cannabisnews.com: To Toke or Not to Toke?





To Toke or Not to Toke?
Posted by CN Staff on September 26, 2002 at 12:12:17 PT
What smoking pot does to the body
Source: Calgary Herald 
Scientists from as far away as Britain and Japan attended a conference in Banff this year hosted by the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, an umbrella organization of researchers who study the impact of drugs -- recreational and medical -- on the brain. The sessions attracted a few of the world's leading psychopharmacologists, whose research reveals that some of our attitudes towards mood-altering substances are not only hypocritical, but absurd.
Marijuana, characterized for decades as a wicked corrupter of youth, is now known to have tremendous potential to treat pain and illness, and is far less harmful than such longtime legal drugs as alcohol or tobacco. "Cannabis is essentially a good drug with a bad reputation," said Dr. Peter Silverstone, a psychopharmacologist and clinical psychiatrist from Edmonton who helped organize the Banff conference.While polls reveal Canadians are split on the question of legalizing marijuana -- about 47 per cent for and against -- the pro side has gone up from about 30 per cent in the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s. The Canadian Police Association, however, describes marijuana as a dangerous "gateway" drug that entices people to use harder drugs such as cocaine. But, if you ever wanted to find a medically beneficial, mood-enhancing, mostly benign substance, marijuana is your drug. "THC is probably one of the safest compounds on Earth," said Daniele Piomelli, a psychopharmacologist from the University of California at Irvine.It was only in the last decade -- 1992 to be exact -- that scientists were able to definitively locate the systems in the brain affected by cannabis. It's now known that naturally occurring chemicals, known as endocannabinoids, trigger pleasure centres in the brain, in much the same way dopamine does. But cannabis is far less toxic on the physical structure of brain and doesn't have the addictive properties of other drugs. "Cannabis . . . doesn't have that command over your personality that nicotine, cocaine or alcohol have," said Piomelli. "The effects of THC and alcohol are completely different," said Piomelli. "Alcohol is way more toxic than cannabis -- it is devastating to your liver and devastating to your brain."Then there is the medical potential of marijuana. The two cannabis researchers say marijuana has proven effective in regulating pain -- better than morphine in many respects -- boosting appetite, controlling nausea, even reducing tremors in sufferers of multiple sclerosis. There is also evidence cannabis derivatives have anti-stroke, "neuroprotective" properties.Smoking marijuana several times a week leaves a lasting effect on a healthy person's immune system, a new study from Florida says. But this may actually boost opportunities for the medical use of marijuana.The effect of marijuana smoking suppresses the immune system by altering the molecules on the outside of some of our cells, and suppresses inflammation at the same time. This could be a useful tool in combatting diseases where the immune system runs out of control and causes painful, and sometimes dangerous, inflammation in our bodies, say scientists at the University of South Florida and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).Arthritis is the most common form of inflammation caused by a misdirected immune system. By attacking our healthy tissue, it causes inflamed and sore joints.Now Thomas Klein, a professor of medical microbiology and immunology at South Florida, says marijuana may do a similar job. His study of 10 healthy marijuana smokers, all of whom smoked at least several times a week, and 46 non-drug users found molecules called marijuana receptors were more numerous on marijuana smokers' white blood cells, part of their immune system.The findings were reported recently in the Journal of Neuroimmunology.Marijuana's influence on the immune system has been hotly debated. While there's a lack of information on humans, Klein says animal studies show that marijuana and its psychoactive compounds, known as cannabinoids, suppress immune function and inflammation."This suggests marijuana or cannabinoids might benefit someone with chronic inflammatory disease, but not someone who has a chronic infectious disease such as HIV infection," he said.If that's true, "this property might be harnessed to treat patients with overly aggressive immune responses or inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis."The bottom line is you cannot routinely smoke marijuana without it affecting your immune system," he said. For a long time, nobody knew what delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC -- the active ingredient in pot) was doing in the brain because there didn't seem to be a receptor for it. Only in the last 10 years did scientists finally find the receptor and isolate a naturally occurring brain chemical called anandamide that binds to it, notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)THC also binds to the anandamide receptor and suppresses activity in the hippocampus, an area of the brain pivotal for learning, memory and emotions. Studies show that learned behaviours deteriorate with marijuana use. That translates to problems with attention, memory and learning -- all of which are impaired among college students who use marijuana heavily, even after they have stopped using the drug for 24 hours.On average, it takes at least 30 hours for the body to clear even half of the THC from a single use. Those who begin using marijuana before college show lower achievement and are more likely to engage in more delinquent behaviour and aggressiveness than non-users.There also are lots of anandamide receptors in the basal ganglia and cerebellum, both of which are involved in movement control, and in the cerebral cortex, where the "high" probably is generated.Other physical effects:* In the lungs, marijuana produces many of the same health effects as tobacco smoke -- daily coughs, phlegm, chronic bronchitis and increased susceptibility to chest colds. Long-term marijuana use damages lungs.* Since marijuana smokers inhale deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs for long periods of time, they also appear to be exposed to three to five times the levels of carbon monoxide as tobacco smokers. Marijuana increases heart rate and raises blood pressure.* Like nearly all drugs, marijuana doesn't mix with pregnancy. Use of marijuana by expectant mothers raises the risk of delivering a baby who has a low birth weight and is at increased risk for various health problems.* Nursing mothers who smoke marijuana pass THC to their babies through breast milk and risk damaging their infant's motor development. Children who breathe passive marijuana smoke display more temper tantrums, thumb sucking and anger than youngsters not exposed.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=%7BDE20423C-5CAA-49AA-8B06-478B4B5DB3E2%7DSource: Calgary Herald (CN AB)Published: Thursday, September 26, 2002Copyright: 2002 Calgary HeraldContact: letters theherald.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/Related Articles:Canadian Senate Panel Calls For Legalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13998.shtmlTaking The High Roadhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13996.shtml 
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Comment #15 posted by p4me on September 26, 2002 at 17:59:34 PT
My prediction
I used to say "Whatever you do don't smoke. Buy someone you love a vaporizer" for a while about this time last year. When it is all said and done, meaning legalization, then the cannabis community will give the world a great gift. Using vaporizers. You have to think of the tobacco industry's interest in this. Vaporizers could easily deliver the nicotine that addicts cannot go without. This deliver system is in direct competition with the manufacturer's deliver system. They are well aware of all the angles that lead toward their profits and you can bet they love the paraphanalia laws.Besides, cigarettes are getting terribly expensive in relation to peoples incomes. That everyday, must have, habit consuming 2 packs of $3 cigarettes is $180 a month. There are plenty of people that have jobs that do not bring home that much in a week, much less the addicted that are unemployed.Tobacco robberies are common and I know one convenience store owner that reported a robbery (they only want cigarettes)after he saw the cigarettes in the person's car that he already knew broke in and stole them. The police did nothing. But it can easily break a person that is renting a store. It has been in the last 2 years I heard that tobacco products were responsible for 25% of a convenience store profits. My friend eventually lost his store. Forty cartoons at $25 is a $1000. These people running these little country stores might easily work 60 hours a week all month long and not make but $1000. They have guns already to protect themselves and you can believe there are going to be killings over this most addictive of substances.Then there is the $15 billion dollar buyout of the tobacco farmers. Some people are not going to like that much either.Anyway, the tobacco vaporizer will rise in popularity just as much out of economy as health. The computer industry gave us miracle shrink wrap for their disk. The cannabis industry brought us vaporizers and now some of the world knows of the benefits.They sell a $400 dollar one at a popular pipe store in Winston-Salem and no one would say anything to them. Now, if you are caught with one with cannabis resin, goodbye to your vaporizer and hello to the world of unjust laws.1,2
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Comment #14 posted by DdC on September 26, 2002 at 17:11:09 PT
Hi Shishaldin
I bought a vaporizer for patients use at the Pipeline in Santa Cruz, on the west end of the "Pacific Mall" near the metro. I found it less harsh, but not as good a hit as a joint to personally use it. The Pipeline doesn't have a website but they recommend "The Vapor Brothers" line of vaporizers over the glass bowl type I bought for $90 bucks a few years ago. They're $160.00.
http://www.vaporbrothers.com/Peace, Love and Liberty or D.E.A.th!
DdCOrganic Cannabis/Tobacco vs Chemical Cigarettes
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=310.topicPipeline 831-425-7473818 Pacific Ave
Santa Cruz, CA
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Comment #13 posted by Shishaldin on September 26, 2002 at 14:39:40 PT
oops, make that...
....I had already pondered offering organic tobacco with my device to give tobacco smokers an option to *VAPORIZE* something not so detrimental to their lungs and life.P n' S,
Shishaldin
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Comment #12 posted by Shishaldin on September 26, 2002 at 14:36:31 PT
Thanks Dan B....
That's about what I had gathered regarding their legal status, kind of "grey market". With the fairly recent busts (last month in Illinois comes to mind) of stores that were selling glass pipes, I was concerned (I still am!). I had concoted this vaporizer after watching my fiance hacking and coughing because she still has an addiction to cancer stix. Organic tobacco, free of the fertilizers (which, when burned, turn into radioactive Pollonium that gets deposited into the lungs(!), pesticides, formaldehyde, etc, etc, heated in a vaporizer would go a long way to help my soon-to-be wife (we're getting married tomorrow!!) get her nicotine fix w/o slowly killing her. 
 
 I just looked back at one of the links that JR Bob Dobbs posted to a Richard Cowan article called Operation Peacepipe. 
http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=571I hadn't seen this article until today, but I had already pondered offering organic tobacco with my device to give tobacco smokers an option to smoke something not so detrimental to their lungs and life. Well, if Richard Cowan says it's a good idea, then it's a go! *grin*Now, back to the lab...Peace and Strength,Shishaldin
 
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Comment #11 posted by DdC on September 26, 2002 at 14:20:58 PT
Cannabis balances the treatment...
It increases appetites but it also aids in obesity.It only brings the immune system back to normal when its run amuck and relieves arthritus and other inflamations, but it is also used in Israel as an anthrax and serin gas prevention and has natural anti-biotic effects. I haven't had a cold since 69!¶8)It decreases pain and spasms and reduces tumors. As I've always noticed it clears the cobwebs of dementia and removes the horrible bloody chemically induced nightmares. It has been tested in the prevention of cancer and opens airways to treat asthma. And still the comparison to tobacco without ever mentioning the 650 + corporate chemicals added to American tobacco products NOT added to cannabis. So with its ability to bring the body back to normal it leaves the door open to theories and propaganda. The simple solution is to make them find a victim. But in 70 years of prohibition every stinking fascist propagandist has never been able to do that. Its always conjecture and out right lies. Keeping competition out of the so called Free Market. Enough is enough. Outcast the liars!!!Peace, Love and Liberty or the Murdering D.E.A.th!...DdCMarijuana Doesn't Cause Lung Cancer  
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10025.shtmlProven : Cannabis is a safe medicine by Ian Williams Goddard 
CANNABIS DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER 
BOSTON, Jan. 30, 1997 (UPI) - The U.S. federal government has failed to make public its own 1994 study that undercuts its position that marijuana is carcinogenic - a $2 million study by the National Toxicology Program. The program's deputy director, John Bucher, says the study "found absolutely no evidence of cancer." In fact, animals that received THC had fewer cancers. Bucher denies his agency had been pressured to shelve the report, saying the delay in making it public was due to a personnel shortage. Recent research has shown that cannabinoids like anandamide (made in the human body) and THC (from marijuana)
can halt and reverse breast cancer. Below is an abstract of one of the studies, which I found through a MEDLINE search. 
http://www.ariannaonline.com/discus/messages/4/428.html?SundayDecember1919990144pmNeck Cancer from Cannabis bogus study and propaganda...
http://www.ariannaonline.com/discus/messages/4/455.html?MondayDecember2719990903pm"Marijuana" Can prevent Cancer  
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=297.topicAsthma treatment using cannabis excerpted from Emperor
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionffffhyperlinked.showMessage?topicID=14.topicCannabis May Offer Protection Against Tumors
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionffffhyperlinked.showMessage?topicID=4.topicParkinson 
http://www.ariannaonline.com/discus/messages/4/430.html?SundayDecember1919990149pm"Marijuana" Used to treat Sceizure Disorders 
http://www.ariannaonline.com/discus/messages/4/435.html?SundayDecember1919990814pmStudy: Pollutants Can Trigger Heart Attack    
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10032.shtmlMarijuana-Like Chemical May Control Coughing    
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7522.shtmlHashish Fudge Soma and the Whooton report
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=26.topicDr. James Malone-Lee, consultant St. Pancras Hospital, London: "I'm quite impressed by what's happened to (MS) patients who have used it". Drug Czar Manipulating Data in a Report to Congress
http://www.ariannaonline.com/discus/messages/4/920.html?FridayNovember1720001020amDr. Anthony Henman: "One of the best effects Marijuana can have in any terminal illness is to produce a degree of euphoria which boosts morale in a depressing situation" FDA-Approved Medical Marijuana Research Blocked
http://www.ariannaonline.com/discus/messages/4/405.html?SaturdayDecember1119991100pmOn December 6, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prevented a privately funded,
FDA-approved medical marijuana study from taking place by refusing to allow the researcher to purchase marijuana
from a legal source.Cannabis Blocks Irreversible Brain Damage    
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionffffhyperlinked.showMessage?topicID=3.topicCannabis prevents brain damage   
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=24.topicCannabis Shrinks Tumors: Government Knew in 74    
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=116.topicIf these Fascist Cutthroats would cover up cannabis research, re-legalize Thalidomide(flipper babies) as an alternative to cannabis as an appetite stimulant, spread radiation all over the place with leaking nukes, give LSD to unsuspecting grannies in MKULTRA and inject syphilis into African Americans as an "experiment", would they lie about cannabis?The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment & Linx 
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=341.topic
Thugczars Cancer Treatment
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 26, 2002 at 14:06:22 PT
Just a Comment
Yes those evil evil evil electrical clips. I think that's what they are called. Do you think a paper clip would be considered paraphernalia? How about if you make sandwiches and put them in a Sandwich Bag? Oh My! This sometimes get so very weird to me. 
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Comment #9 posted by Dan B on September 26, 2002 at 14:01:19 PT
Shishaldin
Basically, anything that is used to help someone consume an illegal substance is considered paraphernalia. Vaporizers were developed to be used specifically for the purpose of smoking cannabis, so they are lumped in with other kinds of pipes (bongs, pipes that don't look like the one your grandpa might have used for his sweet-smelling tobaccy, etc.) and called paraphernalia. Depending on the jurisdiction, cops might allow the sale of vaporizers, just as some jurisdictions allow the sale of "water pipes--for tobacco use only (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)." I can get one here by walking across the street from the university. But the person who uses a vaporizer must be aware that if he or she is caught with one after using it, the cops will charge him or her not only with possession of a controlled substance (even if what you have is only resin), but also with possession of paraphernalia. And depending on where you live, the two charges instead of one can mean the difference between community service and jail time.Dan b
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Comment #8 posted by p4me on September 26, 2002 at 13:58:29 PT
Colin Davies' trial- Day 13 or so
DE trial day 13 (I guess it must be)lucky or not we'll see soon......Colin finished his evidence with brief re-examination, to be followed by several "genuine" (as the prosecution will no doubt put it) medicinal users giving evidence. They each described how they had had to get often-adulterated cannabis from dodgy drug-dealers before they heard about the MMCO, the side-effects they suffered from prescription medicines and the varying medicinal benefits they get from using cannabis. Several people in court were obviously genuinely touched by some of the tales they heard.After lunch, we heard read evidencxe about Colin's condition and then Roo was called to the witness box by his brief. He will favce cross-examination in the morning, and then it will be Robin's turn.Once again, many thanks to the witnesses for coming and bing so patient (justifying Colin's description of them as patients?)woof.woofBilly Barker
news'oundps jury have been told to expect to be making their decision Thursday of next week..........1,2
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Comment #7 posted by JHarshaw on September 26, 2002 at 13:51:59 PT
Cancer Patients
"Researchers said they therefore were not surprised at the news that smoking marijuana predisposes users to head and neck
    cancers, and they predicted it will likely be found to increase the risk of lung cancer as well."We've been smokin' heavy since the 60's.When will we see these Cancer cases appear?
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Comment #6 posted by st1r_dude on September 26, 2002 at 13:48:40 PT
in the future....
in the future, intelligent earthlings will look back at our era and wonder how political leaders could be so absurd and irrational as to prohibit the use of natural mood-altering substances...they will probably consider us as backward thinking as the enforcers of the chastity belt and other pre-enlightenment era traditions...when is society going to finally get rid of this ridiculous puritanism garbage ? I'm way past being tired of shaking my head and rolling my eyes, peeps...here's my favorite line from this great article:"THC is probably one of the safest compounds on Earth," said Daniele Piomelli, a psychopharmacologist from the University of California at Irvine.i wish dr. piomelli would send a letter to john and asa and update them with what REAL science is saying these days about cannabis...those two probably don't even know real science is anyway...sheesh - politicians and science...that's like oil and water, hee hee -st1d finally -
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Comment #5 posted by Shishaldin on September 26, 2002 at 13:46:28 PT
Vaporizers are illegal???
Dan B-You state "In addition, if people really want to smoke it, they could use a vaporizer instead of rolling a joint. But wait--what's this? Those vaporizers are illegal too!"Are they considered paraphernalia by the Fed/State/Local authorities? I'm asking because I've got a *very cool* portable vaporizer on the drawing boards...Peace and Strength,Shishaldin
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Comment #4 posted by Dan B on September 26, 2002 at 13:21:28 PT:
30 hours or seven days?
"On average, it takes at least 30 hours for the body to clear even half of the THC from a single use."This seems far more plausible than the "seven days" figure given in the article at this address:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread14232.shtmlI guess seven days is the figure you get when you ask a microelectronics researcher (Derrick Grimmer in the linked article) what the half-life is, and 30 days is the figure you get when you ask a psychopharmacologist (Dr. Peter Silverstone). If you were to take advice about a psychoactive drug, whose opinion would you prefer?Having said all of that, the most important thing that this article leaves out is the fact that if cannabis were legal, we would be able to afford to eat it or steep it like tea in hot water and drink it. The main reason why people smoke it now is that it is cost prohibitive to ingest it any other way. In addition, if people really want to smoke it, they could use a vaporizer instead of rolling a joint. But wait--what's this? Those vaporizers are illegal too! In short, the main reason why cannabis has any harmful effects at all is because it is illegal. Legalize it, and the cost-to-purity ratio increases to the point where people can choose more healthy ways of getting it into their systems (eating, drinking). Legalize it, and vaporizers become legal, too. Not to mention the fact that you remove the far greater threats associated with arrest, seizure of possessions, prison, state-ordered kidnapping of children and placement into foster care, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera . . .Dan B
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Comment #3 posted by TecHnoCult on September 26, 2002 at 12:30:26 PT
Simple to explain away
They ignore the positive positions in the article, and point out the negatives. Nevermind that the positives far outweigh the negatives, and nevermind that inprisonment, harrasment, loss of our children, children's loss of parents, and the potential loss of our lives from gang wars and police abuse of powers are far more negative than all the negative affects of the drug combined.THC
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Comment #2 posted by doobinie on September 26, 2002 at 12:24:07 PT
How?
are Walters and the gang over at the DEA going to explain this away?
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Comment #1 posted by druid on September 26, 2002 at 12:14:10 PT:
the rest of the article ...
Current and past smokers of marijuana are at increased risk of developing cancer of the head and neck, including tumours of the mouth, throat and larynx, a study found last year.The study, the first to link marijuana with such cancers, suggests that the drug's popularity in recent decades could have serious long-term health consequences for some users.Marijuana smoke is higher in tar and carcinogens than tobacco smoke, and previous research has shown that marijuana smokers, like cigarette smokers, can develop precancerous changes in cells lining the respiratory tract. Researchers said they therefore were not surprised at the news that smoking marijuana predisposes users to head and neck cancers, and they predicted it will likely be found to increase the risk of lung cancer as well."It's what I expected to see," said Li Mao, an associate professor of medicine at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "It appears marijuana (smoke) is a stronger carcinogen than cigarette smoke."Nevertheless, the independent effect of cigarette smoking on an individual's cancer risk is probably greater than that of smoking marijuana, noted Eugenia Calle of the American Cancer Society, "because people just smoke so many more cigarettes."Many doctors believe marijuana can be helpful in the treatment of people with cancer and AIDS. Starting in the 1970s, studies have shown that oral doses of marijuana's major active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, alleviates the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. The drug, also called dronabinol or Marinol, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. for this purpose in 1985.A 1988 study by Cornell University researchers found that smoking marijuana was even more effective than the oral medicine. It relieved nausea in 44 of 56 patients who hadn't responded to other anti-nausea treatments, including some who had failed to respond to oral THC.Marijuana's ability to stimulate appetite is also well established. The FDA approved oral THC for the treatment of AIDS-related anorexia and weight loss in 1992, based on evidence from a study involving 139 AIDS patients who were randomly assigned to receive either THC or a placebo.Appetite increased significantly in the THC-treated patients. Side effects such as dizziness, sleepiness, confusion or feeling "high" occurred initially in 18 per cent of the THC-treated group, but they decreased when the dose was lowered or the medicine was taken late in the day.Despite the drug's popularity among AIDS patients, some experts are worried about research that suggests that marijuana suppresses the immune system, and about the bacteria, fungal spores and lung-damaging chemicals present in marijuana smoke.Donald P. Tashkin, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said some studies have linked marijuana use with opportunistic lung infections and with more-rapid progression of HIV infection."The downside is that (smoking marijuana) might increase the risk of developing pneumonia," he said.Marijuana smoke contains some 420 chemicals, including twice as many carcinogens as a tobacco cigarette of the same weight. Heavy marijuana smokers frequently suffer from bronchitis, and they may eventually be found to have an increased risk of emphysema or lung cancer.
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