Approached as a groundbreaking documentary which proves that cannabis cures cancer — the word “if” appears in the title, not the content – What If Cannabis Cured Cancer falls short of the mark. Nonetheless, the DVD presents compelling evidence that cannabis has the potential to prevent or reverse diseases which began appearing with greater frequency after the advent of the Industrial Age.
Unfortunately, What If Cannabis Cured Cancer makes one claim for cannabis as miracle cure after another, which makes the following disclaimer more baffling: “This film makes no medical claims.”
What do the following quotes sound like to you?
- Marijuana seeks out the cancer cells and preferentially kills them over the healthy cells.
- Instructs cancer cells to commit suicide.
- Tumors will regress and disappear.
- Cannabinoids cure cancer cells in many cases.
- Prevents [not “might prevent”] cancer cells from proliferating.
- Prevents [not “may slow”] growth of tumors.
- Prevents [not “can sometimes prevent”] cancer from spreading to other organs and tissues.
- Induces the body to speed the death of all abnormal cells without disturbing normal cells.
- Cannaboloids kill cancer cells in many cases.
- We know that it [cannabis] kills cancer cells without hurting the non-transformed cells.
There is not a single dissenting opinion solicited or offered throughout the film’s 48 minutes.
The film is less than a minute old when it presumes no one’s going to bitch about a statement like “marijuana is never toxic or lethal.” Tell that to my 21-year old daughter, Isabelle. This past winter, in the home stretch studying for final exams, Isabelle was scavenging her condo’s cupboards. She found a cookie she had no idea a roommate had “activated.” One bite later, Isabelle had punched her ticket to Boulder Community Hospital’s emergency room — admitted with an elevated heart rate of 185.
According to every major dictionary, the word “toxic” isn’t limited to “deadly,” it also means “capable of causing injury.” So, when the film presents a wheelbarrow full of buds and basically says, “This is the amount you’d have to smoke to seriously injure yourself” … that’s just not believable. If you have the right body chemistry, one bite does the trick.
I’m a little mystified why medical marijuana advocates aren’t satisfied calling a wonderful plant wonderful.
That’s not good enough?
No.
They have to sell cannabis as a perfect plant with no downside whatsoever, one which has never harmed a soul in the entire recorded history of mankind. I’m not a regular purchaser of absolutes [“always,” “never”] and I’m not buying one now.
Some people are simply not meant for the weed, no matter how magically it may work for for others. Just like some people don’t do well with gluten. The possibility that someone could be allergic to cannabis does not seem to have been considered by the production team.
Ask Isabelle if she believes the statement, “Each and every one of us is wired to accept cannabinoids.” It’s not enough that many of us do well with cannabis? It has to be all things to all people?
Unless you happen to feel that informal testing on some types of mice substitutes for clinical testing on all types of humans, you, too, might balk at swallowing What If Cannabis Cured Cancer’s bait hook, line, and sinker.
All that said, What If Cannabis Cured Cancer convincingly illustrates cannabis’ promise for treating a broad spectrum of diseases. It tackles cannabis’ holistic properties on the molecular level, explaining how a humble plant biomimics helathy human systems — and it puts it all across in a clear manner a four-year old could follow.
The producers provide the exact right level of detail. The film really succeeds at humanizing the science behind THC, cannabis’ star molecule, resinous pride of the trichomes.
What If Cannabis Cured Cancer’s writing really rocks. Len Richmond’s script dives deep into the chemistry of THC and its pyschotropic sub-compound, Star Trekishly dubbed Delta 9. The chemistry of cannabis is an arcane area where less assured communicators fear to tread. The virtual cannabis course even names names of specific cannabinoids [compounds like CBC], encapsulating each one’s role in maintaining vitality.
Choosing Peter Coyote as narrator was a masterstroke. Coyote’s phrasing is beyond confident. We somehow accept his hour-long Chemistry lecture without “reaching for the remote.” The same subject matter delivered by less soulful voiceover talent could have easily gone over peoples’ heads. I’ve watched this DVD several times with people who were on the fence about legalization. It was obvious that Coyote’s winning intonation — carved in the collective unconscious after narrating for top documentary makers like Ken Burns — was a big reason they opened up to the film’s controversial views.
Despite my reservations about its unnecessarily brazen claims, I can easily see What If Cannabis Cured Cancer winning converts to the cause. It shows the plant’s undeniable effectiveness as a free-radical scavenging antioxidant, it provides forensic evidence why the aromatic herb fell out of the pharmacopoeia after the 1920s, and it includes footage of various government officials and agencies covering up knowledge about cannabis’ obvious medical benefits.
The graphics aren’t quite as lavish as what we’ve seen in, say, An Inconvenient Truth, but they do a more than adequate job of presenting technical and scientific jargon in viewable form that a chimp could comprehend at a glance.
What If Cannabis Cured Cancer does a great job of anticipating viewers’ questions, like:
- If cannabis might be the miracle cancer cure that everybody’s been searching for, why don’t doctors everywhere know about it?
- Why aren’t billions of dollars being directed at organizations that raise money for cancer therapy?
- Why does the corporate media continue to connect marijuana only with gangs, violent drug dealers, and society’s losers, not the growing number of doctors and scientists who are discovering its benefits?
- What stops marijuana from being legalized for medical use all over the country?
The DVD tackles all these and more . . . even if the answers don’t quite complete the puzzle. At least director Richmond makes an earnest effort to fill in the blanks and defuse fears about medicinal use.
To its credit, as soon as I heard the documentary’s claims for curing cancer, my first reaction was “Show me,” as in, “Where’s the clip of cannabis destroying cancer cells?” Richmond provides it, albeit it’s a ten-second snippet taken too far out of context to qualify as irrefutable evidence. But he anticipated the viewer’s desire to see it with his own eyes.
What If Cannabis Cured Cancer shows that endocannabinoids present in the plant bear an uncanny resemblance to endocannabinoids in our own body chemistry. We also learn that at least one physician believes marijuana can tame psychosis – directly contradicting the longstanding myth that it causes it.
Suffice it to say that had the film’s producers set out to prove that cannabis was God’s gift, they would have succeeded. But it’s not possible to prove that cannabis cures cancer without a heck of a lot more research. The film sure tries, though!
What’s missing? I would have liked a little more about how chemists can manipulate, isolate, or subtract the psychotropic compounds from THC, clearing the way for calming preparations which could replace a true drug like Ritalin. And more about how medical marijuana initiatives keep the status quo of cannabis as a Schedule One drug in place, blocking clinical studies from taking place in an ironic twist.
The production values of What If Cannabis Cured Cancer are commendable. If there’s a better DVD about the science of cannabinoids, I’d like to see it. Ultimately, the film makes too many black and white generalizations. There is no perfect substance on Planet Earth – cannabis included.
I could recommend the DVD more if it claimed cannabis is a great help for most people most of the time – as opposed to all people all of the time. Nonetheless, blemishes and all, What If Cannabis Cured Cancer should be required viewing for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge of the magical weed.
12 comments
Len Richmond says:
Jun 1, 2011
I appreciate your intelligent review of my film, “What if Cannabis Cured Cancer”. I just wanted to point out that cannabis’ ability to treat and yes cure cancer was highlighted in the film because that’s what the doctors I interviewed believed – and they’re the ones working with cancer patients. It’s not as far fetched as you seem to think. Only a couple months ago, the government’s own National Cancer Institute came out a statement acknowledging marijuana’s ability to shrink tumors. Regarding your daughter’s unfortunate trip to the ER, in all my considerable research, I have never heard of a case of pot causing a person’s pulse rate to go up that high. But if that person inadvertently eats a pot cookie and then freaks out, it’s called a panic attack, and that, indeed, can cause your pulse to skyrocket. The doctors at the hospital may have thought otherwise, but many doctors have been brainwashed by misinformation about this gentle medicinal herb, that is in fact, heart protective. Cheers, Len Richmond
Lory Kohn says:
Jun 1, 2011
Hi Len, good to hear from you. May I respectfully ask you to re-read my review? I think if you go over it again, you’ll find I don’t really say or imply that cannabis curing cancer is far-fetched. To sum up the review in a sentence, my position is you certainly proved that cannabis has tremendous potential to treat and cure cancer, but although the doctors you quoted said what they said, I don’t believe your excellent documentary proved their claims unequivocally in the film’s 48 minutes. But I would not be surprised at all if their claims turn out to be true after clinical research on humans is performed. Without reprising the daughter unit’s experience already detailed, I’ll speak from personal experience and say that consuming a lot of marijuana does not make me a better person or a healthier person. If I don’t do it in moderation, it’s not helpful. In fact, too much of it makes me prone to depression – so it’s not a universal anti-depressant. It is true that some peoples’ body chemistrys seem to be able to handle constant hammering all day long and be the better for it — particularly if they have an illness they’re trying to mitigate. But, surely, Len, you’ve met some people in your travels who don’t do well with marijuana?
Isabelle Kohn says:
Jun 22, 2011
Dear Len,
I haven’t seen your film, but I have heard some great things about it.
Interestingly enough the first symptom I experienced after (unknowingly) consuming the cannabis cookie, was a rapidly and painfully increased heart rate. It is not possible that I was having what you call a “panic attack” at that point, because at the moment of my heart rate increase, I had nothing to panic about. I was of course concerned that my heart had increased so rapidly, but that was not my only symptom.
Next, I began to have difficulty breathing. I went to look in the mirror and one of my pupils had dilated fully and the other was almost completely constricted. At this point, I did begin to panic, thinking I was having a stroke or a seizure. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I started shaking violently. Then my limbs stiffened and began to contract and flail about as if I was having a violent seizure. I couldn’t speak. My entire body became catatonic, locked in agonizing and disturbing positions. I literally thought I was going to die.
I have never had a panic attack before, and have no problems with anxiety. I believe I did panic after being so confused about what was wrong with me, but how could I panic before anything happened? The painful and terrifying symptoms from the cannabis came before the panic, and that is why I agree with Lory that cannabis may not be suitable for everyone.
The emergency room doctor thought it was an allergic reaction to cannabis, given my medical history and testimonials from my family that I am not an anxious person, or do not suffer from any anxiety disorders. I do not appreciate your attempt to diagnose what happened to me as a “panic attack” given your professional status as a talented film maker (not medical professional).
I also have several friends who feel extremely uncomfortable when they smoke or ingest cannabis. A few become paranoid and depressed, and a few experience some of the symptoms I did, but to a lesser degree. Most people I know who smoke or ingest it feel great, but not everyone.
I do not think it would be valid, or clinically correct to say that it works for everyone. I also think it is important to note that no recognized or published clinical trials on the ability of cannabis to destroy cancerous cells has been conducted in the US due to its classification as a schedule one drug. It seems to me that this is a case of confirmation bias — a bias that occurs in clinical studies in which you see the results you want to see, or emphasize the results you want to see over what really occurred. It is wholly possible that cannabis does in fact attack some cancerous cells, but if this were 100% true and clinically valid, you would think that conglomerate drug companies would have harnessed the component of cannabis that does this and used it to make morbidly expensive anti-cancer drugs for profit.
It seems too good to be completely true.
Len Richmond says:
Jul 3, 2011
Hey, what do I know? I’m just a filmmaker. But I do have obsessive compulsive disorder, and so I know something about panic attacks. I have no qualifications to understand the symptoms of whatever kind of attack it was, but it’s very easy and careless for doctors to blame it on pot. I am a 67 year-old hippie who came of age in sixties San Francisco. As you can imagine, I have hung out with thousands and thousands of people getting high – and I have never ever seen anything even slightly approaching the symptoms you described. Is it not possible that there was something you reacted badly to in that cookie besides pot? Marijuana is a kind gentle healing herb, as long as you don’t overdose – which I suspect may have been the problem. But my mother once overdosed on coffee enemas, her heart rate went dangerously high, and she ended up in the ER. Cheers, Len
Justin Steele says:
Aug 19, 2011
Hey Lory, Great post. I have not (yet) seen the film but certainly plan to. However I do believe that it’s a good practice to be skeptical of such claims as the wonderful cannabis plant curing cancer. Not to say that it’s not possible but without full legalization it surely makes it difficult for much more complete research to be conducted. What I do know is my own experience with cannabis. Exposed to pot as a teenager in the ’70s I found the high to be very enjoyable, though had to give it a pass when I joined the armed forces. Fast forward a few decades later and after growing tired of pain from arthritis I have found that it works well in treating pain as well as stress. Through much reading and thinking on the subject I think our country would be much better (for many many reasons) to legalize cannabis and move forward leading the world in the understanding that cannabis is a much safer alternative to not only many medications but of course much safer as an alternative to alcohol.
That being said cannabis is not without it’s risks. Not sure how it can be stated that pot is never toxic, look at how many people are allergic to wheat….I know for sure that my heart rate increases soon after toking up, it’s not really hard to imagine someone could be allergic to cannabis.
If we hope to legalize pot (and I hope it’s just a matter of time and persistence) then we need solid real world arguments for it, not far reaching claims that it’s a miracle cure for every known ailment to man. I’m rather certain that prohibition was ended without the claim that wine cured heart disease.
Regards,
Justin
Don McAdams says:
Oct 15, 2011
It can cause panic attacks, especially in people who have never used it before (or much), and even more so for those who don’t even know that they’re eating a loaded brownie. As far as the research shows, no one has ever died from these panic attacks. There is even some research that suggests schizophrenia, although that research is widely touted without the mention that it is only in cases where the patient was already susceptible to the mental disorder. If we have documented proof that there are more cannabinoid receptors in the human body than protein receptors, how could anyone say that it’s not for everyone? There is growing research that suggests many of our modern illnesses plaguing society are merely an effect of cannabinoid deficiency. Mind you, not all cannabinoids have a mind altering effect. The growing research on cannabidiol (CBD) is very promising, and it actually counteracts the euphoric effects of THC. http://projectcbd.org/Medicine.html#CME .
Then there’s Dr. Mechoulam, Tashkin, Guzman, McAllister, and others who’ve contributed to the real human studies that are so boldly being claimed to not exist. How about that study showing antitumoral effects of cannabis in humans in a 1974 Virginia university study that got silenced and the school punished? What about the patents for cannabinoids owned by the US Health Dept? http://mmjactionnetwork.com/mmj-info . There are too many facts to simply dismiss science in favor of propaganda. Our body makes its own cannabinoids, that’s why we have receptors for them. How then, could it possibly not be for everyone? Anandamide is just one of many yet to be discovered, I’m sure…
Michael P Chung says:
Oct 24, 2011
Because it has’nt been approved for study by the DEA does’nt mean there has’nt been any scientific studies conducted. In fact there has been hundreds of studies conducted in Europe and as close as Canada which support the films claims.
Lory Kohn says:
Oct 24, 2011
I can’t argue with your first sentence.
You can’t argue that the film makes very big claims.
Now let’s see the support for those claims.
It should be easy for you to pick out one person’s results from one of those hundreds of studies and show us irrefutable proof that cannabis cured a particularly aggressive cancer that would otherwise thwart conventional treatment.
The “film” was really about 45 minutes running time, so maybe time constraints prevented it from showing more “proof” than it did. We’ve got all the time and space in the world here for you to demonstrate your claim.
If you can’t fit your proof into the little comment box, feel free to use the Contact Us email and I’ll fit it under the article.
p.s. Interviews are not proof. Citing numbers in a study is not irrefutable proof. Let’s see the tests, pictures, charts, and videos.
dorothy green says:
Nov 5, 2011
Haven’t seen film yet. Am curious about one bite of cookie and zingo – almost shock. My understanding is that it takes a lot more time for cannibus to have an effect when ingested than when smoked and is not nearly as strong. Seems like an allergy to something in the cookie or a different substance. How was it confirmed to be cannibus. Also, it seems, by presenting such an alluring photo the “off spring” is wanting something more than just to talk about her cookie experience. Like a part in the sequel perhaps?
Lory Kohn says:
Nov 6, 2011
I have to repeat that I sincerely hope that cannabis cures cancer. I feel that because I’ve even suggested that the “drug” is not helpful in every single case, I have been “see-sawed” into the position that I don’t believe cannabis cures cancer. Either way, this dialog has made me even more curious about cannabis vs. cancer, and the next big post will explore this further. However, I will be posting pathology reports, MRIs, and other test results.
Dorothy: hey, Peter Coyote looked pretty model-like in his photo, too! But if you’re casting for What If Cannabis Cured Cancer II, it wouldn’t hurt to include one dissenting opinion in the interest of fair reporting.
Len Richmond films says:
Jul 23, 2013
WATCH “WHAT IF CANNABIS CURED CANCER” FOR FREE…
https://vimeo.com/66474740
FROM THE HUFFINGTON POST “I recommend an excellent documentary film, “What if Cannabis Cured Cancer,” by Len Richmond, which summarizes the remarkable research findings of recent years about the cancer-protective effects of novel compounds in marijuana. Most medical doctors are not aware of this information and its implications for cancer prevention and treatment.”- ANDREW WEIL, M.D.
“A Hugely Important Film”– JULIE HOLLAND, M.D. NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“A Must See Film”– MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT, WASHINGTON, D.C.
“A Masterpiece!” – SOFT SECRETS MAGAZINE, AMSTERDAM
Using original and archival footage, the 60 minute documentary presents highly convincing evidence that this forbidden herb has healing properties beyond any other plant on the planet— interacting as it does with the body’s own “endocannabinoid system” to keep us fit and disease-free. “What if Cannabis Cured Cancer” explains how we are all born with a form of marijuana already in our bodies, and when pot is consumed, the “endocannabinoids” inside us—along with any cannabinoids we ingest—fit together like a key in a lock, thereby promoting the death of cancer cells without harming the body’s healthy cells. A powerful and eye-opening film about the future of cannabis—and perhaps even the future of medicine. Narrated by Emmy-winning actor, PETER COYOTE.
Featuring interviews with DR, ROBERT MELAMEDE, DR. SEAN MCALLISTER, DR. JEFFREY HERGENRATHER, DR. DAVID BEARMAN, DR. MANUEL GUZMAN, DR. RAPHAEL MECHOULAM, and DR. DONALD ABRAMS
Winner at the Los Angeles, Williamsburg, Berkeley, and Humbolt film festivals.
DVD’s have been delivered to every member of the Los Angeles City Council, the Kansas State Legislature, the Dutch Parliment, the Marin County Board of Supervisors, the Las Vegas City Council, and 100 selected members of Congress in Washington D.C.
Consistently in Amazon’s “100 Bestselling Documentaries”.
Comedy Puppet Short included on DVD: “Kurt Cannabis Meets Connie Cancer” – an outrageous bit of puppet theater, imagining a comical meeting, somewhere in the liver, between the mean, bitchy, diva, “Connie Cancer” (voiced by Roseanne Barr), and the cool, hip, and rather wise, Kurt Cannabis (Malcolm McDowell).
YouTube Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnP8IugJCHM&feature=channel
Film Website: http://lenrichmondfilms.com/
Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-if-Cannabis-Cured-Cancer/dp/B003SSBSQQ
Follow on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/What-if-Cannabis-Cured-Cancer-Official-Site/125858817470315
Cancer Patients Testimony after Screening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYuNI9EHME8
Profile on Cannabis Planet TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6jpOe_hX0I&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=LHG7pchb1Gk
Panel Discussion at the Sausalito Film Festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jd_N7MqcQs&feature=mfu_in_order&playnext=1&videos=Ty4PrvfDPSU
Profile in Whole Life Times Magazine: http://www.wholelifemagazine.com/blog/?p=1321
Interview in Cannabis Culture Magazine:
http://cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2011/01/27/Chemo-or-Cannabis-How-Would-You-Treat-Your-Cancer
Dr. Andrew Weil on the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/can-cannabis-treat-cancer_b_701005.html
“Stony Award” ceremony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43DtrcMy5ak
Lory Kohn says:
Jul 23, 2013
Hey Len,
Shameless self-promotion approved! While I still don’t believe your film proves its point, I still recommend people see it. Congratulations on the film’s enduring success and best of luck to you. –Lory
p.s. I’ve tried five times to cure pre-cancerous scalp spots on my scalp with various cannabis topicals; there’s been no improvement whatsoever.