Study Suggests Weed Causes Cancer & DNA Damage
June 15th, 2009 by Rick
According to one of the American Chemical Society’s journals, Chemical Research in Toxicology, in the June 15 issue it says that Rajinder Singh and researchers at the University of Leicester “discovered” information that the drug warriors have been searching high and low for: marijuana damages DNA and may cause cancer. Eep!
Researchers wrote:
These results provide evidence for the DNA damaging potential of cannabis [marijuana] smoke, implying that the consumption of cannabis cigarettes may be detrimental to human health with the possibility to initiate cancer development. [...] The data obtained from this study suggesting the DNA damaging potential of cannabis smoke highlight the need for stringent regulation of the consumption of cannabis cigarettes, thus limiting the development of adverse health effects such as cancer.
Now let’s take a closer look at the words used:
- potential
- implying
- possibility
- suggesting
A study should be factual, ensuring every possible angle is covered and this one doesn’t seem to be very bullet-proof in their findings. The claim that smoking marijuana has the potential to cause cancer is interesting seeing how another study done in Spain says that components of marijuana actually slow tumor growth. In fact that study was first conducted in 1974 but like anything that places marijuana in a positive, medicinal light, the journals were suppressed.
Which study was/is more scientific? How can this plant cause cancer and then turn around and fight tumor growth? I’m no rocket scientist (although I play one on TV) but I’m fairly sure that the cancer might be connected somehow to tar intake… from burning the plant, not the plant itself.
Why then wouldn’t they run studies with vaporizers (alternate forms of marijuana intake) and see if marijuana was still damaging DNA… and had the “potential” to “initiate cancer development”?
