Daily Beast - As the movement to end marijuana prohibition continues to steamroll its way through the United States, a formerly bitter rival may be softening its stance. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a government agency tasked with researching and combatting drug abuse, has offered a subtle change to the language on its page dedicated to marijuana.
On their website, drugabuse.gov, in the language under “How Might Cannabinoids Be Useful As Medicine,” they have noted:
“For instance, recent animal studies have shown that marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. Evidence from one cell culture study 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. Research in mice showed that treatment with purified extracts of THC and CBD, when used with radiation, increased the cancer-killing effects of the radiation (Scott, 2014).”
Still, NIDA spokesperson Kathryn Kaplan says any changes to the fact sheet don’t necessarily reflect a policy shift.
“NIDA periodically updates its fact sheets to reflect the most current research. The excerpt you referenced was from a study that was published in 2014 and we found it to be relevant information that was worth including on a recent update. The study was funded by a research grant awarded to W.M. Liu from GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Salisbury, United Kingdom,” Kaplan wrote to The Daily Beast.
“This is not a shift in language or stance, but rather part of NIDA’s effort to provide the most up to date information and research to the public.”
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