Large Study Finds Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer... (America, point of view)

[jamaesi]

doesn't exist.

Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer

The smoke from burning marijuana leaves contains several known carcinogens and the tar it creates contains 50 percent more of some of the chemicals linked to lung cancer than tobacco smoke. A marijuana cigarette also deposits four times as much of that tar as an equivalent tobacco one. Scientists were therefore surprised to learn that a study of more than 2,000 people found no increase in the risk of developing lung cancer for marijuana smokers.

"We expected that we would find that a history of heavy marijuana use--more than 500 to 1,000 uses--would increase the risk of cancer from several years to decades after exposure to marijuana," explains physician Donald Tashkin of the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead researcher on the project. But looking at residents of Los Angeles County, the scientists found that even those who smoked more than 20,000 joints in their life did not have an increased risk of lung cancer.


The researchers interviewed 611 lung cancer patients and 1,040 healthy controls as well as 601 patients with cancer in the head or neck region under the age of 60 to create the statistical analysis. They found that 80 percent of those with lung cancer and 70 percent of those with other cancers had smoked tobacco while only roughly half of both groups had smoked marijuana. The more tobacco a person smoked, the greater the risk of developing cancer, as other studies have shown.


But after controlling for tobacco, alcohol and other drug use as well as matching patients and controls by age, gender and neighborhood, marijuana did not seem to have an effect, despite its unhealthy aspects. "Marijuana is packed more loosely than tobacco, so there's less filtration through the rod of the cigarette, so more particles will be inhaled," Tashkin says. "And marijuana smokers typically smoke differently than tobacco smokers; they hold their breath about four times longer allowing more time for extra fine particles to deposit in the lungs."

The study does not reveal how marijuana avoids causing cancer. Tashkin speculates that perhaps the THC chemical in marijuana smoke prompts aging cells to die before becoming cancerous. Tashkin and his colleagues presented the findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego. --David Biello

Source!

[ChrisP]

Thanks Jamaesi, I've been waiting for an article like this for some time. Marijuana use it thoroughly unresearched. I havce to say this is hardly shocking from an ex-smoker's point of view.

Can I say to any young'uns on this forum who're smoking, it may not rip you apart like cigarettes, but the number of chest infections that myself and friends have had is enough to make you think twice. It's been a long time since my last puff and I'm still recovering.

[jamaesi]

Can I say to any young'uns on this forum who're smoking, it may not rip you apart like cigarettes, but the number of chest infections that myself and friends have had is enough to make you think twice. It's been a long time since my last puff and I'm still recovering.

Wow, I never had any problems at all with with smoking anything (I normally smoke cloves and/or tobacco though barely once a day, if that) and I have asthma and hypogammaglobulinemia. Did you smoke heavily?

I really wish lawmakers would take this in consideration and legalise it- I can not tell you how much relief I would get from chronic pain from my arthritis and back or stress how wonderful it would be if I could use marijuana (for medical purposes).

It has a heck of a lot less negative effects than what I take now to manage my pain (normally naproxen (kills my stomach- I have to take medications for uclers and acid), a muscle relaxer (makes me tired and moody), and painkillers (ugh! Terribly addictive but make me feel better about being in pain, which is good cause they do nothing for the pain!)).

[James the Persian]

The only problem I have with this is that most people I know (apart from a few who exclusively used water pipes of one sort or another) who smoke hash do so mixed with tobacco. I certainly did back in my day. Even if marijuana smoke doesn't appear to increase a cancer risk, tobacco smoke does (and I know a number of people who became tobacco smokers after starting with hash simply because they got addicted to the nicotine they were also getting from their joints). I don't have any problem with the idea of legalising hash at all (I'd say that it's less harmful to society than alcohol) but I do think that people should be aware of the dangers involved - most people are probably capable of joining the dots and working out the dangers of putting tobacco in joints, mind.

James

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by jamaesi

Wow, I never had any problems at all with with smoking anything (I normally smoke cloves and/or tobacco though barely once a day, if that) and I have asthma and hypogammaglobulinemia. Did you smoke heavily?

Yeah I still smoke cigarettes at about a pack a day. The chest infections came from the other things. Not your average chest infections, these things caused sharp stabbing pains that when described made one doctor think I'd had a small heart attack.

I'm not thoroughly against it's use, but I AM thoroughly for moderation in all things. Everything has it's uses, but let's not be silly about how we apply those.

[jamaesi]

Yeah I still smoke cigarettes at about a pack a day. The chest infections came from the other things. Not your average chest infections, these things caused sharp stabbing pains that when described made one doctor think I'd had a small heart attack.

:< Mm'sorry to hear that. Being sick is never fun.

I'm not thoroughly against it's use, but I AM thoroughly for moderation in all things. Everything has it's uses, but let's not be silly about how we apply those.

I remember in my history class when my teacher told us that the best advice he had ever been given was "moderation in everything, even in moderation." It's been the best advice I've ever been given, that's for sure!

Once a week/a few times a month would do wonders for helping me manage my pain and would not cross the line into abuse. *sighs and wishes*

[Mister Emu]

Ahh the days of yore...

I used to smoke heavily.

I am not for its legalisation in anything but medical cases... such as yours Jamaesi.

[ChrisP]

Originally Posted by jamaesi

:< Mm'sorry to hear that. Being sick is never fun.

I remember in my history class when my teacher told us that the best advice he had ever been given was "moderation in everything, even in moderation." It's been the best advice I've ever been given, that's for sure!

In Deed. In all honesty it was my own stupid fault. One should never do as many "things" as I've done, and expect to be ok on the other end of it.

Once a week/a few times a month would do wonders for helping me manage my pain and would not cross the line into abuse. *sighs and wishes*

Yeah, I've seen plenty of people use it in this manner and it has been INCREDIBLY beneficial. It's effectively decriminalised in NZ, unless you happen to be carrying pounds and pounds of it around with you. Too widely used for the police to really follow up. They're better off spending their time on Crystal Meth anyway imho.