Federal Memo From National Cancer Institute Lists Marijuana As ‘Controversial ‘Topic That Needs Special Approval Before Publication

“Marijuana” is one of nearly two dozen “controversial or high-profile topics” that staff and researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are required to clear with higher-ups before writing about, according to a newly leaked memo from within the federal agency.

The government directive puts marijuana and opioids on a list along with vaccines, COVID-19, fluoride, measles, abortion, autism, diversity and gender ideology and other issues that are believed to be personal priorities of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump.

NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which itself is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Prior to publishing anything on the specified topics, NCI staff are required to send the materials to an agency clearance team, says the new memo, first reported by ProPublica.

“Depending on the nature of the information, additional review and clearance by the NCI director, deputy directors, NIH, and HHS may be required,” it advises staff. “In some cases, the material will not need further review, but the NCI Clearance Team will share it with NCI leadership, NIH, and/or HHS for their awareness.”

It notes that staff “do not need to share content describing the routine conduct of science if it will not get major media attention, is not controversial or sensitive, and does not touch on an administration priority,” according to the ProPublica report.

The investigative news outlet says the directive “was circulated by the institute’s communications team, and the content was not discussed at the leadership level,” adding that “it is not clear in which exact office the directive originated.”

Experts said the policy could have a chilling effect, slowing publication of important findings and pushing researchers to censor their work.

NCI estimated late last year that between about 20 percent and 40 percent of people being treated for cancer are using cannabis products to manage side effects from the condition and associated treatment.

“The growing popularity of cannabis products among people with cancer has tracked with the increasing number of states that have legalized cannabis for medical use,” the agency said. “But research has lagged on whether and which cannabis products are a safe or effective way to help with cancer-related symptoms and treatment-related side effects.”

The agency also published a series of scientific reports in its journal JNCI Monographs. The package of 14 articles detailed the results of broad, federally funded cannabis surveys of cancer patients from a dozen agency-designated cancer centers across the country—including in areas where marijuana is legal, permitted only for medical purposes or still outlawed.

In late 2023, meanwhile, NIH awarded researchers $3.2 million to study the effects of using cannabis while receiving immunotherapy for cancer treatment, as well as whether access to marijuana helps reduce health disparities.

Separately, a study out of Minnesota last month found that people with cancer who used cannabis “report significant improvements in cancer-related symptoms.” But it noted that the high cost of marijuana can be burdensome to less financially stable patients and raise “questions about affordability of and access to this therapy.”

Separately, another recent study, in the journal Discover Oncology, concluded that a variety of cannabinoids—including delta-9 THC, CBD and cannabigerol (CBG)—“show promising potential as anticancer agents through various mechanisms,” for example by limiting the growth and spread of tumors. Authors acknowledged that obstacles to incorporating cannabis into cancer treatment remain, however, such as regulatory barriers and the need to determine optimal dosing.

Other recent research on the possible therapeutic value of lesser-known compounds in cannabis found that a number of minor cannabinoids may have anticancer effects on blood cancer that warrant further study.

While cannabis is widely used to treat certain symptoms of cancer and some side-effects of cancer treatment, there’s long been interest in the possible effects of cannabinoids on cancer itself.

As a 2019 literature review found, the majority of the studies have been based on in vitro experiments, meaning they did not involve human subjects but rather isolated cancer cells from humans, while some of the research used mice. Consistent with the latest findings, that study found cannabis showed potential in slowing the growth of cancer cells and even killing cancer cells in certain cases.

A separate study found that some cases, different types of cancer cells affecting the same part of the body appeared to respond differently to various cannabis extracts.

A scientific review of CBD last year also touched on “the diverse anticancer properties of cannabinoids” that the authors said present “promising opportunities for future therapeutic interventions in cancer treatment.”

Research published last year also found that marijuana use was associated with improved cognition and reduced pain among cancer patients and people receiving chemotherapy

While cannabis produces intoxicating effects, and that initial “high” can temporarily impair cognition, patients who used marijuana products from state-licensed dispensaries over two weeks actually started reporting clearer thinking, the study from the University of Colorado found.

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