A few months ago, it was claimed that one cannabis joint == 3 cigarettes,
then a few weeks ago it was 5, now it's 20!

Expect the Daily Moral to scream 50 tomorrow!

They've all taken their feet off the brakes in preparation for next week's
ACMD meeting. They're leaving no exaggeration unexaggerated and no lie
unrepeated ad-nauseam. See Claude's rot in The Times, quoting the long
debunked gateway theory and quoting the 500 per week seeking hospital
treatment that DrugScope found out to actually be 14.

As a contrast here's two other articles:

SciAm: Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0002491F-755F-1473-B55F83414B7F0000&modsrc=related_links

Science Daily: Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study
Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm



Study says cannabis bigger cancer risk than cigarettes Tue Jan 29, 2008
9:44am GMT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Smoking a joint is equivalent to 20 cigarettes in
terms of lung cancer risk, scientists in New Zealand have found, as they
warned of an "epidemic" of lung cancers linked to cannabis.

Studies in the past have demonstrated that cannabis can cause cancer, but
few have established a strong link between cannabis use and the actual
incidence of lung cancer.

In an article published in the European Respiratory Journal, the
scientists said cannabis could be expected to harm the airways more than
tobacco as its smoke contained twice the level of carcinogens, such as
polyaromatic hydrocarbons, compared with tobacco cigarettes.

The method of smoking also increases the risk, since joints are typically
smoked without a proper filter and almost to the very tip, which increases
the amount of smoke inhaled. The cannabis smoker inhales more deeply and
for longer, facilitating the deposition of carcinogens in the airways.

"Cannabis smokers end up with five times more carbon monoxide in their
bloodstream (than tobacco smokers)," team leader Richard Beasley, at the
Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, said in a telephone interview.

"There are higher concentrations of carcinogens in cannabis smoke ... what
is intriguing to us is there is so little work done on cannabis when there
is so much done on tobacco."

The researchers interviewed 79 lung cancer patients and sought to identify
the main risk factors for the disease, such as smoking, family history and
occupation. The patients were questioned about alcohol and cannabis
consumption.

In this high-exposure group, lung cancer risk rose by 5.7 times for
patients who smoked more than a joint a day for 10 years, or two joints a
day for 5 years, after adjusting for other variables, including cigarette
smoking.

"While our study covers a relatively small group, it shows clearly that
long-term cannabis smoking increases lung cancer risk," wrote Beaseley.

"Cannabis use could already be responsible for one in 20 lung cancers
diagnosed in New Zealand," he added.

"In the near future we may see an 'epidemic' of lung cancers connected
with this new carcinogen. And the future risk probably applies to many
other countries, where increasing use of cannabis among young adults and
adolescents is becoming a major public health problem."

(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Alex Richardson)

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

Noticed at Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:12:24 +0000: Dr John Watson informed us:

> Expect the Daily Moral to scream 50 tomorrow!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=511036&in_page_id=1774

They seem to be quoting it quite accurately. I've sent this as a comment:

It is strange that in two other recent pieces of research the exact
opposite was found.

In a study by Donald Tashkin of the University of California, published in
Scientific American on 24/03/2006, "a study of more than 2,000 people
found no increase in the risk of developing lung cancer for marijuana
smokers."

In another study, at Harvard University, published in Science Daily on
17/04/2007, "The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in
common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the
cancer to spread."

Links:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0002491F-755F-1473-B55F83414B7F0000&modsrc=related_links

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm

Note to editor: also posted in news:uk.politics.drugs as I doubt you'll
publish this as it doesn't support the DM's position on cannabis.

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

Marijuana Smokers Face Rapid Lung Destruction -- As Much As 20 Years
> Ahead Of Tobacco Smokers
> <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123104017.htm>
> (January 27, 2008) -- A new study finds that the development of
> bullous lung disease occurs in marijuana smokers approximately 20
> years earlier than tobacco smokers. A condition often caused by
> exposure to toxic chemicals or long-term exposure to tobacco smoke,
> bullous lung disease (also known as bullae) is a condition where air
> trapped in the lungs causes obstruction to breathing and eventual
> destruction of the lungs. ... > full story
> <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123104017.htm> 

"Quitting is easy, I've done it hundreds of times", said Mark Twain
about cigars.

On 30 jan, 00:48, Cla...@aol.com (Claude) wrote:
> Marijuana Smokers Face Rapid Lung Destruction -- As Much As 20 Years
>
> > Ahead Of Tobacco Smokers
> > <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123104017.htm>
> > (January 27, 2008) -- A new study finds that the development of
> > bullous lung disease occurs in marijuana smokers approximately 20
> > years earlier than tobacco smokers. A condition often caused by
> > exposure to toxic chemicals or long-term exposure to tobacco smoke,
> > bullous lung disease (also known as bullae) is a condition where air
> > trapped in the lungs causes obstruction to breathing and eventual
> > destruction of the lungs. ... > full story
> > <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123104017.htm>
>
> "Quitting is easy, I've done it hundreds of times", said Mark Twain
> about cigars.

Well, smoking is stupid (even if only to avoid bronchitis), no doubt
about that. Just like pollution
produced by mororized traffic in big cities can seriously impair your
respiratory system.
So better to eat spacecookies, spacechocolate or spacebutter on a
sandwich if you like to get stoned/high.
Or harm reduction like using a vaporizer to avoid most of the tar
associated with smoking.