Cancer affects us all- even if you’ve never had it yourself, you’re practically guaranteed to know someone who has. It’s a sad reality, but that’s what also makes the cancer fighting aspects of cannabis so exciting.
The “Applications in Cancer Treatment” panel, moderated by Constance Finley of Constance Therapeutics, features Dr. Dave Hepburn, a retired doctor, ‘medutainer’, and award-winning columnist; Mara Gordon, a former process engineer and founder of Aunt Zelda’s; and Beth Harris, a breast cancer survivor and Patient Ambassador at Aphria.
Right now the medical community is at a tipping point as more and more GP’s and specialists start to confront their “loosely formed, firmly held beliefs” (in Dr. Hepburn’s words) about cannabis in the face of all the research over the last few years.
Cannabis has a long history of being overlooked and even stigmatized in the traditionally conservative medical community, and it’s encouraging to see this exploration of the potential benefits of the plant, particularly when it comes to helping patients deal with the symptoms of chemotherapy and in light of the opioid epidemic currently raging in North America.
Watching this panel, you’ll learn a lot, just as I did, such as:
Did you know that one of the most common causes for liver transplants is Tylenol?
I also learned that there are over 200 types of cancers, and each cancer can have multiple subtypes and mechanisms of action- breast cancer alone has four major molecular subtypes!
Another thing I learned was that THC and CBD are not ‘milligram per kilogram’ medicines which makes it different from many of the other pharmaceutical drugs that medical practitioners usually prescribe. So when it comes to cannabis, one size does NOT fit all. You need to tailor treatment to the patient.
Also, were you aware that the Canadian government has limited the potency of cannabis extracts? The moderator say this shows that the government is not taking cannabis seriously as a medicine because if it was, you would leave it to the people, physicians, and scientists to decide what potency levels need to be explored.
The panels also speak on the importance of getting the right information, and recommends going to academic journals and being wary of what you might see on Google, Facebook, and blogs. If any of them use the word “cure”, “miracle” or “magic”, RUN!
Later on, they open up the floor to the audience and answer questions on cannabis and mental health, cannabis’ impact on the developing brain and children, and its potential for treating opioid addiction and depression.
For all that and so much more, check out the video!