Does Marijuana Have Carcinogens in It?
Question by : Does marijuana have carcinogens in it?
I saw the following on National Institute on Drug Abuse on the National Health Institute nih.gov site:
Numerous studies have shown marijuana smoke to contain carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.
Is this true? Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by Peter R
actually, it does. i think the carcinogens in it makes the smell
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Believers Consume Fewer Drugs Than Atheists
Filed under: national institute on drug abuse
Abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs costs our nation more than $ 600 billion each year, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. You would think that any approach found to make such a difference on such an enormous problem would …
Read more on Christian Post
Cocaine Makes HIV-resistant Immune Cells Susceptible to Virus
Filed under: national institute on drug abuse
… antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Study co-authors were Sohn Kim, James Jung, Dhaval Dixit, Robert Rovner Jr., Jerome Zack and Gayle Baldwin, all of UCLA. A grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse funded this study.
Read more on Bioscience Technology
FDA and NIH Create First-of-Kind Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science
Filed under: national institute on drug abuse
Using designated funds from the FDA, TCORS will be coordinated by the NIH's Office of Disease Prevention, directed by David M. Murray, PhD, and administered by three NIH institutes – the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse …
Read more on LCGC Chromatography Online
Tags: drug abuse
An extensive study published in 2006 by Donald Tashkin of the University of California, Los Angeles found that there is no significant link between smoking cannabis and lung cancer. The study, which involved a large population sample (1,200 people with lung, neck, or head cancer, and a matching group of 1,040 without cancer) found no correlation between marijuana smoking and increased lung cancer risk. The results indicated no correlation between long and short-term cannabis use and cancer, indicating a possible therapeutic effect. Extensive cellular studies and even some studies in animal models suggest that THC has antitumor properties, either by encouraging programmed cell death of genetically damaged cells that can become cancerous, or by restricting the development of the blood supply that feeds tumors, or both.
The smoke (like any and all smoke that is inhaled) can absolutely contain carcinogens.
Fortunately THC has anti-tumor properties! To avoid carcinogens in marijuana it is best to use a water pipe (bong) or even better, a vaporizer.
yes it does but…read for yourself
FOXNEWS.COM HOME > HEALTH
Marijuana Does Not Raise Lung Cancer Risk
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
By Salynn Boyles
E-Mail Print Share:
People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.
While a clear increase in cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.
Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.
The findings surprised the study’s researchers, who expected to see an increase in cancer among people who smoked marijuana regularly in their youth.
“We know that there are as many or more carcinogens and co-carcinogens in marijuana smoke as in cigarettes,” researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine tells WebMD. “But we did not find any evidence for an increase in cancer risk for even heavy marijuana smoking.” Carcinogens are substances that cause cancer.
Tashkin presented the findings today at The American Thoracic Society’s 102nd International Conference, held in San Diego.
RelatedStories
FDA: Synthetic Marijuana Can Be Prescribed for Chemo Patients Study: Girls Smoking Marijuana, Drinking More than Boys Pot-Based Drug Promising for Arthritis Marijuana-Like Drug Increases Brain Cells, Relieves Depression Body’s Pot-Like Chemicals May Help Curb Pain
Boomers Reaching Cancer Age
The study population was limited to people who were younger than 60 because people older than that would probably not have used marijuana in their teens and early adult years.
“People who may have smoked marijuana in their youth are just now getting to the age when cancers are being seen,” Tashkin says.
A total of 611 lung cancer patients living in Los Angeles County, and 601 patients with other cancers of the head and neck were compared with 1,040 people without cancer matched for age, sex, and the neighborhood they lived in.
All the participants were asked about lifetime use of marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol, as well as other drugs, their diets, occupation, family history of lung cancer, and socioeconomic status.
The heaviest marijuana users in the study had smoked more than 22,000 joints, while moderately heavy smokers had smoked between 11,000 and 22,000 joints.
While two-pack-a-day or more cigarette smokers were found to have a 20-fold increase in lung cancer risk, no elevation in risk was seen for even the very heaviest marijuana smokers.
The more tobacco a person smoked, the greater their risk of developing lung cancer and other cancers of the head and neck. But people who smoked more marijuana were not at increased risk compared with people who smoked less and people who didn’t smoke at all.
The THC Connection
Studies suggest that marijuana smoke contains 50 percent higher concentrations of chemicals linked to lung cancer than cigarette smoke. Marijuana smokers also tend to inhale deeper than cigarette smokers and hold the inhaled smoke in their lungs longer.
So why isn’t smoking marijuana as dangerous as smoking cigarettes in terms of cancer risk?
The answer isn’t clear, but the experts say it might have something to do with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is a chemical found in marijuana smoke.
Cellular studies and even some studies in animal models suggest that THC has antitumor properties, either by encouraging the death of genetically damaged cells that can become cancerous or by restricting the development of the blood supply that feeds tumors, Tashkin tells WebMD.
In a review of the research published last fall, University of Colorado molecular biologist Robert Melamede, PhD, concluded that the THC in cannabis seems to lessen the tumor-promoting properties of marijuana smoke.
The nicotine in tobacco has been shown to inhibit the destruction of cancer-causing cells, Melamede tells WebMD. THC does not appear to do this and may even do the opposite.
While there was a suggestion in the newly reported study that smoking marijuana is weakly protective against lung cancer, Tashkin says the very weak association was probably due to chance.
Cancer risk among cigarette smokers was not influenced by whether or not they also smoked marijuana.
“We saw no interaction between marijuana and tobacco, and we certainly would not recommend that people smoke marijuana to protect themselves against cancer,” he says.
By Salynn Boyles, reviewed by Louise Chang, MD