Does Cachexia Qualify For Medical Marijuana In South Carolina?

With medical marijuana legal soon in South Carolina, patients who are living with cachexia/wasting syndrome will be eligible to be approved for medical marijuana treatment to help with their condition.

​

What Is Cachexia?

Cachexia is a "wasting" disorder that causes extreme muscle wasting and weight loss which includes the loss of muscle mass and body fat. Cachexia usually affects individuals that are in the later stage of serious diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, chronic kidney disease, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and congestive heart failure (CHF), among others. 

​

Those living with cachexia can become so frail and weak that their body can become more susceptible to infections, increasing the likelihood of death as a result of their condition. 

​

How Can Medical Marijuana Help Cachexia?

Currently, there is no treatment plan or medication that has been shown to effectively treat cachexia and its symptoms. As more research is being directed, the possibility of marijuana treatment to reduce cachexia symptoms is becoming more promising.

​

​Generally, cannabis is used by cachexia patients to aid in appetite, nausea and vomiting, depression, and energy.

​

​In 2007, a study at Columbia University discovered that cannabis significantly helped to stimulate patients' appetites, promote weight gain, and caused an increase in calorie intake. 

​

​Furthermore, a study from Israel in 2013 found that a large range of cancer patients reduced weight loss by utilizing marijuana as a palliative treatment. The study discovered that nearly all cancer and anticancer treatment-related symptoms were improved with marijuana use.