Could cannabis treat cancer someday? Here's what the science says so far

Close-up image of a joint being passed from one person's hands (on the right side of the image) to another (on the left side of the image). The hand on the left has a gold ringer on two fingers.

Research into the potential medical benefits of cannabis has exploded in recent years, raising one intriguing question: Could cannabis treat cancer?  

It may sound far-fetched that weed — the high-inducing plant that propagandists once warned would cause "reefer madness" — could contain ingredients that shrink tumors. However, experts told Live Science that there is some early evidence that some cannabinoids, the active ingredients found in cannabis, do have anticancer effects.