30 replies to this topic

[Jeepster80125]

from http://www.foodconsu...ncer_risk.shtmlMay 24 (foodconsumer.org) - Heavy use of marijuana does not appear to increase the risk of lung cancer and other cancers such as cancer of the head and neck, a new study has found.Even in those heavy, long-term marijuana users, the risk of head and neck cancers including cancer of the tongue, mouth, throat and esophagus does not seem elevated compared with that in those who did not smoke.The findings are surprising as the researchers expected the heavy marijuana users would have to face an increased risk of cancer after exposure to marijuana smoke. Donald Tashkin, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles and colleagues conducted the study of 611 participants with lung cancer and 601 with cancer of the head or neck regions, from Los Angeles County. To do the marijuana and cancer study, 1,000 people without cancer who were matched on age, gender and neighborhood were used as controls. All participants chosen were aged 60 or younger as those born before 1940 were unlikely to be exposed to marijuana in their teens and 20s when use of marijuana is peaked. This would allow the researchers to see the effect of marijuana on cancer if there is any.The subjects were questioned about use of marijuana, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. They were also surveyed for their diet, occupations, family history of cancer and socioeconomic status.In the study, the heaviest smokers were those who had smoked more than 22,000 marijuana cigarettes, or joints. Moderately heavy smokers were those who had smoked between 11,000 and 22,000 joints.The heavy marijuana smokers did not have an elevated risk of developing cancer. People who smoked more marijuana did not seem to have a higher risk than those who smoked less or none, the study found.However, the study did find that 80% of lung cancer cases and 70% of patients with cancer of the head and neck had smoked tobacco, indicating smoking tobacco is linked with cancer risk.People who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day faced a 20-fold increased risk of lung cancer, the researchers noted. There is also a dose-response correlation between tobacco smoking and risk of lung cancer and head and neck cancers.The current findings regarding the effect of marijuana smoke on cancer is contradictory to previous studies in which other researchers found marijuana abuse has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens.The cancer-causing effect of marijuana is highly expected because marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. Marijuana smoke also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form—levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells.An early study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of developing cancer of the head or neck.The current findings are surprising also because marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Tashkin guesstimated that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active substance in marijuana smoke, may promote earlier death of aging cells, preventing the injured cells from becoming cancer cells.Although marijuana smoke appears free of cancer risk, experts warned that people stay away from marijuana because smoking marijuana has been well linked with other problems such as respiratory problems, increased heart rate, loss of motor skills, and increased heart rate.One good thing about marijuana is that smoking marijuana can relieve severe p ain in people with cancer. But the federal government bans such a use.In 2004, 14.6 million Americans age 12 and older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed. About 6,000 people a day in 2004 used marijuana for the first time—2.1 million Americans, according to the National Institute on Dr ug Abuse.

[EmFactor]

I move we change the name of this forum from "General Poker Forum" to "The Lint Trap".

[Oziumrules]

I told ya dude!

[fleung22]

Although marijuana smoke appears free of cancer risk, experts warned that people stay away from marijuana because smoking marijuana has been well linked with other problems such as respiratory problems, increased heart rate, loss of motor skills, and increased heart rate.I like how they used "increased heart rate" twice in the same sentence....and don't let Bwaves see this. Dude's tryin' to quit.

[NortonFan]

Damn.

[InertGrudge]

Can anyone say legalization? I don't even smoke pot and I think that. Maybe it's just because I'm a crazy liberal.

[diamondhead]

InertGrudge, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 9:13 AM, said:

Can anyone say legalization? I don't even smoke pot and I think that. Maybe it's just because I'm a crazy liberal.

Sounds good to me. Legalize weed and online poker and life is good.

[thechad5]

Any Law that makes a criminal out of well over 14.6 million people probably isnt that good of a law

[MasterLJ]

thechad5, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 10:43 AM, said:

Any Law that makes a criminal out of well over 14.6 million people probably isnt that good of a law

That sir, is retarded logic.Pedophilia is said to be prevalent in 4% of the population. That's 12.8 million people in the US.

[mk]

All drugs should be legal. All of them. And I don't do drugs. Anymore.

[MasterLJ]

mk, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 10:53 AM, said:

All drugs should be legal. All of them. And I don't do drugs. Anymore.

Spend a day with a tweaker sir. I think pot should be legal and maybe some other drugs, but crack, speed and meth should carry a death-penalty for usage. That's my biased opinion of the day.

[CrackofmyACE]

www.norml.org

[Yoda]

Ummm did anyone else think 11000-22000 joints sounds a little on the high (no pun intended) end for MODERATE? Thats 2 joints a day, every single day, for 15-30 years! Talk about up in smoke. Anyhow, good to know college didn't increase my lung cancer risk.

[DMBroller]

If you can't find time to squeeze in more than two joints a day you, sir, are simply not trying hard enough.

[mbreon]

I would be happy with some degree of decriminalization, since legalization won't be happening anytime soon....

[SonicReducer]

fleung22, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 12:59 PM, said:

Although marijuana smoke appears free of cancer risk, experts warned that people stay away from marijuana because smoking marijuana has been well linked with other problems such as respiratory problems, increased heart rate, loss of motor skills, and increased heart rate.I like how they used "increased heart rate" twice in the same sentence....and don't let Bwaves see this. Dude's tryin' to quit.

I bet the writer was stoned, since now he can't get cancer!

[SunDrop]

You can't hold a decent job and be a pothead. If it was legal, there would be no motivation for people to stop, and no one would have the motivation to attain higher level jobs where clear and fast thinking are needed. The main reason people quit after college is because they lose their connections and don't want to go through the hassle of finding people much younger than them and being "the old dude that just can't quit". But if you could buy it in stores, it would be more addicting than alcohol, because the negative effects are hard to recognize right away, and as long as you have access to it, you will keep doing it.I was a stoner for many a year, but there is no way in hell it should ever be legal.

[lvpro]

SunDrop, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 12:58 PM, said:

You can't hold a decent job and be a pothead.

I stopped reading right there. Not true. I know many people who partake daily, and hold down high-paying, quality jobs.

[SunDrop]

lvpro, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 12:01 PM, said:

I stopped reading right there. Not true. I know many people who partake daily, and hold down high-paying, quality jobs.

That wasn't the point...there would be less people trying to attain that. Weed makes you comfortable with your life situation because it blocks out all the things you should be worrying about. Pretty soon everyone would just want to work at gas stations and other low level jobs because they'd be happy as long as they got a toke every night.

[SilentSnow]

Yoda, on Thursday, May 25th, 2006, 10:51 AM, said:

Ummm did anyone else think 11000-22000 joints sounds a little on the high (no pun intended) end for MODERATE? Thats 2 joints a day, every single day, for 15-30 years! Talk about up in smoke. Anyhow, good to know college didn't increase my lung cancer risk.

i doubt that it causes no lung damage at all, but this study is explainable.even if the heavy pot smokers smoked 2 joints a day, that is still far less thanthe 20 or more cigarettes a day that smokers do.and also, it is well known that if you have quit smoking for more than a few years, your increased cancer risk goes down by a lot, although it doesnt return to the baseline of no smoking ever.