Pot Shrinks Brain Tumors In Mice

Posting Date: 07/14/2000

Original broadcast date: April 19, 2000

Researchers in Madrid are experimenting with the anticancer properties of marijuana and coming up with surprising results.

In tests on rats, certain cannabinoids were found to shrink some tumors and slow growth in others, according to a report in Nature Science.

The tumors, known as malignant gliomas, are a terrible form of cancer in humans where even aggressive treatment results in a depressingly brief period of survival.

This study did not look at whether smoking or ingesting marijuana could cure this type of cancer. Instead, researchers isolated a chemical from the plant and applied it directly to tumors with an intracerebral catheter.

This research is exciting because it may point in the right direction. Further study should be encouraged. It would be a real breakthrough to find a therapeutic approach for the treatment of malignant gliomas using the active ingredients of marijuana.

Source: Nature Science, March 2000

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