To the Editor:

Regarding the article about treating lung cancer with cannabis [“IAS Professor’s ‘Adventures in Potland’ In Search of Treatment for Lung Cancer,” Topics of the Town, Dec, 24]. I would like to provide more information about this issue and how deep this really goes.

Last month I was flown to Australia to speak at the Inaugural Medicinal Cannabis Conference about cannabis and cancer. I wrote a report, found at CannabisExtractReport.com, which includes medical documentation of terminal cancer patients in full remission from using cannabis extracts. There is also work from doctors, dispensaries, corporations, and caregivers from across the world.

I have personally watched two close family friends use cannabis extracts with remarkable efficacy. I have met several of the terminal cancer survivors from my report. There is absolutely no doubt that cannabis extracts fight cancer in humans, and thousands of lives can be saved by adding them as part of an integrative cancer treatment plan.

The scientific evidence is far stronger than most people realize. For one, phytocannabinoids like THC and CBD have been shown to kill or inhibit virtually any cancer imaginable. That alone is pretty incredible, but as you well know, plenty of things show potential in cells and animals but don’t translate to humans. What’s different about cannabinoids is that we already have endogenous cannabinoids like anandamide in our bodies that kill cancer cells through the same mechanisms as phytocannabinoids. Our endocannabinoid systems help protect us from cancer, and phytocannabinoids work through this system.

Furthermore, many of the other cell and animal-level results have conclusively been proven to translate to humans. Anti-epileptic, anti-nausea, analgesic, and anti-psychotic effects have been proven in double-blind, placebo-controlled or otherwise well-controlled trials to work in humans. So why not cancer? The pre-clinical evidence is just as strong and there are so many documented testimonials.

It is important to point out that cannabis extracts do not work for everyone, and some cancers and people seem to be resistant. More research is needed to fully understand the capabilities and limits of cannabis extracts. Any patient needs to keep this in mind when making their treatment decisions. Despite the imperfect nature of cannabis extracts, which is to be expected given the lack of clinical trials, all cancer patients should have access to cannabis medicine and immediate research must be initiated. Every day we wait as millions suffer, and with the knowledge we have, that cannot be allowed.

I also want to mention that the FDA recently approved a pharmaceutical CBD product as an orphan drug to directly treat glioma. This is a tacit admission by the United States government that a cannabinoid can fight cancer in humans. There is also a detailed study in the November 2013 issue of “Case Reports in Oncology” which documents leukemia going into remission from extracts. That’s less than one percent of the evidence, but pretty convincing in itself that this movement is legitimate.

Justin Kander

Baltimore, Md.