According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 240,000 women and 2,100 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Of that number, an estimated 42,000 women and 500 men lose their lives to the disease.

There are many factors that contribute to a person’s diagnosis, including older age, genetic mutations, or having a family history of breast cancer. In order to treat the condition, patients can undergo surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and more, but it depends on the type of treatment and the stage of cancer.

Like with other cancers, people with breast cancer have often found relief from their symptoms by using cannabis. So as Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicks off, we’re bringing attention to the fact that cannabis can help.

There are many organizations that are helping people get through their breast cancer diagnoses and treatment. While cannabis in itself is not a treatment for the disease, it has been known to help many patients manage their symptoms.

According to Breastcancer.org, a survey they collected showed that 42% of people diagnosed with breast cancer were using medical cannabis to treat the side effects of their treatments. Most participants ranged in age, cancer stages, and treatment phases, and 75% of them said it was “very” or “extremely” helpful.

Cannabis Helping Patients

To help support breast cancer patients, there are many worthwhile organizations to donate money to the cause. Additionally, each year many cannabis businesses are partnering up with these organizations to support these patients and research efforts.

In August, Mint Cannabis in Tempe, Arizona partnered with Check for a Lump to offer free mammograms to locals. During the pandemic, many cancer screenings were canceled and delayed, which caused more than 80,000 people to miss their cancer diagnoses. 

This year, Clovr Cannabis in Missouri recently began a “Bonbons for Boobies” campaign, featuring limited time pink raspberry caramel chocolates. “Satisfy your sweet tooth while making a difference! Benefits go toward Breast Cancer Patients and will be donated to @BraCoutureKC. Our Bonbons for Boobies are Raspberry Caramel in White Chocolate and here to spread love and support during #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth!” the brand wrote on social media.

Verano is a multi-state operator spread across Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. On Sept. 29, the company announced the launch of its 3rd annual breast cancer support campaign as well, which benefits the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation. Throughout the entire month of October, the company will hold numerous fundraising opportunities to collect funds for patients. “As one of the leading organizations in its field, Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation conducts critical research, education and prevention, and we’re thrilled to offer our support for a third year in a row,” Verano Founder and Chief Executive Officer, George Archos, said. “We are proud to once again demonstrate the power of the cannabis community as a catalyst for positive change by uniting our team, patients and customers together to continue the fight against breast cancer throughout October and beyond.”

Tilt Holdings, which owns the Jupiter vape brand, also announced its partnership with the PA Breast Cancer Coalition for the month of October. Its subsidiary, Standard Farms, is offering a $5 donation for every Jupiter Pink Ceramic Mouth Tip  cartridge sold. “Patient-centered care is paramount at Standard Farms,” said TILT CEO Tim Conder. “We know so many medical cannabis patients bravely battling this disease with the support of their families, friends and communities, and we are proud to be part of a larger support network in the state by helping to raise money for PA Breast Cancer Coalition.”

The Florida-based CBD company, Sunmed, also announced a partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF). They’ve pledged to donate 3% of online product sales between Oct. 1-31 to NBCF, which will be used for early detection services, education, and support. They are also donating $1 for specific products purchased in-store as well. “We are incredibly proud to stand alongside the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the fight against breast cancer,” said Sunmed CEO Marcus Quinn. “This partnership represents a milestone for not only Sunmed but the entire CBD industry. By combining our community resources, expertise, and passion, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by breast cancer.”

The respected Rhode Island-based cultivator and solventless extraction artist CMS Gardens just announced a “Doobies For Boobies” campaign in partnership with Advanced Nutrients and Hangar 420. This month, they will be donating a percentage of proceeds to the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, a nonprofit that provides free programs and support services to breast cancer patients, survivors and their families.

These are just a few companies making moves to help patients, but there are many more who will announce their promotions and partnerships with other breast cancer organizations as the month progresses.

It’s All About the Evidence

Breastcancer.org founder and chief medical officer, Marisa C. Weiss, spoke about how cannabis works for patients back in a 2020 interview with Healio. “People who receive cancer treatment, especially people with breast cancer, end up going through a variety of treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapies and estrogen therapies, which can all go on for years,” Weiss said, noting that common symptoms include pain, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting. 

“A common symptom people struggle with is peripheral neuropathy after chemotherapy,” Weiss explained. “In some patients, the pain and discomfort from this means they can’t even wear a regular shoe or stand on their feet for extended periods of time. Or, for those whose hands were affected, they cannot button a shirt or open a jar of peanut butter to make sandwiches for their kid’s lunch. The throbbing ‘pins and needles’ pain make each day a struggle and can also wake people up in the night.”

Weiss mentioned a relative study that was ongoing at the time, but results were published in October 2021. It found that many people were using cannabis to treat breast cancer specifically, but many participants did not feel comfortable telling their doctor about their cannabis consumption.

In May this year, researchers published a study in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care that showed evidence of pain reduction in patients of genitourinary, breast, and bowel cancer.

Research on the benefits of medical cannabis use during breast cancer treatments has continued to increase. Just recently on Sept. 27, researchers at the UF Health Center and University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center received a five-year, $3.2 million U01 award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study medical cannabis benefits and harms.

According to Dejana Braithwaite, associate director for cancer population sciences at the UF Health Cancer Center, this could lead to a better understanding of patient’s use of medical cannabis. “As many as 40% of U.S. cancer patients use medical marijuana to manage cancer-related symptoms, yet we know very little about its effects during and after cancer treatments,” Braithwaite said. “This innovative study is an ambitious effort to provide answers to pressing questions about medical marijuana and cancer. It will help doctors address questions about the effects of medical marijuana among cancer patients of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as shed light on the benefits and harms of medical marijuana.”

The research team will analyze 600 breast cancer patients before and after their treatment, and hypothesize that medical cannabis can help patients “by targeting and modulating the inflammasome/inflammatory pathway.”

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The company, CaaMTech, first received a patent in support of the research in 2021. An article published Wednesday on the website Greenstate explains that the company “develops pharmaceutical drugs for mental health conditions like depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder,” and is now “researching the therapeutic value of psilocybin in combination with cannabinoids.”

“Through their research, CaaMTech has isolated derivatives of psilocybin, cannabinoids, and terpenes,” Greenstate explained.

In the 2021 announcement of the patent, CaaMTech founder and CEO, Dr. Andrew Chadeayne said that the company’s “goal from Day 1 has been to capture as much of CaaMTech’s scientific innovation as possible in our intellectual property portfolio as we develop the next generation of psychedelic drugs.”

“The allowance of our first patent application has given a shot of energy to the team that has worked diligently over these past four years to bring it to the finish line,” Chadeayne said in the announcement. “With hundreds of applications still to prosecute, this is a great start.”

“Strong patent protection and fundamental research give our drugs the foundational support that they need to proceed through clinical trials and become FDA-approved medicines,” he added. “‘Compositions and methods comprising a psilocybin derivative’ covers (among other subject matter) the synergistic modulatory effects of cannabinoids on the activation of serotonin receptors when administered in conjunction with a serotonin agonist. In simpler terms, CaaMTech has shown that cannabinoids work synergistically with psychedelic tryptamines in producing their effects. In doing so, CaaMTech has demonstrated the potential for two drugs once declared by the United States Federal Government to have ‘no known medical value’ to treat some of the world’s most challenging mental health issues.”

The announcement said that “notice of allowance [from the the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)] is a watershed moment for CaaMTech’s intellectual property division, which has filed in excess of one hundred additional patent applications since the application was filed in 2017.” 

“Allowance is the final hurdle of examination before a patent is issued,” the announcement said.

Since the approval of that patent in 2021, Greenstate reports that “CaaMTech has shared findings related to 4-PrO-DMT as a novel synthetic alternative to psilocybin, among other things.” 

“Separate efforts may supplement this work, like the research survey from SABI Mind covering myriad topics, like the general acceptance or disregard for synthetic alternatives to compounds like psilocybin. These steps, alongside policy work, create wider access lanes for patients seeking trustworthy, science-based psychedelic therapies,” the outlet reported.

Developing the compound will not be easy. As MJBizDaily explained, there are “serious obstacles to creating a combo compound.”

“Cannabinoids and psychedelics act on different receptors in the brain. Cannabinoids such as THC binds primarily to the CB1 cannabinoid receptor; CBC binds primarily to the CB2 receptor. Psychedelics such as psilocybin bind primarily to 5-HT2A serotonin receptors,” the outlet reported.

“But there has been research showing that the cannabinoid CBD can bind to serotonin, and that, when serotonin is joined with a CB2 cannabinoid receptor, the resulting combination can do things that neither receptor can do on its own…Buoyed by the potential of the combo compound, the medical cannabis community is growing increasingly excited. For example, cannabis combined with psychedelics has been found to shrink tumors significantly in breast cancer.”

CaaMTech, based in Issaquah, Washington, bills itself as “the foremost drug discovery and lead optimization company focused on engineering psychedelic drugs that meet the standards of modern medicine.”

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A Phoenix-area cannabis dispensary chain is giving away free pre-rolled joints to customers who donate a bra in a campaign to support breast cancer awareness while supporting an Arizona nonprofit group. A collaboration between Mint Cannabis and Check for a Lump, the Buds ‘n’ Bras campaign aims to highlight the vital need for breast cancer screenings and raise funds for related support services.

Now through October 15, customers 21 and older who donate a new or gently used bra at any of The Mint’s three greater Phoenix dispensary locations will receive a free pre-roll. Those who donate 10 bras will also receive a free breast cancer awareness T-shirt, with a limit of one joint and one shirt per customer, per day. 

The bras will then be given to Check for a Lump, which receives a cash donation for each bra donated. The Mint’s goal for the campaign is to collect 4,200 bras to support the nonprofit. During the seven-week campaign, the Mint will also donate $1 from every pre-roll sale to the nonprofit.

Vital Screenings Delayed by Pandemic

In an era of health screenings delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 6,000 new cases of breast cancer and 900 deaths are expected in Arizona this year, according to a statement from The Mint. A study from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science found that the number of mammograms declined 87 percent compared to the same period a year earlier. 

To address the issue, the Buds ‘n’ Bras campaign will include breast screening events held at its dispensaries in conjunction with Check for a Lump. Screenings will be conducted aboard the mobile mammography bus (MOM) from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 18 at The Mint’s Phoenix dispensary, and on Saturday, October 9 at the Mesa location. Patients can call (480) 967-3767 to pre-register for a screening.

All Mint locations will also share information about how to participate in the Check for a Lump Pink Out 5K walk/run planned for Saturday, October 2 at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix. The company will also sponsor a booth at the event where it will collect new and gently used bras for the nonprofit group.

The Buds ‘N’ Bras campaign kicked off on August 27 with a “bra raising” ceremony held at The Mint’s Tempe/Guadalupe location with Check for a Lump. At the event, breast cancer patients and survivors hung a string of bras across the dispensary parking lot.

“Nothing better than seeing dozens upon dozens upon dozens of bras fluttering in the wind!” a spokesperson for The Mint told High Times in an email.

Arizona Campaign Off To A Good Start

So far, The Mint and Check for a Lump have already collected eight large, plastic trash bags “jam-packed” with bras. The spokesperson said that just one bag was too heavy to lift, adding that “at that point, it hadn’t even been a full two weeks that the program has been running, so the response has been wonderful.”

Rudy Molina, The Mint’s Director of Arizona Operations, told High Times in an email that “giving back to the communities we serve is a cornerstone of Mint Cannabis. We especially seek to help nonprofits that support our patients. We like to support organizations devoted to cancer, veterans, families and epilepsy, to name a few.”

 “As we approach Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, we wanted Arizonans to think about giving through a different lens,” Molina added. “By asking for a new or gently used bra, and then stringing it to fly high above the dispensary, Buds ‘n’ Bras offers a creative way for customers to give back while also helping a great local cause.”

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