A few months ago, I interviewed Dr Claude Cyr, a Canadian family doctor and author of a number of peer reviewed papers about the use of cannabis in palliative care for an article I was writing for Project CBD.
Dr Cyr describes palliative care as the best 'port of entry' for integrating cannabis into medicine because it is one of the only disciplines where physicians actually have the time needed to spend with patients.
He says: "Palliative care is a specific situation where we can actually put into question the core philosophy of medicine which is the evidence based paradigm. I think physicians need to stop obsessing over the evidence when their patients are dying and clearly telling them, ‘I’m really enjoying this, I’m getting huge benefits from this, I’m sleeping better, I’m eating better.’ But the physicians are nodding their heads and saying, ‘I hear you, but I can’t accept this because I’m still lacking evidence.’
“But I think there is enough data out there to convince physicians that it’s safe for palliative care patients, and it’s predictable.”
I particularly enjoyed discussing with Dr Cyr how the psychoactive nature of the cannabis plant can actually have a therapeutic place in end-of-life care, potentially helping a patient to accept their death.
“When you look at the studies of psychedelics in depression and existential anxiety in cancer patients, some of these results have been dramatic,” says Dr Cyr. “Although cannabis isn’t a true psychedelic, there are some similar experiences that patients tell us about.
"At smaller doses patients experience a psycholytic effect, a lowering of the defences allowing people to explore other aspects of their psyche, and that’s when they start making connections between different aspects of their reality.”
A great, informative interview to be enjoyed.
Useful links:
Doctors for Responsible Access.
Dr Cyr's published papers on palliative care:
Cannabis in palliative care: current challenges and practical recommendations
Paediatric palliative care in Canada: A national survey of paediatricians
Quality indicators for paediatric palliative care
Another great article by Dr Cyr:
Moving Beyond Old Prejudices for the Sake of Patient Care: Incorporating Cannabis in Cancer Symptom Management
My article for Project CBDon cannabis and palliative care featuring Dr Cyr's interview
https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/cannabis-palliative-care