Marijuana and Lung Cancer

Marijuana and lung cancer is a relationship that is of interest to many, smokers and doctors alike.

Marijuana and lung cancer is a subject that many doctors and researchers are studying. Many do not agree with one another on the effects of marijuana on the lungs. Marijuana contains THC, which is responsible for its mental effects on the body. It also contains many of the dangerous chemicals that are found in tobacco smoke. Some researchers argue that this means that marijuana is likely to cause lung cancer.

Everyone knows that when you are smoking, lung cancer is a possibility. Smokers are much more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers. With marijuana, lung cancer seems to be much less likely than with smoking cigarettes.

What research tells us about marijuana and smoking depends on the research.

In fact, some researchers have said that there is no increase in the chance of getting lung cancer with marijuana smoking. This is because marijuana smokers do not smoke on a regular basis and don’t smoke twenty times a day. Cigarette smokers often smoke up to twenty times a day or more.

Marijuana and lung cancer seem to be more related when a person smokes cigarettes and marijuana at the same time. The doctors feel that the marijuana smoke works along with the cigarette smoke to cause lung cancer. When smoking only marijuana, lung cancer is very rare, even though there are chemicals in marijuana that can cause lung cancer.

Marijuana is a hotly contested drug, especially in relation to lung cancer.

Some doctors have discovered that a few of the ingredients in marijuana can slow the growth of lung cancer cells. These chemicals block the growth of the cancer cells, shrinking the cancer and preventing its further growth. These doctors feel that there may be a role for marijuana in the treatment of cancer.

Other doctors have found that smoking marijuana greatly increases the chances of getting other lung diseases such as emphysema. These diseases happen because marijuana smokers hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers. They also start smoking marijuana at an earlier age than smokers.

Lung disease in marijuana smokers happens around the age of 40. In smoking, lung cancer and lung disease occur around the age of 60. Therefore some doctors believe that marijuana smoking is more dangerous than cigarette smoking.

If you hold your breath longer than most people, you can get lung disease from marijuana. If you smoke both tobacco and marijuana, lung cancer can be in your future. If you just smoke marijuana, you probably won’t get lung cancer.

When doctors believe that marijuana slows cancer growth, they mean that it is an ingredient in the plant that slows lung cancer growth. THC is the ingredient that attaches to cancer cells. It causes a reduction in inflammation of the cancer cells so the cancer cells don’t grow. When doctors gave THC to rats with lung cancer, the cancer shrunk by fifty percent.

So are marijuana and lung cancer related? Should you stop smoking marijuana to reduce lung cancer? It depends on who you ask. Many doctors believe that marijuana causes lung disease but few believe it causes lung cancer. Some doctors believe that THC can help shrink the growth of cancer cells. The same doctors would probably not recommend smoking marijuana to get THC to fight cancer cells. THC comes in pill-form so that you don’t have to smoke marijuana to get THC in your body.

This is a very controversial subject that doesn’t have an answer yet. Until an answer is found, it is probably not a good idea to smoke marijuana, especially if you are a s cigarette smoker.

Written by: Dr. Christine Traxler
6/20/2009
Reviewed by Susan McCracken
6/26/2009