Top Cancer Institute Says Cannabis Can Reduce Tumours, Then Changes Its Mind

The United States' National Cancer Institute finally comes clean on cannabis :

'The potential benefits of medicinal Cannabis for people living with cancer include antiemetic effects, appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. In the practice of integrative oncology, the health care provider may recommend medicinal Cannabis not only for symptom management but also for its possible direct antitumor effect."

But only for a few days. That sentence was scrubbed and replaced, with this :

'The potential benefits of medicinal Cannabis for people living with cancer include antiemetic effects, appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. Though no relevant surveys of practice patterns exist, it appears that physicians caring for cancer patients who prescribe medicinal Cannabis predominantly do so for symptom management.'"

But even the reworded advice from the NCI counts as a victory for medicinal cannabis advocates :

Medical marijuana advocates said they suspected political pressure forced the change, but considered even the current website language a victory, since NCI still touts the "potential benefits" of cannabis for treatment of symptoms of people living with cancer, such as pain and sleep problems.

"We're very pleased that NCI, and really NIH, have finally recognized marijuana as a complementary alternative medicine," said Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, which promotes medical marijuana use and research. "That is a significant step forward. But just as importantly, it points to a contradiction in the federal policy on medical marijuana, and it's a contradiction that needs to be resolved."