Medical cannabis in supportive cancer care: lessons from Canada

Abstract

Medical cannabis, or cannabinoid-based products, continues to grow in popularity globally, driving the evolution of regulatory access frameworks; cancer patients and caregivers often rely on guidance from their physicians regarding cannabinoid-based treatments. But the majority of healthcare practitioners still feel unprepared and insufficiently informed to make reasonable, evidence-based recommendations about medical cannabis. More than 30 countries worldwide have now legalized access to medical cannabis; yet various nations still face arduous regulatory challenges to fulfill the needs of patients, healthcare practitioners, and other medical stakeholders. This has affected the deployment of comprehensive medical cannabis access programs adapted to cultural and social realities. With a 20-year history of legal medical cannabis access and nearly 400,000 registered patients under its federal access program, Canada serves as a model for countries which are developing their regulatory frameworks. The Canadian clinical experience in cannabinoid-based treatments is also a valuable source of lessons for healthcare professionals who wish to better understand the current evidence examining medical cannabis for oncology patients.

Cancer Initiation, Progression and Resistance: Are Phytocannabinoids from Cannabis sativa L. Promising Compounds?

“…The role of Cannabis sativa in medicine is rapidly evolving. More than 30 countries worldwide have now legalized access to medical use of Cannabis [ 146 , 147 ]. A prospective observational study showed that many cancer-related symptoms improve significantly with Cannabis consumption.…”

Cannabinoids in disorders of gut-brain interaction and gastrointestinal motility

“…Although cannabis has been used for thousands of years to treat diverse medical conditions and symptoms 10 , its clinical use, research, and development have been hindered by global prohibition throughout the last century. Significant barriers remain, including variable and complex regulatory restrictions, paucity of high-quality clinical evidence and limitations on research development, social stigma, and limited medical cannabis academic training of health-care professionals 11 . At present, < 13% of patients with gastrointestinal disorders consult with their physician about proper cannabinoid prescription and optimal medical guidance 12 .…”

Cannabis and Canabidinoids on the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Going Beyond Misuse

“…Naftali et al 2011 [13] Retrospective observational study/Israel 30 patients (26 men and 4 women; 21-65 y) with CD using cannabis (because of lack of response to conventional therapy) were interviewed. Four patients used recreational cannabis.…”

“…It is also worth remembering that the use of CS still leads to numerous questions about effectiveness and safety, making healthcare professionals still very concerned about the adverse effects such as psychotropic side effects, increase food intake, short-term memory, and other cognitive deficits [13,51].…”

“…These compounds seem to play a substantial role as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can be beneficial in the therapeutic approach of several diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, neuropathic pain, chronic pain, anxiety, schizophrenia, and cancer. IBD patients can also benefit from the use of this plant or its derivatives [7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”