New Study Suggests Cannabis Plants May be Able to Absorb Cancer-Causing Heavy Metals — Authors Warn About Dangers to Cancer Patients

It’s important to keep in mind, however, that while it’s great to be aware of any hazards with the products you consume, the medical cannabis supply is diverse and there are a lot of options. As with anything we consume, being aware of where the product comes from and how it’s processed is helpful.

The results of the study were published in Toxin Reviews and authors shared how they learned some cannabis strains are commonly used for phytoremediation, which is the use of plants to remove pollutants from soil, water, or air. However, using the plants for phytoremediation can facilitate the absorption of heavy metals.

What Does This Mean for Cancer Patients?

The researchers discovered that lead, cadmium, and chromium in particular were capable of being transported and distributed through the stalk and into the leaves and flowers of the plants. So, what does this mean for people who use cannabis products? Bengyella said that smoking the cannabis products would pose the biggest threat. “It is disturbing to realize that the cannabis products being used by consumers, especially cancer patients, may be causing unnecessary harm to their bodies,” he said.

A solution for consumers would be to be wary of where you are purchasing products from. However, study authors said that a more widespread solution would be for those growing the products to avoid practices that put their plants at risk.

The team offered three recommendations when it comes to growing cannabis: “avoid abandoned industrial sites, perform air quality analyses before establishing a farm, and conduct a soil pH test because pH can impact the quantity of heavy metals a plant absorbs.”

How Can Medical Marijuana Help Cancer Patients?

People with all sorts of cancers have turned to medical marijuana to help alleviate side effects that can come with treatment. Many patients prefer the products to narcotics or other pain killers as they feel cannabis is less harsh on their bodies and, in some cases, even more effective.

Experts may prescribe it to deal with a host of side effects, like:

• Nausea
• Lack of appetite
• Pain
• Insomnia
• Depression

In a previous chat with SurvivorNet, Integrative Cannabis Physician Dr. Junella Chin explained that a plant-based approach can tackle several side effects that doctors would otherwise have to write several prescriptions for.

“Chemotherapy patients usually come to see me if they have nausea, if they have decreased appetite, if they have pain, if they have insomnia, and if they’re depressed,” she explained. “I could in essence write four or five different prescription medications, which a lot of physicians do, a lot of oncologists do — or we can try having the patient take one plant-based medicine first.”

Dr. Junella Chin explains how medical marijuana can be used to help alleviate cancer treatment side effects.

Is Medical Marijuana Dangerous?

While it’s been shown to be a useful tool for many people going through cancer treatment, it’s still important to remember that smoking marijuana could be dangerous as well. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of research about how marijuana smoke affects the lungs. With cigarettes, there is decades of documentation that smoking leads to lung cancer and other ailments. But some physicians fear smoking marijuana could be really dangerous as well.

In a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, Dr. Raja Flores, Chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, warned that the idea that smoking marijuana is a safer option than cigarettes or drinking alcohol is a dangerous one — because it can’t be backed up with concrete evidence.

“There is a lobby out there that is trying to say that marijuana's better than drinking, that it's safer, that it doesn't cause cancer, and that you should do that — and they're both bad," Dr. Flores said. “There is no real good population-based study that looks at marijuana smoking, and that has had enough time elapsed to show its association with lung cancer.”

Dr. Raja Flores explains that smoking marijuana could be linked to cancer, but there have been no long-term studies to prove it yet. 

Because establishing a clear link to cancer requires a lot of time and resources, for now, people who wish to use it will have to weigh risks vs. rewards. Also, keep in mind, medical cannabis can be consumed in several other ways besides smoking.

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