction, it is said to be 30 times superior to aspirin. Many people already knew this empirically. In the United States, research into consumption patterns showed that a majority (63%) of those surveyed indicated that they used cannabis for therapeutic purposes, in particular to reduce chronic pain.

In addition to treating the symptoms of chemotherapy side effects, cannabis could also slow the growth of cancer cells and even kill cancer cells in certain cases, the researchers wrote. A study published in 2018 had shown that cannabinoids were effective in the treatment of certain diseases. against colon cancer,since purified cannabinoids prevent cancer cells from proliferating and metastasizing. Another study studied the antineoplastic effect of CBD, i.e. its ability to prevent the development and growth of a cluster of cells, in this case cancer cells.

Less research has so far been conducted on the effects of cannabis on oral and liver lung cancers, but the authors of this study documented cases in which mice with certain types of lung cancer treated with THC showed a «notable reduction in subcutaneous tumor growth and lung metastasis» of these cells, «explaining its importance as a new therapeutic molecule in the treatment of lung cancer».