Pubdate: Wed, 6 Feb 2008
Source: Excalibur (CN ON Edu)
Copyright: 2008 Excalibur
Contact:  http://www.excal.on.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3147
Author: Carl Meyer
Note: With files from Reuters, the Sydney Morning Herald, the 
Washington Post and the BBC.

DOES SMOKING POT CAUSE CANCER?

Conflicting Studies on Marijuana Use Suggest the Water Is Still Murky

Another flood of contradictory marijuana studies have left potheads 
wondering if they should clear their bong water.

A January study in the European Respiratory Journal claims that 
smoking one joint a day for 10 years provides the same cancer risk as 
smoking 20 cigarettes a day, leading to worldwide headlines claiming 
that marijuana is more dangerous than cigarettes.

The study also found that smoking one joint a day makes the user 5.7 
times more at risk for developing lung cancer than non-smokers, even 
after adjusting for tobacco use.

However, the study was conducted on only 10 patients with an average 
age of 42, all of whom had serious medical issues, leading some 
researchers to criticize the methodology.

Additionally, this study flies in the face of a May 2006 study out of 
the University of California at Los Angeles, which found that smoking 
marijuana had no positive association with an increased risk of cancer.

Although marijuana smoke contains carcinogenic chemicals, the study 
found that the chemical THC, the active chemical that makes users 
feel a "high," might kill dying cells, a process which could prevent 
them from becoming cancerous.

That study involved a significantly larger sample size, specifically 
1,200 Los Angeles cancer patients and 1,040 non-cancer patients.

Despite this, a February study published in Mutation Research Reviews 
found that smoking marijuana provided a "likely" risk of developing 
cancer, alongside the use of sun rooms, ingestion of processed meats 
and proximity to garbage dumps.

The "likely" risks were nestled in between "proven" risks like 
cigarettes, alcohol and overexposure to sunlight and "less risky" 
elements like hair-dye and proximity to electrical lines.

The study also examined mobile phones and food additives but did not 
have sufficient evidence to reach a conclusion.

Just like cigarettes, researchers studying marijuana not only focus 
on links to cancer, but also withdrawal patterns. A study in the 
January 2008 edition of Drug And Alcohol Dependence claims the 
symptoms a user experiences when going through cigarette withdrawal 
are virtually identical to marijuana withdrawal.

But potheads have no fear: despite confusing medical results, 
marijuana vending machines will begin operating in California. After 
providing a prescription, fingerprints and a photograph, users can 
use a medical card to access in-store vending machines for their medication.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake