Cannabis , also known as marijuana, is a plant from Central Asia that is grown in many parts of the world today. The Cannabis plant produces a resin containing compounds called cannabinoids. Some cannabinoids are psychoactive (acting on the brain and changing mood or consciousness). In the United States, Cannabis is a controlled substance and has been classified as a Schedule I agent (a drug with a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use).

Clinical trials that study medicinal Cannabis in cancer are limited. To do research with Cannabis in the United States, researchers must file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), receive a Schedule I license from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and gain approval from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). In other words, there are a lot of road blocks from government agencies who earn their budget enforcing drug laws, or who receive investments and funding from  interests in competing products or services.

By federal law, the possession of Cannabis (marijuana) is illegal in the United States outside of approved research settings. However, a growing number of states, territories, and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana.

The above chart shows just a few of the mostly studied cannabinoids in cannabis. Cannabinoids are active chemicals in Cannabis that cause drug-like effects throughout the body, including the central nervous system and the immune system. They are also known as phytocannabinoids. The cannabinoids our own bodies produce are called endocannabinoids. The main active cannabinoid in Cannabis is delta-9-THC. Another active cannabinoid is cannabidiol (CBD), which may relieve pain and lower inflammation without causing the “high” of delta-9-THC. There are over 100 cannabinoids found in cananbis. Regardless of the activity of one cannabinoid, researchers have come to the conclusion that the WHOLE plant works together in what has been come to be known as the entourage effect.

Cannabinoids may be useful in treating the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment, among many other medical conditions due to the endocannabinoid system which has been identified as a modulator for other systems in our body.   

Other possible effects of cannabinoids include:

The use of Cannabis for medicinal purposes dates back at least 3,000 years. It came into use in Western medicine in the 19th century and was said to relieve pain, inflammation, spasms, and convulsions.

In 1937, the U.S. Treasury began taxing Cannabis under the Marijuana Tax Act at one dollar per ounce for medicinal use and one hundred dollars per ounce for non-medical use. The American Medical Association (AMA) opposed this regulation of Cannabis and did not want studies of its potential medicinal benefits to be limited. In 1942, Cannabis was removed from the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. In 1951, Congress passed the Boggs Act, which included Cannabis with narcotic drugs for the first time.

Under the Controlled Substances Act passed by Congress in 1970, marijuana was classified as a Schedule I drug. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD, mescaline, methaqualone, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

Although Cannabis was known to have medicinal uses, those uses were greatly guarded until the U.S. government distributed it to patients on a case-by-case basis under the Compassionate Use Investigational New Drug (IND) program started in 1978. This program was closed to new patients in 1992.

Researchers have studied how cannabinoids act on the brain and other parts of the body. Cannabinoid receptors (molecules that bind cannabinoids) have been discovered in brain cells and nerve cells in other parts of the body. The presence of cannabinoid receptors on immune system cells suggests that cannabinoids may have a role in immunity. The endocannabinoid system that marijuana attaches to appears to provide balance to other systems.

Though federal law prohibits the use of Cannabis, the map above shows the states and territories that have legalized Cannabis for medical purposes. Some other states have legalized only one ingredient in Cannabis, such as cannabidiol (CBD), and these states are not included in the map. Medical marijuana laws vary from state to state. Some of the main differences in Florida as compared to other medical marijuana states are:

• Florida patients are not allowed to grow their own plants for personal consumption.
• Florida patients are not allowed edibles. Update: Edibles have been approved and will slowly become available as growers are able to produce their products.
• Florida sells no fresh plants, (which offer enormous health benefits when juiced or eaten raw). Florida patients are missing out on CBDA, and THCA both highly potent antioxidants which have been shown to kill cancer cells and provide other medicinal benefits with no psycho-activity.  
• Florida patients must have an order entered into the Registry before they can purchase. 
• Although vaporizing is allowed, it is illegal to smoke marijuana in Florida. This is a hotly contested topic, as marijuana has been smoked for thousands of years, and is one of the fastest delivery methods and easiest dosing methods, as smaller amounts can be used and within minutes effects are felt.  Also, in a UCLA study by Dr. Donald Tashkin smoked marijuana appeared to provide a protective effect against lung cancer among heavy cannabis smokers who were also heavy cigarette smokers, and found no connection to smoked marijuana and lung cancer. Vaporizing is a low temperature heating that releases the essential oils from the plant.  In Florida only concentrates are available which can be vaporized.  The State of Florida has been served with a lawsuit to allow access to the actual plant material (dried bud) which can also be vaporized. 

The above chart shows the various delivery methods that have been used throughout history. Smoking and vaporizing are two of the fastest delivery methods, but they also allow the patient to access smaller doses to realize the medical benefit quicker without excess dosing. The raw delivery method would allow patients to juice fresh from the garden which would require the patient to grow their own. Juicing provides excellent health benefits from CBGA, CBG, THCA, and CBDA with no psychoactivity. These cannabinoids in their fresh raw form provide potent anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective (alzheimers) benefits, as well as powerful anti-emetic properties for treatment of nausea and weight loss. The CBDA found in fresh cannabis also has been found to be anti-proliferative (prevents cancer cells from spreading).