Study finds no marijuana-lung cancer link

[estahwhaddup]

Study finds no marijuana-lung cancer link

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Marijuana smoking does not increase a person\'s risk of developing lung cancer, according to the findings of a new study at the University of California Los Angeles that surprised even the researchers.

They had expected to find that a history of heavy marijuana use, like cigarette smoking, would increase the risk of cancer.

Instead, the study, which compared the lifestyles of 611 Los Angeles County lung cancer patients and 601 patients with head and neck cancers with those of 1,040 people without cancer, found no elevated cancer risk for even the heaviest pot smokers. It did find a 20-fold increased risk of lung cancer in people who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day.

The study results were presented in San Diego Tuesday at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society.

The study was confined to people under age 60 since baby boomers were the most likely age group to have long-term exposure to marijuana, said Dr. Donald Tashkin, senior researcher and professor at the UCLA School of Medicine.

The results should not be taken as a blank check to smoke pot, which has been associated with problems including cognitive impairment and chronic bronchitis, said Dr. John Hansen-Flaschen, chief of pulmonary and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. He was not involved in the study.

Previous studies showed marijuana tar contained about 50 percent more of the chemicals linked to lung cancer, compared with tobacco tar, Tashkin said. In addition, smoking a marijuana joint deposits four times more tar in the lungs than smoking an equivalent amount of tobacco.

"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 said in a statement. "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 lung."

He theorized that tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a chemical in marijuana smoke that produces its psychotropic effect, may encourage aging, damaged cells to die off before they become cancerous.

Hansen-Flaschen also cautioned a cancer-marijuana link could emerge as baby boomers age and there may be smaller population groups, based on genetics or other factors, still at risk for marijuana-related cancers.

Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/05/24/pot.lung.cancer.reut/index.html

[Spacey]

This is definitely good news.

[Stumblin'Sarah]

oh thank goodness! i knew really felt healthy yesterday smoking out of an apple! and I can yell at cigarette smokers easier now!

[bdfreetuna]

No surprise to me!

Not that this has anything to do with cancer, but if I smoke 1 cigarrette I\'m wheezing for the next day. On the other hand, I can smoke all the ***** I can handle and my lungs are fine.

Cigarette smokers should consider taking up cannabis on top of their nic stick habit: Since ***** dilates your lung passages it actually allows your lungs to clear all the shitty cigarette stuff out of there much sooner. So basically if you smoke pot + cigarettes a lot of that radioactive crap in the ciggs works its way out.

[Todd]

:chin: Hmmm, maybe I should start smoking on a regular basis again!

[Me!]

I don\'t buy it for a second, anything your burnigng and inhaling into your lungs cannot be good for you....

[wildcoyote]

I wonder how organically grown, non-processed tobacco would fair in this study?  The obvious edge I see for marijuana over cigarettes is the fact that the tobacco companies never get their hands on it, so no chemical additives.  
I\'m also convinced all the additives are what make cigarettes so addictive.  I quit smoking grass years ago w/o any problem.  Cigarettes however have proven more difficult.  I must have tried to quit 20 times.  So far so good on the current attempt.  Haven\'t had one since Christmas Eve!  I\'d STILL love to have one though.  Mmmmmmmmm nicotine:drool:

[Me!]

Mmmmmmmmm nicotine

[leith]

I don\'t buy it for a second, anything your burnigng and inhaling into your lungs cannot be good for you....

Smoking anything is of course going to do some damage but actually the smoke from Marjuana is a natural expectorant. It gets deeper into the alveoli and helps to loosen the tar and such from both cigs and any other marijuana you may have ingested.
Big reason I bake alot of goodies, no smoke ,all the benefits of the ingredients.

[kindm's]

There are chemicals in MJ that actually repair the damage to the lungs being casued by smoking it. So it is repairing the damge being caused. So its like treading water.

Now if you pollute your lungs with other toxins then they will accumulate but it will not be the result of MJ.

This isn\'t really new news. They have had the scientific papers posted on NORMLs website for a long time. I think this is getting reHASHed because of the recent up swell of anti-pot commercials and psuedo science claiming ill effects.

But is good news to know either way.

[bdfreetuna]

I don\'t buy it for a second, anything your burnigng and inhaling into your lungs cannot be good for you....

Sure but emphesema, bronchitis and such aren\'t cancer. They\'re only talking about cancer here. Fortunately if you get emphesema or bronchitis you can probably just stop smoking right away and be allright.

[FrankZappa]

don\'t take this as a high horse anyone, to each his own. However even if it doesn\'t cause cancer, I would think that any amount of smoke intake (pot, cig, smog, caught in a fire, ect) into your lungs would eventually over time lead to some sort of a plaque-like build up around your capilaries and give you respiration problems (?)

Like I said, to each his own. I don\'t smoke, but if you want to, go nuts. The few times I tried it had no effect - I just got really, really tired. Seemed like a waste of time to me.

[bdfreetuna]

^^
No doubt smoking any plant material can\'t be *good* for you. But how many old potheads do you know in their 40\'s-50\'s-60\'s who are breathing clearly? (i know plenty)... How many cigarette smokers in their 20\'s can barely climb a flight of stairs?

The best solution for those who dont\' want to dedicate a good chunk of their stash and time into cooking butter is a vaporizer. If I smoked pot I would definitely use one and it would definitely get my blasted

I think the most dangerous acute possible side effect of pot smoking is drastic norephenephrine release in people who are prone, causing jitters, stiff joints, disorientation, dizziness, and rapid heart rate. In people with certain pre-existing conditions which I\'m not all that educated about, it is possible that smoking or eating ***** can lead to arrythmic heart beats, rapid pulse, and possibly even heart attacks. If this sounds like you and the symptoms are consistent each time you smoke it might be a good idea to heed the warning signs and get checked by a doctor. But keep in mind an elevated pulse and some jitters and disorientation isn\'t uncommon especially if you go "one toke over the line"..

It has happened in the past. But cancer from ***** alone, I\'m not aware of.