Someday we will look at the American Cancer Society's stance on cannabis like we look at medieval barbers' thoughts on bloodletting.
Seriously, American Cancer Society, you’re publishing this Reefer Madness on your “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” data sheet in medical marijuana?
Many researchers agree that marijuana contains known carcinogens, or chemicals that can cause cancer.
All researchers agree that water contains a known explosive, hydrogen, a volatile element that can ignite with as little as a static electricity spark. That doesn’t mean water can cause explosions. Chemistry matters. Yes, cannabis smoke — all smoke — contains carcinogens. But cannabis smoke also contains THC, which has been shown to have anti-tumoral effects and inhibits cancer cell growth through apoptosis (cell “suicide”).
Results of epidemiologic studies of marijuana and cancer risk have been inconsistent, and most recent epidemiologic studies have not found a substantial effect on cancer risk. However, some researchers caution that these studies are difficult to conduct, as some people may not be truthful about illegal habits such as smoking marijuana, and that these negative results should not be interpreted as convincing evidence of safety.
Uh… what? We do studies that can’t distinguish an increased risk of cancer from pot smoking, but folks lie about pot, so we can’t trust the studies? Well, that would mean the either the people who don’t get cancer are lying about smoking pot, or people who do get cancer are lying about not smoking pot. The former doesn’t make much sense, so the author must assume there are a whole bunch of pot smokers in cancer wards who are lying about it and blaming it on something else.
Seems quite a stretch to me, especially when Dr. Tashkin studied thousands of pot smokers for 30 years, concluding “We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use. What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect.”
They caution that smoking marijuana may decrease reproductive function,…
Willie Nelson has seven kids. Snoop Dogg has three kids. Tommy Chong has five kids. Bob Marley has eleven kids. Just sayin’ those reproductive scares have been studied, too, and they’re bunk.
…cause lung disease, and increase the risk of cancer of the lungs, mouth, and tongue. It may also suppress the body’s immune system…
Sure, right, that’s why doctors recommend it for AIDS patients who have the most compromised immune systems of any patient. That’s why I rarely get colds and never get the flu, despite passing joints and pipes from the lips of many other pot smokers to mine own. This immune system scare is bunk, too.
…and increase the risk of leukemia in children whose mothers smoke marijuana during pregnancy. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use marijuana.
Pregnancy is always a critical time for wise healthcare and women should be cautious about their use of any substances while pregnant. However, cannabis can be much safer for pregnancy-related health issues than many prescriptions commonly given to expectant mothers.
The symptoms of a marijuana overdose include nausea, vomiting, hacking cough, disturbances to heart rhythms, and numbness in the limbs.
“Marijuana overdose”? Then you admit that there is a “dose” of marijuana that would be medically acceptable? What they are describing here are the immediate effects of taking a huge bong hit, effects that diminish very rapidly.
Chronic use can also lead to laryngitis, bronchitis, and general apathy.
Yes, chronic inhalation of hot smoke of any kind can lead to laryngitis and bronchitis. But the “amotivational syndrome” – the apathy – has been long since debunked (see above Nelson, Dogg, Chong, & Marley as examples, then add in Michael Phelps, Carl Sagan, Sir Richard Branson…)
With chronic use, the ability to learn and remember new information may become impaired.
Really? I just learned and memorized bass lines and lyrics to ten new songs for my band. This month I’ve been learning the new Joomla back-end of the NORML website. Every year I am analyzing changing data and from memory can tell you last year there were 853,000 arrests for marijuana comprising 52% of all drug arrests, 15.8 million adults using marijuana monthly, and the highest recorded potency of seized marijuana came in at 37.2% in a sample taken by cops in San Jose in 2007. If I couldn’t learn and remember new information on a daily basis, I would have been unable to produce 810 daily talk radio shows.
Although it is rare, severe shutdown of blood circulation to the arms or legs has been reported in young people who smoked marijuana. In some cases, it was so severe that amputation was required.
In all my years beating back reefer madness, this is a first. I have never heard a story of someone’s marijuana use leading to amputation. I have covered stories of people who use marijuana for their already-existing amputation, since it is a superior medication for “phantom” pain, and I’ve covered one double-amputee diabetic’s eviction for her medical marijuana use, though.
Marijuana may also serve as a trigger for a heart attack on rare occasions, usually within an hour after smoking.
If you are a person with a weak heart, your risk of heart attack due to the increase of heart rate associated with marijuana smoking does increase. It increases by about the same factor as if you and your weak heart climb a flight of stairs or engage in sex. It’s like noting that your risk of being eaten by a shark greatly increases if you live in California rather than Iowa. It’s true, but it’s misleading.
Allergic reactions, some severe, have been reported.
Like peanuts or latex or bee stings? Sure, so if you find you’re allergic to those or cannabis, don’t subject yourself to them.
It is so frustrating to see the American Cancer Society in such opposition to the plant that shows the greatest promise in treating and curing cancer.
Contact your elected representatives and urge them to 'Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers'. 
ive ben a diabetic for over 20 years more recently ive hade my left leg amputated mostly due to the diabetes and dr after dr when i complaind about pain just blaming it on the diabetes.i finalley got a dr after fifteen years and multiple dr that sent me to a specialist in my ankle bone that was round was ground flate didnt heal after surgery,just take it i said still got the same pain but not getting worse.when they took the leg they gave me pills that didnt work and killed my appitite.weed helped and i hade my appitite back pluse was more willing to play around with my kids we need to stop our corupt gov,corupt money hungry drug companys from poisining us
[...] 2. American Cancer Society says marijuana use can lead to amputation [...]
[...] 2. American Cancer Society says marijuana use can lead to amputation Although it is rare, severe shutdown of blood circulation to the arms or legs has been reported in young people who smoked marijuana. In some cases, it was so severe that amputation was required. [...]
I don’t know why this, or any other health organization that dares discuss the potential negative health risks of cannabis use, should be so summarily dismissed.
Anybody who’s ever cleaned a pipe or bong and/or watched their friends inhale and hold deep hits that reach the deepest recesses of the lungs, only to cough like crazy upon exhalation, possesses a basic understanding of what concerns doctors:
– Cannabis smoke contains tar, fine particulates and potentially cancer-causing chemicals.
– The lack (so far) of conclusive data linking cannabis use with increased rates of lung cancer should not be mistaken for a scientific edict that pot smoke can’t hurt you at all, whether through cancer risk, asthma/bronchitis, or other means.
– The lack (so far) of conclusive data linking data with increased rates of lung cancer should not be used as evidence of cannabis’ purported anti-cancer properties. Nor should they, assuming such anti-cancer properties are as robust as claimed, be used as a protective shield against the health risks of smoke ingestion, when abstinence from smoke ingestion would be the medically superior alternative.
In short, stop blaming the medical messengers who point out that smoking is bad for you. To say it’s less bad than cigarette smoking is true, perhaps, but irrelevant to the discussion. Ingestion by vaporizer, edible or tincture/topical — take your pick — are all superior to smoking, delivering the healing power of cannabis without burdening your body at the same time with a steady influx of toxic and entirely avoidable contaminants.
[...] American Cancer Society says marijuana use can lead to amputation [...]
[...] American Cancer Society says marijuana use can lead to amputation [...]
In 2002, TIME magazine gave some coverage, summarizing, “A paper published last year in the journal Angiology found 10 odd cases in France of heavy herbe smokers who developed ischemia (an insufficient blood supply) in their limbs, leading in four cases to amputations. It’s not clear that marijuana caused the decreased blood flow, but the vascular problems did worsen during periods of heavy use.”
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003570,00.html#ixzz1g1DngR6b
And here is the case study:
http://ang.sagepub.com/content/52/1/1.abstract
The study noted, “All patients were moderate tobacco smokers and regular cannabis users. Despite treatment with ilomedine and heparin in all cases, five amputations were necessary in four patients. The vasoconstrictor effect of cannabis on the vascular system has been known for a long time.” I’m no Paul Armentano, but since tobacco is a risk factor for amputation, I’m guessing the weed may have exacerbated the effect of tobacco.
[...] WeedPornDaily American Cancer Society says marijuana use can lead to amputation ← prev newer → var addthis_product = 'wpp-262'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true,"data_track_addressbar":false,"ui_language":"en"};var addthis_options = "facebook,email,twitter,tumblr,stumbleupon,google_plusone,facebook_like";if (typeof(addthis_share) == "undefined"){ addthis_share = [];}American Cancer Society says marijuana use can lead to amputation: [...]
Decreased reproductive function? Tell that to my six daughters, eight granddaughters and eight grandsons.
very good response!
being a user of cannabis for 40+ years I can safely say that I’m fit, healthy, a successful artist and have a very active sex life thank you! ;)
keep up the great work Russ!