The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to a company called Curaleaf — which markets products containing cannabidiol (CBD) — claiming the company is making unsubstantiated claims that its products can treat cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, opioid withdrawal, pain, anxiety, and other ailments. In a letter to the company, the FDA said that making sure products derived from cannabis are not marketed in a way that’s hazardous to public health is a top priority.
“Selling unapproved products with unsubstantiated therapeutic claims such as claims that CBD products can treat serious diseases and conditions can put patients and consumers at risk by leading them to put off important medical care,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, M.D.
Read MoreCoincidentally, also today, former Miss UK Kerri Parker, 34, made headlines for claiming that a brain tumor she was treating with medical marijuana had “shrunk.” Parker was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013; she underwent surgery at that time to have her tumor removed. However, in September of 2018, Parker’s cancer returned — and her doctors urged her to undergo chemotherapy and radiation to get rid of it.
But, the former Miss UK, Ms Europe, and Playboy bunny did not want to give up her life competing in beauty pageants, and opted for medical marijuana and a change in her diet instead. She’s now claiming that she was able to shrink her brain tumor and that her brain is the “best it’s ever been.” She’s now planning to head to the Bahamas in a few weeks to compete in a Ms World pageant. What’s more, Parker is also claiming she lost a significant amount of weight — going from a UK size 6 to a size 0 — because she claims the cannabis “purged” her body of cancer.
While there are certainly outliers, and what those in the medical profession call “exceptional responders,” there simply isn’t enough evidence to show that medical marijuana can play any role in actually treating cancer. As the FDA Commissioner said in today’s statement to Curaleaf, “There are many unanswered questions about the science, safety, effectiveness and quality of unapproved products containing CBD.”
Even with the warning from the FDA, it’s clear why people suffering from serious illnesses — like Miss Parker — would opt for a treatment that doesn’t come with the notorious side-effects that chemotherapy does. But it’s really important to note: the science simply isn’t there to support marijuana as a treatment for cancer. Marijuana, and its derivatives like CBD, can be used, however, to treat the symptoms that are often associated with cancer treatment.
Dr. Junella Chin, an Integrative Cannabis Physician at MedLeafRX, explained to SurvivorNet that cannabis is a great option to manage several of the side effects that come along with cancer treatment. Though it is not a cure, cannabis is effective because it can relieve several symptoms at one time; whereas doctors prescribing non plant-based products may have to write several different prescriptions for several different side effects.
“A chemotherapy patient usually comes to see me if they have nausea, if they have decreased appetite, if they have pain, if they have insomnia, and if they're depressed," Dr. Chin said. “Medical cannabis if you think about it, it's the only botanical medicine, it's the only plant-based medicine that can help nausea, increase appetite, decrease pain, and elevate mood. So I could in essence write four or five different prescription medications which a lot of physicians do, a lot of oncologists do, or we can try having the patient take one plant-based medicine first."
So while many oncologist support the use of medical marijuana as an integrative medicine (meaning it is used along with scientifically proven treatments), it is absolutely not recommended as an alternative medicine (a treatment used in the place of proven treatment).
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