Does Marijuana Cause Cancer?

The greatest cancer-causing risk of marijuana is the inhalation of smoke into the lungs. While THC, along with the other cannabinoids and terpenes found in cannabis, are not themselves carcinogenic, the regular combustion and inhalation of marijuana plants into the lungs is a legitimate health hazard.

Scientific analysis reveals that marijuana smoke contains at least 6,000 of the same chemicals that can be found in tobacco. Remove cannabinoids and nicotine from the equation, and the smoke chemicals are actually very similar. Benzopyrene, one of the most prevalent cancer-causing substances in tobacco smoke is actually greater concentrated in marijuana smoke. Marijuana smokers also tend to hold smoke in their lungs longer, which increases tar deposited in the respiratory system by four times. It is no accident that 20% of pot smokers complain about chronic bronchitis and excess coughing. Lung cancer is a possible destination if chronic lung abuse persists. For these reasons, edibles, dabs and vaporizers are far safer methods of consumption.

Ironically, there is evidence that THC and CBD in non-smoke form can be successful in killing lung cancer cells. A 2008 experiment in the journal Oncogene proved that THC prevented lung cancer cells from producing blood vessels. Preclinical research from 2013 also showed that CBD can trigger cell suicide (apoptosis) in lung cancer cells. With positive experiments like these to point to, it is no surprise that to date there is no existing correlation between cannabis itself and cancer.

Pot smokers may find some relief in a 2015 study which found very little association between long-term cannabis use and lung cancer. Smoke irritation to vital organs aside, it is well known that marijuana can help cancer patients cope with the disease itself. The National Cancer Institute says cannabinoids “may have benefits in treating cancer-related side effects.” Many patients report improvement in symptoms like nausea, pain, loss of appetite and sleep disturbances after using marijuana medicinally.

What’s more, in laboratory experiments involving animals, cannabis compounds demonstrated four ways of killing cancer cells (anti-proliferative, anti-metastatic, anti-angiogenesis, pro programmed cell death). THC can also help treat cancer in other ways. A cancer cell is a diseased cell that won’t stop growing or reproducing. THC treatment seemed to be effective in killing these cells but, unlike chemotherapy, did not damage healthy cells in the process. The ability of cannabis compounds to ignite targeted cell death makes it an optimistic treatment for many forms of cancer. With such optimistic capabilities, proponents of medicinal marijuana still face the constant obstacle of its precarious legal status, which makes experimentation a difficult pursuit to say the least. Experiments have even shown that when CBD was used to treat rodents with tumors, the tumors were prevented from growing blood vessels, being effectively starved and deprived of nutrients.

When all the facts are considered, a cloud of marijuana smoke contains both causes of and cures for cancer. Remove smoke from the equation? The medical benefits show many promising results.