Does Weed Cause Cancer???

[Potastic]

I dont know who to believe:

Causes Cancer (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9808/18/marijuana.cancer/)


No Cancer (http://www.legalize.com/nocancer.htm)

[Innominate]

No.

A CNN article from almost a decade ago? Come on, weed is natural.

[Acouwaila]

are you a virgin?

the future of pot relies on it

[birdgirl73]

It's a hard thing to try and reconcile, isn't it, Potastic?

My belief based on everything I've read from the researchers who've done the most looking into the correlation between weed and cancer is that weed itself does not cause cancer. The THC and CBD in cannabis have very promising anti-cancer action in mouse studies and it has really amazing untapped potential as an effective cancer treatment. There's a Spanish researcher right now doing research into the effects of THC on glial cell cancers, which are the type of cells found in the most deadly forms of brain cancer. In mouse studies, THC has been shown to kill glioma/glial cells, which is great news for mice with brain tumors and possibly great news for humans, too.

Here's the hitch, though. Cannabis seems to be a remarkably healthy substance, at least for most people. But the by-products of combustion are still carcinogenic. In biopsies, people who've smoked lots of cannabis over long periods of time begin to show histological changes (tissue changes) that might be the early warning signs of future cancers. Weed itself has great anti-cancer properties, but smoking it still unleashes those byproducts of combustion. This is why most clean-living cannabis purists prefer to vape or eat it. Because even though the weed itself seems to be healthy, burning it and breathing in those byproducts of combustion isn't.

Frankly, I think compared to some of the other risks humans face, like higher cancer risk from obesity, exposure to environmental pollutants, overexposure to radiation, etc., even the risk of cancer from smoked weed seems fairly negligible. Still, if I were going to use it every day, I'd probably vape it just to be safe.

[sarah louise]

Come on, weed is natural.

what... and cancer isn't?

[LIP]

Well, an unbiased study that i read [and posted links to on this forum] showed that even heavy long term use didnt increase the chances of any form of cancer, including lung cancer. Infact, they found the chances dropped slightly.

Smoke is bad for you, whatever it is, but the fact THC can control cell division, and keep healthy cells alive for longer, while allowing new cells to grow normally makes me beleive that smoking weed is safe, and the THC cancels out the bad part of smoking.

Since i quit smoking tobacco i've never felt better. I smoke lots more weed than i used to, but i dont wheeze like i did when smoking tobacco, i havnt got a cough and i havnt had a chest infection for i dont know how long!

[Storm Crow]

I vaporize more than I smoke. I believe, however, that THC and CBD can be potent anti-carcinogenic agents. You may wish to read some of the entries in the "Cancer" and "Tobacco vs Cannabis" sections in the link below. There are quite a few studies about cancer and THC and/or CBD.

I am looking forward to finding more studies on long-term cannabis use and cancer rates! And Alzheimer's for that matter! These are two subjects that weigh on the minds of our aging population. If cannabis is just half as good as the studies I've found suggest, and our government opens it's tightly-shut eyes, we will see legal medical cannabis, nationwide, within the next 10 years. - Granny:hippy:

[Mississippi Steve]

Scientists cause cancer in laboratory animals.

[zlessley]

Ha, yeah, smoking causes cancer, duh, doesn't matter if it's cigarettes, weed, crack, or leaves you pulled off of a tree, it's the carcinogens... so either vaporize, or bake it.. duh

[beachguy in thongs]

I think that our bodies are trying to evolve into cannabinoid ligands. The molecular changes, caused by pot-smoke, is our body trying to adapt, maybe.

That would be a wonderful world. Instead of German, Polish, French-Canadian, and, Lithuanian, I could describe myself by my THC/cannabidiol ratio.

[expandingeye]

That would be a wonderful world. Instead of German, Polish, French-Canadian, and, Lithuanian, I could describe myself by my THC/cannabidiol ratio.

oh hahahaha man thats great! :D
I agree with LIP the most, with thc working against the harsh smoke of weed smoking. Though im not totally convinced.

[Chong Version 2.0]

I seriously want to get a vape. I hate waking up in the morning with a clogged up chest.

[Storm Crow]

Chong- You will LOVE it! Give it 2 weeks of nothing but vape and I bet your lungs will be clear! I love my VB!- Granny:hippy:

[midnite420toker]

it actually slows some cancers, right? so, then how could it cause cancer?

[birdgirl73]

First you have to understand which are the ingredients that slow or halt cancers. It's the active compounds, THC and CBD, that seem to slow some and possibly cure some types of cancer. In the lab studies that have shown positive indications against cancer, those active ingredients have often been administered in much higher concentrations and doses to mice and/or rats than human users would obtain through smoking, eating, or vaping.

For human recipients, the by-products of combustion that come along with those active ingredients are still potentially carcinogenic (although I'm convinced the active compounds probably deliver some protective effects against those combustion byproduct carcinogens). So it's a subtle double-edged sword in a lot of ways and thus is hard for folks who want it to be either all good or all bad to understand. It's even hard for those of us who know it has both benefits and drawbacks to understand.