Marijuana to Carry Cancer Warning in CA
June 23rd, 2009 by Russ
Last Friday, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment declared that marijuana smoke is to be put on a list of substances classified as known carcinogens. Due to the ruling, all medical marijuana sold in the state will have to contain a warning label. According to Proposition 65, no business can intentionally expose people to cancer-causing substances without providing a clearly posted warning.
The OEHHA made the ruling after a presentation (warning: PDF) that peripherally linked several components in pot smoke to cancer studies.
In the opinion of the OEHHA’s Deputy Director, Dr. George Alexeeff:
There’s not one single piece of evidence that was a slam dunk… But the pieces together form a very compelling argument.
While the report itself can only point to a handful of studies that connect marijuana and cancer in a statistically significant way, the panel claimed that marijuana smokers may be less likely to report accurately on their conditions and may even outright lie to researchers and interviewers about their habits. It seems odd that a scientific study should rely so heavily on biased assumptions about the truthfulness of pot smokers.
In the meantime, you can always follow the advice of latter-day prophet, Bill Hicks:
This says that smoking can cause low birth weight and premature birth. Screw it. Found my brand. Just don’t buy the ones that say lung cancer… Yep, gimme a pack of them low-birthweights.
Consumers of edible marijuana products (brownies, lollies, etc.) will be happy to know that the warnings do not apply to their favorite confections. Also, many advocates of smoking point out that vaporized weed contains none of the particulate matter that are being called carcinogens.
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”?
Baby Broccoli Sprouts, THC Keep Cancer at Bay
April 14th, 2009 by Rick
What do baby broccoli sprouts and marijuana have in common? Besides the obvious of them both being green, both have substances within them that naturally fight off cancer. Broccoli has a substance in it called sulforaphane, only found in baby broccoli sprouts.
Back in 1992 it was learned that sulforaphane was a premier natural cancer fighter and preventer. It wasn’t until September of 1997 that John Hopkins issued a press release that educated consumers about its beneficial properties. It’s a science now actually, marketed by Brassica under the brand name BroccoSprouts.
Marijuana has that good THC, which was proven in a few studies to fight off cancer. A case was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation about two patients that had dissolved THC mixed with saline introduced into their brain tumors. Researchers found that live cancer cells dropped after a prolonged administration.
[img via carleton500gardener on flickr]
Study: Alcohol May Increase Cancer Risks
February 27th, 2009 by Perry
Refuting a commonly held belief that a moderate wine consumption has shown a link to good health and a reduction in heart disease, a new study revealed alcohol may increase cancer risks.
The Washington Post documented a study of more than a million British women, the largest study of its kind, showing that as little as one alcoholic drink per day could potentially increase the risk of cancer.
Naomi E. Allen of the University of Oxford said:
That’s the take-home message. If you are regularly drinking even one drink per day, that’s increasing your risk for cancer. [...] There doesn’t seem to be a threshold at which alcohol consumption is safe.
The Journal of the National Institute of Cancer is publishing the study that flies in the face of U.S. dietary guidelines which talk about the beneficial effects of a drink per day.
LSD Tested on Cancer Patients in Maryland
November 14th, 2008 by PerryDr. Roland Griffiths, a Maryland area doctor, got rare government permission to test whether psychedelic drugs could aid cancer patients.
He conducts research at John Hopkins not with the goal of making patients physically better, but mentally better.
This is not a cure for cancer, but it is an intervention that back in the 60s people found very helpful for terminal cancer patients. [...] These are not drugs that can be used lightly.
In this video, Dr. Derek Valcourt examines whether drugs that cause hallucinations could actually make a difference.
If unsupervised, hallucinations can be an obvious danger. To some, they may induce acute flashbacks, intense fear and panic that in the worst case lead to suicide. On the flip side, 60% of Dr. Griffiths patients reported an almost spiritual feeling and said these mental trips brought on long-lasting positive changes.
The second part of “LSD Medical Research Used For Terminal Cancer,” after the jump.
No Link Found Between Lung Cancer and Cannabis
October 27th, 2008 by Alex
A recent study reports that there is no increase in the likelihood of lung cancer from marijuana consumption, even among heavy smokers. Scientists who conducted the study seemed surprised by the results because marijuana contains up to 50 percent more of the carcinogenic chemicals which are believed to be the cause of cancer in smokers.
Researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine tells WebMD:
We know that there are as many or more carcinogens and co-carcinogens in marijuana smoke as in cigarettes. [...] But we did not find any evidence for an increase in cancer risk for even heavy marijuana smoking.
There are a lot of factors that could lead to the assumption that marijuana smoke accelerates cancer risks:
- high concentration of chemicals linked to lung cancer
- most marijuana smokers breathe deeper and hold smoke in longer
- the large variance of chemicals in different grades and strains of marijuana
So why isn’t the link there? Scientists believe it has something to do with the properties of our favorite isomer – THC. Cellular studies of THC suggest it might have antitumor properties and can encourage the death of genetically damaged cells.
This is great news. Now, all I need is for THC to be able to cook a decent meal and keep an apartment clean, then I’m marrying it.
