Smoke Pot, Get Cancer

[festeringZit]

Marijuana use may increase the risk of developing testicular cancer, in particular a more aggressive form of the disease, according to a U.S. study published on Monday. The study of 369 Seattle-area men ages 18 to 44 with testicular cancer and 979 men in the same age bracket without the disease found that current marijuana users were 70 percent more likely to develop it compared to nonusers.
The risk appeared to be highest among men who had reported smoking marijuana for at least 10 years, used it more than once a week or started using it before age 18, the researchers wrote in the journal Cancer.
Stephen Schwartz of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, one of the researchers, said the study was the first to explore marijuana's possible association with testicular cancer.
"This is the first study to look at this question, and by itself is not definitive. And there's a lot more research that would have to be done in order to be more confident that marijuana use really is important in a man's risk of developing testicular cancer," Schwartz said in a telephone interview.
The study found the increased risk appeared to be in the form called nonseminoma testicular cancer. It accounts for 40 percent of cases and can be more aggressive and more difficult to treat, Schwartz said.
Experts are unsure about the causes of testicular cancer, which often strikes men in their 20s and 30s. The disease is seen more commonly in men who have had an undescended testicle or have a family history of testicular cancer.
The disease usually responds well to treatment and has a five-year survival rate of about 96 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.
About 8,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with testicular cancer per year, and there are about 140,000 U.S. men alive who have survived the disease, the group said.
The researchers said they were not sure what it was about marijuana that may raise the risk. Chronic marijuana use also can have effects on the male reproductive system including decreased sperm quality, they said.

 

[festeringZit]

Can't wait for the dopers to chime in and try to refute this study.

@)

 

[nimue77]

Active Ingredient in Cannabis Shrinks Tumors

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][SIZE=+2][SIZE=+3] Pot Shrinks Tumors; [/SIZE]
Government Knew in '74[/SIZE][/FONT]
By Raymond Cushing, AlterNet


​

The term medical marijuana took on dramatic new meaning in February, 2000 when researchers in Madrid announced they had destroyed incurable brain tumors in rats by injecting them with THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.
The Madrid study marks only the second time that THC has been administered to tumor-bearing animals; the first was a Virginia investigation 26 years ago. In both studies, the THC shrank or destroyed tumors in a majority of the test subjects.
Most Americans don't know anything about the Madrid discovery. Virtually no major U.S. newspapers carried the story, which ran only once on the AP and UPI news wires, on Feb. 29, 2000.
The ominous part is that this isn't the first time scientists have discovered that THC shrinks tumors. In 1974 researchers at the Medical College of Virginia, who had been funded by the National Institute of Health to find evidence that marijuana damages the immune system, found instead that THC slowed the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice - lung and breast cancer, and a virus-induced leukemia.
The DEA quickly shut down the Virginia study and all further cannabis/tumor research, according to Jack Herer, who reports on the events in his book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." In 1976 President Gerald Ford put an end to all public cannabis research and granted exclusive research rights to major pharmaceutical companies, who set out - unsuccessfully - to develop synthetic forms of THC that would deliver all the medical benefits without the "high."
The Madrid researchers reported in the March issue of "Nature Medicine" that they injected the brains of 45 rats with cancer cells, producing tumors whose presence they confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). On the 12th day they injected 15 of the rats with THC and 15 with Win-55,212-2 a synthetic compound similar to THC. "All the rats left untreated uniformly died 12-18 days after glioma (brain cancer) cell inoculation ... Cannabinoid (THC)-treated rats survived significantly longer than control rats. THC administration was ineffective in three rats, which died by days 16-18. Nine of the THC-treated rats surpassed the time of death of untreated rats, and survived up to 19-35 days. Moreover, the tumor was completely eradicated in three of the treated rats." The rats treated with Win-55,212-2 showed similar results.
The Spanish researchers, led by Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University, also irrigated healthy rats' brains with large doses of THC for seven days, to test for harmful biochemical or neurological effects. They found none.
"Careful MRI analysis of all those tumor-free rats showed no sign of damage related to necrosis, edema, infection or trauma ... We also examined other potential side effects of cannabinoid administration. In both tumor-free and tumor-bearing rats, cannabinoid administration induced no substantial change in behavioral parameters such as motor coordination or physical activity. Food and water intake as well as body weight gain were unaffected during and after cannabinoid delivery. Likewise, the general hematological profiles of cannabinoid-treated rats were normal. Thus, neither biochemical parameters nor markers of tissue damage changed substantially during the 7-day delivery period or for at least 2 months after cannabinoid treatment ended."
Guzman's investigation is the only time since the 1974 Virginia study that THC has been administered to live tumor-bearing animals. (The Spanish researchers cite a 1998 study in which cannabinoids inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation, but that was a "petri dish" experiment that didn't involve live subjects.)
In an email interview for this story, the Madrid researcher said he had heard of the Virginia study, but had never been able to locate literature on it. Hence, the Nature Medicine article characterizes the new study as the first on tumor-laden animals and doesn't cite the 1974 Virginia investigation.
"I am aware of the existence of that research. In fact I have attempted many times to obtain the journal article on the original investigation by these people, but it has proven impossible." Guzman said.
In 1983 the Reagan/Bush Administration tried to persuade American universities and researchers to destroy all 1966-76 cannabis research work, including compendiums in libraries, reports Jack Herer, who states, "We know that large amounts of information have since disappeared."
Guzman provided the title of the work - "Antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids," an article in a 1975 Journal of the National Cancer Institute - and this writer obtained a copy at the University of California medical school library in Davis and faxed it to Madrid.
The summary of the Virginia study begins, "Lewis lung adenocarcinoma growth was retarded by the oral administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBN)" - two types of cannabinoids, a family of active components in marijuana. "Mice treated for 20 consecutive days with THC and CBN had reduced primary tumor size."
The 1975 journal article doesn't mention breast cancer tumors, which featured in the only newspaper story ever to appear about the 1974 study - in the Local section of the Washington Post on August 18, 1974. Under the headline, "Cancer Curb Is Studied," it read in part:
"The active chemical agent in marijuana curbs the growth of three kinds of cancer in mice and may also suppress the immunity reaction that causes rejection of organ transplants, a Medical College of Virginia team has discovered." The researchers "found that THC slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36 percent."
Guzman, writing from Madrid, was eloquent in his response after this writer faxed him the clipping from the Washington Post of a quarter century ago. In translation, he wrote:
"It is extremely interesting to me, the hope that the project seemed to awaken at that moment, and the sad evolution of events during the years following the discovery, until now we once again Îdraw back the veilâ over the anti-tumoral power of THC, twenty-five years later. Unfortunately, the world bumps along between such moments of hope and long periods of intellectual castration."
News coverage of the Madrid discovery has been virtually nonexistent in this country. The news broke quietly on Feb. 29, 2000 with a story that ran once on the UPI wire about the Nature Medicine article. This writer stumbled on it through a link that appeared briefly on the Drudge Report web page. The New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times all ignored the story, even though its newsworthiness is indisputable: a benign substance occurring in nature destroys deadly brain tumors.
Raymond Cushing is a journalist, musician and filmmaker. This article was named by Project Censored as a "Top Censored Story of 2000."

[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]​

Can't wait for Zit to try and refute these studies.

 

[fletchisrhsm]

Marijuana use may increase the risk of developing testicular cancer, in particular a more aggressive form of the disease, according to a U.S. study published on Monday. The study of 369 Seattle-area men ages 18 to 44 with testicular cancer and 979 men in the same age bracket without the disease found that current marijuana users were 70 percent more likely to develop it compared to nonusers.
The risk appeared to be highest among men who had reported smoking marijuana for at least 10 years, used it more than once a week or started using it before age 18, the researchers wrote in the journal Cancer.
Stephen Schwartz of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, one of the researchers, said the study was the first to explore marijuana's possible association with testicular cancer.
"This is the first study to look at this question, and by itself is not definitive. And there's a lot more research that would have to be done in order to be more confident that marijuana use really is important in a man's risk of developing testicular cancer," Schwartz said in a telephone interview.
The study found the increased risk appeared to be in the form called nonseminoma testicular cancer. It accounts for 40 percent of cases and can be more aggressive and more difficult to treat, Schwartz said.
Experts are unsure about the causes of testicular cancer, which often strikes men in their 20s and 30s. The disease is seen more commonly in men who have had an undescended testicle or have a family history of testicular cancer.
The disease usually responds well to treatment and has a five-year survival rate of about 96 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.
About 8,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with testicular cancer per year, and there are about 140,000 U.S. men alive who have survived the disease, the group said.
The researchers said they were not sure what it was about marijuana that may raise the risk. Chronic marijuana use also can have effects on the male reproductive system including decreased sperm quality, they said.

The problem with an Agendas is clearly: narrow mindedness.

Fist off, third word in says "may", not "does" or "will" so im not sure how your headline computes, complete hyperbole is all i can figure. Also 1200 people in one location doenst make anything scientific. I mean, did you ever consider the environment is Seattle to possibly be a factor here? Also, 8,000 men will be diagnosed this year with Testicular cancer... while over 30K will be killed with the flu. Seems to me the flu should be taken more serious then this laughable and weak and lame hatchet job.

 

[festeringZit]

The problem with an Agendas is clearly: narrow mindedness.

Fist off, third word in says "may", not "does" or "will" so im not sure how your headline computes, complete hyperbole is all i can figure. Also 1200 people in one location doenst make anything scientific. I mean, did you ever consider the environment is Seattle to possibly be a factor here? Also, 8,000 men will be diagnosed this year with Testicular cancer... while over 30K will be killed with the flu. Seems to me the flu should be taken more serious then this laughable and weak and lame hatchet job.

Um, you calling this study a weak and lame hatchet job clearly shows
your agenda and narrow mindedness.

@)

 

[fletchisrhsm]

Um, you calling this study a weak and lame hatchet job clearly shows
your agenda and narrow mindedness.

@)

No rebuttal? Figured....

 

[SayHeyKid]

This study is an absolutle joke. 369 people? Wtf?

THC is an antioxidant which prevents cancerous cells from spreading.

http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20070417/marijuana-may-fight-lung-tumors

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312132,00.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3655586.stm

I'm not a fan of smoking marijuana, but the stuff is harmless at worst, and very well could be benefical.

 

[nimue77]

Cannabis may limit damage from strokes and Alzheimer's


CANNABIS COULD protect brain cells against the effects of a stroke and may help to slow the mental deterioration associated with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
<!-- google_ad_section_end (name=s1) --> <!-- google_ad_section_start (name=s2 weight=.3) --> Scientists have found that a component of marijuana acts as a powerful antioxidant in the brain which can prevent cells being damaged when a blood vessel in the head becomes blocked during a stroke.
Experiments revealed that cannabidiol, which is a harmless constituent of marijuana and does not produce a "high", is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamins C and D, which are known to neutralise the highly damaging free radicals released during a stroke.



Dr Aidan Hampson, a British-born researcher at the United States National Institute of Mental Health, near Washington DC, said the discovery could eventually lead to a treatment for stroke based on the cannabis plant.
"We have reason to believe we are on to a good thing here. Cannabidiol was given to humans in large doses in other clinical trials with no significant adverse effects," Dr Hampson said. "We could synthesise it and administer it to patients as a pill, in an inhaler or even as a suppository, although that would not be as popular. It is non-psychoactive which makes it particularly useful."
The research, which is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, also found that the mind-altering ingredient of cannabis - tetrahyrocannabinol (THC) - also behaved as a potent antioxidant which protected brain cells against the sort of oxygen starvation caused by a stroke.
The US National Academy of Sciences, which publishes the proceedings, said: "These findings suggest that cannabidiol may be a promising treatment for stroke and other neurological disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, (which are) also thought to involve oxidative damage."
Dr Hampson said that when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked a complex set of reactions takes place that culminates in the power houses of the cell, called mitochondria, pumping out free radicals.
When he exposed the nerve cells of laboratory animals to cannabidiol he found it significantly reduced the damage resulting from the release of free radicals. The dose levels were similar to those known to be safe in humans.
"These are the very first results and I would be surprised if we get through all the stages of drug trials for humans in less than five or six years," Dr Hampson said.
However, the research findings do not explain whether people who smoke cannabis are less likely to suffer ill effects following a stroke. "We don't know whether smoking produces these levels of cannabidiol," he said.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980706/ai_n14176192?tag=content;col1

 

[festeringZit]

No rebuttal? Figured....

Rebuttal? ROFL.

This came out in the news today, from a reputable cancer
research center, and your only (biased) retort is that it's a weak
and lame hatchet job.

Please post any of the following which would enable you to make
this judgment:

1. Where you went to medical school
2. Where you have any published cancer research, or *any* documented
research of any kind, in any scientific field

I'll do us both a favor and not hold my breath.

@)


Your clear and immediate dismissal of this report shows your blatant
hypocrisy in bring up agendas, because you clearly have your own.

@)

 

[festeringZit]

Cannabis may limit damage from strokes and Alzheimer's


CANNABIS COULD protect brain cells against the effects of a stroke and may help to slow the mental deterioration associated with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
<!-- google_ad_section_end (name=s1) --> <!-- google_ad_section_start (name=s2 weight=.3) --> Scientists have found that a component of marijuana acts as a powerful antioxidant in the brain which can prevent cells being damaged when a blood vessel in the head becomes blocked during a stroke.
Experiments revealed that cannabidiol, which is a harmless constituent of marijuana and does not produce a "high", is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamins C and D, which are known to neutralise the highly damaging free radicals released during a stroke.



Dr Aidan Hampson, a British-born researcher at the United States National Institute of Mental Health, near Washington DC, said the discovery could eventually lead to a treatment for stroke based on the cannabis plant.
"We have reason to believe we are on to a good thing here. Cannabidiol was given to humans in large doses in other clinical trials with no significant adverse effects," Dr Hampson said. "We could synthesise it and administer it to patients as a pill, in an inhaler or even as a suppository, although that would not be as popular. It is non-psychoactive which makes it particularly useful."
The research, which is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, also found that the mind-altering ingredient of cannabis - tetrahyrocannabinol (THC) - also behaved as a potent antioxidant which protected brain cells against the sort of oxygen starvation caused by a stroke.
The US National Academy of Sciences, which publishes the proceedings, said: "These findings suggest that cannabidiol may be a promising treatment for stroke and other neurological disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, (which are) also thought to involve oxidative damage."
Dr Hampson said that when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked a complex set of reactions takes place that culminates in the power houses of the cell, called mitochondria, pumping out free radicals.
When he exposed the nerve cells of laboratory animals to cannabidiol he found it significantly reduced the damage resulting from the release of free radicals. The dose levels were similar to those known to be safe in humans.
"These are the very first results and I would be surprised if we get through all the stages of drug trials for humans in less than five or six years," Dr Hampson said.
However, the research findings do not explain whether people who smoke cannabis are less likely to suffer ill effects following a stroke. "We don't know whether smoking produces these levels of cannabidiol," he said.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980706/ai_n14176192?tag=content;col1

This has nothing to do with the original report.

Yawn.

 

[nimue77]

There is no evidence that Cannabis use causes cancer, even when smoked.

Yawn.

This has nothing to do with the original report.

Yawn.

 

[NES]

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[festeringZit]

There is no evidence that Cannabis use causes cancer, even when smoked.

Yawn.

Oh really?

And the reason you know this is because you smoke pot?

Please post where you went to medical school, since you're able
to refute this study so readily.

hno:

 

[nimue77]

I didn't refute your study. The study didn't claim that Cannabis use causes cancer. Read your own shit before posting.

"This is the first study to look at this question, and by itself is not definitive. And there's a lot more research that would have to be done in order to be more confident that marijuana use really is important in a man's risk of developing testicular cancer,"

Oh really?

And the reason you know this is because you smoke pot?

Please post where you went to medical school, since you're able
to refute this study so readily.

hno:

 

[Risk44]

But getting behind the Wheel after a few "cold ones" and Plowing into a minivan filled with Kids is O.k. right zit?

 

[fletchisrhsm]

Rebuttal? ROFL.

This came out in the news today, from a reputable cancer
research center, and your only (biased) retort is that it's a weak
and lame hatchet job.

Please post any of the following which would enable you to make
this judgment:

1. Where you went to medical school
2. Where you have any published cancer research, or *any* documented
research of any kind, in any scientific field

I'll do us both a favor and not hold my breath.

@)


Your clear and immediate dismissal of this report shows your blatant
hypocrisy in bring up agendas, because you clearly have your own.

@)

Is the study of medicine scientific? How many million global warming studies do you brush off? And for the record, 1200 people in Seattle is scientific....its called a very small sample size.

Go back and read what i said. 8,000 people get this form of cancer every year and even if 100% of them die, you know what i would say?

So fucking what

Why? BECAUSE ITS ALL RELATIVE, Nube. You know how many people die each year because of Tobacco? 435,000. Why not post an article about smoking cigarettes? Or what about the 85k that die because of alcohol each year? I know, because it doesn't fit your agenda, thats why. Fucking tool. Show me the state where people are dying from getting stoned? So in closing, ill spell it out for you....

 

[PointGiven]

Can't wait for the dopers to chime in and try to refute this study.

@)

lmfao

if the government came on faux news tomorrow and said "the sky is green and rains money"

you would run outside with a trash bag huh


:nohead:


I have known people who have died from cancer...that never smoked weed in their life

I also know people who have smoked for 30 years....and they are healthy as an ox

and now....everyone knows a olympic swimmer who can beat the best in the world for 14 gold medals...then afterwards hits the locker room to smoke a bong rip :cripwalk:

that marijuana drug is so bad huh....cause the government said so....it ruins your lungs and gives you cancer in the nuts...BUWAHAHAHAHAHHA


government propaganda....odd....you dont see no commercials on tv or no 'reports' or 'studies' on the effects of alcohol on people

I know someone persoanlly who drank all his life and didnt make it past 60

as long as everyone pays the government tax on that bottle of jack daniels its perfectly healthy for you :drink:

 

[PointGiven]

Is the study of medicine scientific? How many million global warming studies do you brush off? And for the record, 1200 people in Seattle is scientific....its called a very small sample size.

Go back and read what i said. 8,000 people get this form of cancer every year and even if 100% of them die, you know what i would say?

So fucking what

Why? BECAUSE ITS ALL RELATIVE, Nube. You know how many people die each year because of Tobacco? 435,000. Why not post an article about smoking cigarettes? Or what about the 85k that die because of alcohol each year? I know, because it doesn't fit your agenda, thats why. Fucking tool. Show me the state where people are dying from getting stoned? So in closing, ill spell it out for you....

damn...I forgot all about cigs....hmm....dosent the government charge a tax for those as well??

what??

no commercials or studies or reports???

aww :cripwalk:

 

[PointGiven]

also...I know someone with MS who smokes and it makes their symptoms go away for a little bit

would I reccomend for this person to drink a bottle of vodka and smoke a few cigs when they dont feel well??

nah

 

[alteredegos]

THC cuts lung cancer growth, spread

The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.

They say this is the first set of experiments to show that the compound, Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), inhibits EGF-induced growth and migration in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressing non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Lung cancers that over-express EGFR are usually highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy.

THC that targets cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 is similar in function to endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids that are naturally produced in the body and activate these receptors. The researchers suggest that THC or other designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted fashion to treat lung cancer.

"The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer," said Anju Preet, Ph.D., a researcher in the Division of Experimental Medicine.

Acting through cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, endocannabinoids (as well as THC) are thought to play a role in variety of biological functions, including pain and anxiety control, and inflammation. Although a medical derivative of THC, known as Marinol, has been approved for use as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients, and a small number of U.S. states allow use of medical marijuana to treat the same side effect, few studies have shown that THC might have anti-tumor activity, Preet says. The only clinical trial testing THC as a treatment against cancer growth was a recently completed British pilot study in human glioblastoma.

In the present study, the researchers first demonstrated that two different lung cancer cell lines as well as patient lung tumor samples express CB1 and CB2, and that non-toxic doses of THC inhibited growth and spread in the cell lines. "When the cells are pretreated with THC, they have less EGFR stimulated invasion as measured by various in-vitro assays," Preet said.

Then, for three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells, and found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression, Preet says.

Although the researchers do not know why THC inhibits tumor growth, they say the substance could be activating molecules that arrest the cell cycle. They speculate that THC may also interfere with angiogenesis and vascularization, which promotes cancer growth.

Preet says much work is needed to clarify the pathway by which THC functions, and cautions that some animal studies have shown that THC can stimulate some cancers. "THC offers some promise, but we have a long way to go before we know what its potential is," she said.

Staci Vernick Goldberg
goldberg@aacr.org
267-646-0616

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/marij...ead-18538.html