Cannabis oil and cancer

Cannabis is a plant. It produces a resin that contains different substances. Some of these may have medicinal value. These substances are called cannabinoids.

2 of the main cannabinoids are:

• THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabidiol)
• CBD (cannabidiol).

THC is a psychoactive substance. This means it can affect your mood and how you feel so that you feel ‘high’ or ‘stoned’. CBD does not cause these effects.

You have probably heard many names for cannabis. These include marijuana, hemp, pot, grass and hash. Cannabis has been used both medicinally and recreationally for thousands of years.

Different types of cannabis contain different amounts of THC and CBD. For example, hemp comes from a cannabis plant that contains only a very small amount of THC. Hemp oil is used as a food supplement or in products like soaps.

Cannabis is classified as a class B drug in the UK. This means it is illegal to have it or sell it. The laws about cannabis mean that:

• cannabinoid THC and products that contain THC are illegal in the UK
• CBD is legal.

There are some medicines available in the UK that come from cannabis. These include:

• Sativex^®, which is used to treat multiple sclerosis
• Nabilone^®, which is used to relieve sickness caused by chemotherapy.

These medicines go through a process to make sure they are safe to be licensed in the UK. This is the same process that is used to decide whether any medicine can be prescribed in the UK.

Medicinal cannabis (also called cannabis-based products for medicinal use) was legalised in the UK in November 2018. This means it can be prescribed by specialist doctors for certain medical conditions. These conditions include rare, severe forms of epilepsy and severe spasticity (muscle stiffness and spasms) caused by multiple sclerosis. Medicinal cannabis cannot currently be prescribed for cancer or pain.

Many types of cannabis oil and CBD oil are sold online. Cannabis oil can contain different amounts of THC and CBD.

CBD oil is also sold in some shops, such as health food shops. CBD oil in its pure form does not contain THC. This means it does not have any psychoactive effects (it does not make you feel stoned).

CBD oil is not a controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act. It can be sold in the UK as a food supplement, if the seller does not make any claims about its medicinal properties.

There are different ways of taking CBD oil. These include a liquid that you put under your tongue, or capsules that you swallow.

Understandably, many people want to try anything that may help treat cancer, particularly if things are not going well with conventional cancer treatments. This could be if they have cancer themselves, or if a loved one has cancer.

But if you are thinking about using CBD oil, there are some important things to consider.

It is important to talk to your cancer doctor before using CBD oil. CBD can affect some cancer treatments, and your cancer doctor needs to know about any possible effects or side effects you might have.

Buying cannabis products, including CBD oil, online can be risky. They are not regulated, so often the quality and what is in them is not known.

In 2017, a researcher tested 84 CBD products sold online. The results showed that:

• about 1 in 4 (26%) contained less CBD than stated on the label
• almost half (48%) contained more CBD than stated on the label
• more than 1 in 5 (21%) contained THC.

There are side effects of using cannabis oil. THC can:

• increase your heart rate
• cause dizziness, hallucinations and paranoia
• make you feel stoned.

CBD and THC can affect how some medicines work.