Oklahoma mother believes CBD oil cured her stage four breast cancer after she was given 1 year to live – but doctors are not so sure

June 27, 2018 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: Daily Mail

  • Rhonda Gossett, of Edmond, Oklahoma, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2010
  • After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and being told she was in remission, the cancer returned
  • In 2014, feeling like she was out of options, Rhonda began using CBD oil to treat her symptoms
  • After two years of taking the oil, the mother-of-one was declared cancer-free
  • Doctors say no study has shown cannabinoids can help control or cure the disease

An Oklahoma woman said she believes that cannabis oil helped cure her breast cancer.

In 2010, Rhonda Gossett, from Edmond, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.

Tests later revealed it had spread to her bones and her brain – meaning she had stage four cancer and she was given just one year to live.

The mother-of-one immediately underwent chemotherapy and radiation and was told she was in remission when the cancer returned.

Feeling like she was out of options and hearing about others with cancer using CBD oil as treatment, Rhonda also began using it for her symptoms.

Rhonda claims that she only used CBD oil, although this has not been confirmed, and two years later was declared cancer-free.

While she credits the oil with curing her, the research is contentious and studies have yet to prove that cannabis can treat the disease.

Rhonda Gossett, of Edmond, Oklahoma, said she believes CBD oil cured her of her stage four breast cancer. Pictured: Rhona with her husband, DarrenIn 2010, Rhonda was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Pictured: Rhonda with her husband, Darren

Rhonda Gossett, of Edmond, Oklahoma, said she believes CBD oil cured her of her stage four breast cancer. In 2010, Rhonda was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Pictured: Rhonda, left and right, with her husband, Darren

Tests later revealed it had spread to her bones - meaning Rhonda (pictured) had stage four cancer and she was given just one year to live

Tests later revealed it had spread to her bones – meaning Rhonda (pictured) had stage four cancer and she was given just one year to live

The mother-of-one immediately underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy and was told she was in remission when the cancer returned. Pictured: Rhonda with her husband and son

The mother-of-one immediately underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy and was told she was in remission when the cancer returned. Pictured: Rhonda with her husband and son

Rhonda was originally diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, but further tests showed it had metastasized.

Her then-nine-year-old son Zackary made local news after he began selling bracelets and T-shirts at school to raise money for a growing list of medical bills and surgeries.

He also gave her a book he made with the help of classmates full of jokes for his mother to read every day.

‘There was just a lot that lifted me up, but I felt really bad for him seeing me go through that,’ Rhonda told News 9.

She underwent a combination of chemotherapy and radiation and it seemed to be working, with doctors even telling her she was in remission.

However, Rhonda soon learned the cancer has returned in her brain. Doctors told her because of the cancer’s location in her brain, she would be unable to undergo another treatment of chemotherapy.

This time, Rhonda relied on radiation and drug trials – but the cancer cells weren’t shrinking.

‘At that point we were basically told: “We don’t know what else to do”,’ Darren Gossett, Rhonda’s husband, told News 9.

In 2014, after hearing other stories of cancer sufferers who turned to cannabis to treat their cancer, the Gossetts decided to do the same. Cannabidiol or CBD oil is naturally sourced from hemp plants and is very different from CBD sourced from marijuana

In 2014, after hearing other stories of cancer sufferers who turned to cannabis to treat their cancer, the Gossetts decided to do the same. Cannabidiol or CBD oil is naturally sourced from hemp plants and is very different from CBD sourced from marijuana

When Rhonda began using the oil, she weighed just 92 pounds and was not hungry at all due to her treatments. Pictured: Rhonda, with her son, ZackaryShe said the CBD oil gave her an appetite again, and the higher levels of THC helped alleviate her symptoms. Pictured: Rhonda with her son, Zackary

 When Rhonda began using the oil, she weighed just 92 pounds and was not hungry at all due to her treatments. She said the CBD oil gave her an appetite again, and the higher levels of THC helped alleviate her symptoms. Pictured: Rhonda, left and right, with her son

In 2014, after hearing other stories of cancer sufferers who turned to cannabis to treat their cancer, the Gossetts decided to do the same.

Cannabidiol or CBD oil is naturally sourced from hemp plants and is very different from CBD sourced from marijuana.

THE STATE OF MARIJUANA IN 2018

Marijuana is expected to have a big year in 2018 as advocates in several states move to legalize it for medical and recreational use.

Five states including Kentucky, South Dakota and Missouri are considering legalizing the drug for medical use, joining the 30 other states that have already done so.

At least four states including Delaware and Ohio are considering legalizing recreational marijuana, which is currently legal in nine states and Washington, DC.

Medical marijuana states: 

  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Hawaii
  • Illinois
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • New Mexico
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Washington DC
  • West Virginia

Recreational marijuana states: 

  • Alaska
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Nevada
  • Oregon
  • Vermont
  • Washington

In growing CBD oil, hemp plants have been bred to contain only trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive compound responsible for the euphoric, ‘high’ feeling often associated with marijuana.

When she began using the oil, Rhonda weighed just 92 pounds and was not hungry at all due to her treatments.

She said the CBD oil gave her an appetite again, and the higher levels of THC in the oil she used helped alleviate her symptoms.

In 2016, after two years of taking the oil, she was declared cancer-free.

Rhonda said she hasn’t had cancer symptoms in two years and takes CBD oil with small traces of THC every day.

According to the American Cancer Society, scientists have recently reported that THC and CBD have been shown to slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells growing in lab dishes.

Additionally, studies have shown that cancer sufferers who took marijuana extracts in clinical trials tended to need less pain medicine.

Although the research has so far shown that cannabinoids can be safe in treating cancer, they do not show that they help control or cure the disease.

The news comes on the heels of a vote on Tuesday that could see Oklahomans approve one of the least-restrictive medical marijuana laws in the US.

State Question 788 would make it legal to grow, sell and use marijuana for medical purposes, and would give doctors a great deal of leeway in determining what conditions qualify for a medical marijuana prescription.

If the law is passed, a two-year medical marijuana license would allow someone to possess up to eight ounces of marijuana, six mature plants, six seedlings, and edibles or concentrated forms of the drug.

Opponents of the bill say the proposal is really a plan to legalize recreational use of the drug under the guise of medical care.

The Gossetts plan on voting ‘yes’ to the petition.

‘We’re going to vote for medical marijuana because we feel that people that have no alternatives, this gives them an opportunity to try something that could possibly save their life,’ Darren told KFOR.

In 2016, after two years of taking the oil, she was declared cancer-free. Rhonda said she hasn't had cancer symptoms in two years and takes CBD oil with small traces of THC every day. Pictured: Rhonda with her son

In 2016, after two years of taking the oil, she was declared cancer-free. Rhonda said she hasn’t had cancer symptoms in two years and takes CBD oil with small traces of THC every day. Pictured: Rhonda with her son

Rhonda said she and her husband are voting in favor of State Question 788, which would make it legal to grow, sell and use marijuana for medical purposes in Oklahoma. Pictured: Rhonda with her son

Rhonda said she and her husband are voting in favor of State Question 788, which would make it legal to grow, sell and use marijuana for medical purposes in Oklahoma. Pictured: Rhonda with her son

Opponents of the bill say the proposal is really a plan to legalize recreational use of the drug under the guise of medical care. Pictured: Rhonda with her husband and son

Opponents of the bill say the proposal is really a plan to legalize recreational use of the drug under the guise of medical care. Pictured: Rhonda with her husband and son

‘To help with the pain, to help with the nausea, help them get to sleep, get an appetite back, help them to rest,’ Rhonda added.

Medical marijuana is legal in 30 states. Along with Oklahoma, Utah is also believed to be legalizing the drug by this November.

A 2017 poll from the Pew Research Center found that 61 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, nearly double the number from two decades ago in 2000.

Opinions of legalization differ by political party, with 70 percent of Democrats supporting it compared with 65 percent of Independents and just 43 percent of Republicans.

However, 90 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use.