Why So Little Quality Cannabis & Cancer Research?

I guess most people’s question about Cannabis and Cancer is if it’s effective then why is there so little evidence? Well, I came across this article earlier on today and they put across the following three reasons which I don’t think I could have written better myself:

“First, its illegal status has thrown substantial bureaucratic barriers to designing trials evaluating an anti-cancer effect.

Second, as a plant product, it is difficult to circumnavigate the rules of licencing organisations such as the MHRA and FDA who require precise levels of active ingredients. For most plant based products sources from various farms across the World it is difficult to achieve this. Companies such as GWpharma, who have conducted the trials on multiple sclerosis and epilepsy grow their crops in heavily guarded hermetically sealed biospheres; the seeds, soil, nutrients, water and light have to be identical for each crop and even then, they have to measure the levels of THC and CBD and only select the plants within a strict concentration band – This level of technology is outside the abilities of most companies.

The final and probably most important point. Cannabis itself cannot be patented or intellectually protected so that pharmaceutic companies are reluctant to invest millions of dollars in trial development when the results could just be copied the product made by rival companies.”

These three reasons, I believe, are important in justifying why more independently funded research is needed into Cannabis and Cancer and more awareness needs to be generated.