Delta-8-THC completely prevented vomiting in eight children aged 3-13 undergoing cancer chemotherapy across 480 treatments over up to eight months, with negligible side effects.
Read this if you want to see clinical evidence for delta-8-THC, the cannabinoid now widely available commercially, in its original medical research context.
100% vomiting prevention across 480 treatments in children
What the researchers found
Researchers administered delta-8-THC, a cannabinoid with lower psychoactive potency than the more familiar delta-9-THC, to eight children with hematologic cancers. The children ranged from 3 to 13 years old and were receiving various chemotherapy drugs.
Delta-8-THC was given orally in edible oil at a dose of 18 mg/m2 body surface area, starting two hours before each chemotherapy session and continuing every six hours for 24 hours. Some children received treatment for up to eight months.
The results were striking: vomiting was completely prevented across all 480 total treatments. The side effects observed were described as negligible. The researchers highlighted delta-8-THC as an efficient cannabinoid antiemetic for pediatric oncology, noting its advantage of lower psychoactive potency compared to delta-9-THC.
Why it matters
This study demonstrated 100% efficacy against chemotherapy-induced vomiting in children with minimal side effects, a remarkable result that was particularly notable because it used delta-8-THC, a less psychoactive cannabinoid that could potentially offer antiemetic benefits without the psychoactive burden of delta-9-THC.
The numbers in context
Eight children aged 3-13. Dose: 18 mg/m2 in edible oil. 480 total treatments. Up to 8 months of treatment. 100% vomiting prevention. Negligible side effects.
How the study worked
Open-label pilot study with eight pediatric patients aged 3-13 with various hematologic cancers. Delta-8-THC (18 mg/m2) given orally in edible oil starting 2 hours before chemotherapy and continuing every 6 hours for 24 hours. Treatment duration: up to 8 months.
What this study cannot tell us
Open-label design without placebo control. Only eight patients. The "negligible" side effects were not described in detail. The study was conducted by researchers who included the scientist who first identified THC (Mechoulam), which adds credibility but also potential bias.
How to read the evidence
A small open-label pilot study without placebo control. The 100% efficacy across 480 treatments is striking but unblinded observation limits the evidence strength.
When this study was published
Published in 1995, co-authored by Raphael Mechoulam, who first synthesized THC. Delta-8-THC has since become widely available commercially but without further large clinical trials.
The bigger picture
This study is frequently cited in discussions about delta-8-THC, which has recently become commercially available in the United States through a legal loophole. The study demonstrated its therapeutic potential decades before it became a consumer product, providing some of the strongest clinical evidence for delta-8-THC's efficacy.
Questions still open
- Why has delta-8-THC not been developed further as a pharmaceutical antiemetic? How does it compare to modern antiemetics like ondansetron in children? Could delta-8-THC offer advantages over delta-9-THC for other medical applications?
Common questions
Is delta-8-THC different from regular THC?
Did it work for all the children?
Read the original research
An efficient new cannabinoid antiemetic in pediatric oncology.
Life sciences, 56(23-24), 2097-102
Citation
Abrahamov, A; Abrahamov, A; Mechoulam, R. (1995). An efficient new cannabinoid antiemetic in pediatric oncology.. Life sciences, 56(23-24), 2097-102.
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