The National Institute on Drug Abuse has officially admitted that marijuana extracts can kill cancer cells.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a U.S. government research institute whose mission includes “bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.”
The institute recently revised a page on its website entitled “Drugfacts: Is Marijuana Medicine?”
The revision cited a study conducted by a group of scientists at St. George’s University, London.
The study showed that marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. The study also cited that one particular cell culture suggests that purified extracts from whole-plant marijuana can slow the growth of cancer cells from one of the most serious types of brain tumors.
The revision also cited study published in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal. This study found that cannabis helps reduce the growth of new brain cancer cells.
To date, 23 states have legalized marijuana in some capacity and an additional 12 states have legalized limited medical use of non-psychoactive cannabis extracts. 4 states as well as the District of Columbia have legalized recreation marijuana. However the federal government maintains a ban on all marijuana use.
The Department of Justice asserted in a recent statement, released this past week, that although it will not stop states that allow medical marijuana from carrying out their programs, it will still go after marijuana users as a violation of the Controlled Substances Act.
Congress passed a medical marijuana amendment which prohibits the Department of Justice from using funds to interfere with state medical marijuana laws.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s recent admission about the efficacy and benefits of medical marijuana, coupled with the U.S. Department of Justice’s vow to continue cracking down on marijuana creates a major hypocrisy by the government.