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Pot Use Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Head Or Neck Cancer, Study Says
Michigan Medical Marijuana Initiative Certified For November Ballot
Jamaica: Parliament Once Again Considering Liberalizing Ganja LawsWellington, New Zealand: Pot Use Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Head Or Neck Cancer, Study Says Smoking cannabis, even long-term, is not associated with an increased risk of developing cancers of the head or neck, according to the results of a case control population-based study published in the March issue of the journal Otolaryngology 窶� Head and Neck Surgery. Investigators at the Medical Research Institute in Wellington assessed the relative risk of head and neck cancer associated with marijuana smoking in 75 cases (16 of which reported having used cannabis) and 319 controls. Researchers reported that marijuana use 窶� including chronic use of the drug 窶� was not associated with any increased cancer risk compared to non-using controls. "This population-based study did not find a statistically significant increase in the risk of head and neck cancer in adults [under age 55] from cannabis," authors concluded. "[Even] the risk associated with the highest tertile of cannabis use (defined as one joint a day for more than eight years) was not statistically significant after adjustment for cofounding variables including tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and level of income." By contrast, investigators reported that heavy alcohol use was associated with a nearly six-fold increased cancer risk compared to controls. In February, a parallel study published by the same investigative team reported that subjects who had "ever used" cannabis experienced, on average, no statistically increased risk of lung cancer compared to non-users. A prior case-control study sponsored by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse of 164 oral cancer patients and 526 controls determined, "The balance of the evidence … does not favor the idea that marijuana as commonly used in the community is a causal factor for head, neck or lung cancer in adults." More recently, a 2004 clinical trial performed by investigators at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reported "no association" between marijuana use and the incidence of oral carcinoma, "regardless of how long, how much or how often a person has used marijuana." Most recently, a UCLA study of more than 2,200 subjects (1,212 cases and 1,040 controls) reported that marijuana smoking was not positively associated with cancers of the lung or upper aerodigestive tract 窶� even among individuals who reported smoking more than 22,000 joints during their lifetime. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that the Wellington team’s findings add to the growing body of evidence indicating that smoking cannabis poses a surprisingly low cancer risk compared to the use of tobacco or alcohol. He said: "While studies purporting to uncover alleged harms due to cannabis use receive wide dissemination by the mainstream press, research that fails to find such harms often gets ignored. It will be telling to see if this latest study is the exception or the rule." Lansing, MI: Michigan Medical Marijuana Initiative Certified For November Ballot State election officials this week approved a measure for the November 2008 electoral ballot that seeks to legalize the possession and use of cannabis for qualified patients. Sponsored by the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act would amend state law to allow authorized patients to use cannabis therapeutically under a doctor’s supervision. Backers of the plan gathered over 300,000 signatures from Michigan voters to place the measure on the upcoming ballot. Under Michigan law, state lawmakers may preemptively enact the measure, but are unlikely to do so. Since 2004, five Michigan cities 窶� Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, Flint, and Traverse City 窶� have each enacted municipal initiatives endorsing the medical use of marijuana. If enacted by the voters, Michigan will become the thirteenth state since 1996 to authorize the legal use of medical cannabis, and the ninth state to do so by voter initiative. Kingston, Jamaica: Jamaica: Parliament Once Again Considering Liberalizing Ganja Laws A government commission is expected to once again recommend that Parliament remove criminal penalties outlawing the possession of small amounts of cannabis, according to an Associated Press (AP) report published this week. The report warns that any liberalization of Jamaican pot policies would likely yield harsh criticism from US officials, and could jeopardize the island’s ‘anti-drug certification.’ In 2001, the Jamaican National Commission on Ganja recommended that Parliament decriminalize the private, personal use of cannabis for adults 窶� determining that the "criminalization of thousands of people for simple possession for consumption [of cannabis] does more harm to the society than could be done by the use of ganja itself." In 2003, Parliament held a series of legislative hearings debating the Commission’s recommendations, but failed to enact them. |
