Smoke Marijuana Blog

The association between smoking marijuana and cancer was based on the study that the risk increased twice to those who used marijuana at least weekly as compared to those who never smoked. The increase in risk was also evident in those who had long-term exposure to marijuana beginning in their adolescence.
In a study on the link between smoking marijuana and cancer, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center claim that either frequent or long-term use of marijuana may substantially increase the risk of developing testicular cancer. The findings on the said study on smoking marijuana and cancer were published on February 9, 2009 in the journal “Cancer.” The findings of the study on the association of smoking marijuana and cancer proved that the link of marijuana use is limited to nonseminoma, which is a fast-growing testicular malignancy, found between the age of 20 and 35. The link also showed grounds for about 40% of all cases of testicular cancer.
An epidemiologist and member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center, Stephen Schwartz said that their study on the link between smoking marijuana and cancer is not the first to propose that the lifestyle or environment of an individual is a factor for testicular cancer; however, he claimed that their study is the first that has linked marijuana use as a risk factor.
Another epidemiologist and member of the Center, Janet Daling said that during puberty, the risk of testicular cancer is greater just like the changing hormonal environment of adolescence and adulthood can precipitate fetal germ cells to become cancerous. She further explained that the findings of their study on smoking marijuana and cancer has been consistent that the increased risk of nonseminoma type testicular cancer was associated with using or smoking marijuana before the age of 18.
Eight years ago, Daling first conceptualized on exploring the possible link between smoking marijuana and cancer as she listened to a physician during at talk at the University of Washington. The physician showed findings that the brain and the testes consist of receptors for THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana.
More so, Daling has also learned from various sources that THC receptors were also found in the immune system, uterus, heart, and spleen cells. Daling said that using marijuana may distort the anti-tumor effect that could be another explanation for the possible association between smoking marijuana and cancer. During the study on the association between smoking marijuana and cancer, participants were asked about their lifestyle and habits apart from disclosing the span of their marijuana use. Thus, the findings proved that using marijuana was a substantial risk factor for testicular cancer in spite family history and history of undescended testes.
Although the researchers stressed that the findings on their study on the link between smoking marijuana and cancer are not conclusive, it still opens the door to more research questions to come up with a decisive result on smoking marijuana and cancer link.