Well don't this just piss on my pop tart....

Discussion in 'Marijuana News' started by MrsDingusus, Nov 12, 2002.

  1. British Study Warns of Health Danger of Cannabis
    Mon Nov 11,12:32 PM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking three pure cannabis joints is as bad for your lungs as smoking 20 normal cigarettes and marijuana is more dangerous now than it was in the 1960s, British researchers said on Monday.



    In what it described as a shocking new report, the British Lung Foundation (BLF) said tar from cannabis cigarettes contained 50% more carcinogens--the agents that produce cancer--than tobacco.


    "Three cannabis joints a day cause the same damage to the lining of the airways as 20 cigarettes," it said in a statement.


    It also said the health dangers of cannabis have substantially increased since the 1960s because today's marijuana has increased amounts of a key chemical compound.


    Campaigners for the legalization of cannabis disputed some of the findings.


    "Saying that cannabis is stronger now than it used to be is like saying that orange juice is stronger these days," said Alun Buffry, spokesman for the Legalize Cannabis Alliance.


    "I smoked stuff in the 1960s which was certainly stronger than what's available now and, anyway, when it's stronger, people smoke less of it."


    BFL chairman Mark Britton said: "These statistics will come as a surprise to many people, especially those who choose to smoke cannabis rather than tobacco in the belief it is 'safer' for them."


    "It is vital that people are fully aware of the dangers so they can make an educated decision and know the damage they may be causing," he said.


    The BFL stressed it was not taking a moral stance on the contentious issue of legalizing the drug.


    "We're not trying to say 'smoke' or 'don't smoke' cannabis," BLF Chief Executive Dame Helena Shovelton told BBC Radio. "We're saying that if you do, understand the risks involved in doing so.

    "Don't have the same situation we had with tobacco, which was years of denial about the problems," she said.

    The BFL urged the government to implement a public health education campaign on health risks of the drug.



    This is from Yahoo News today :(
     
  2. I wonder why they have not made a study about vaporizing marijuana it is 50 times less dangerous than smoking a cigarette. For the health minded people Vaporizing is the way to go, but his new study is again new propaganda on the crusade against Pot.

    SJ
     
  3. I always find it interesting how they never seem to name or single out any of these carcinogens or anything of the sort in these 'reports'. Also; they never mention anything about filtering smoke or just smoking out of a bowl. I'm sure a large amount of the stuff that's bad from your lungs comes from papers. Plus it just annoys the hell outta me how they assume most marijuana users smoke J's.
     
  4. There's several factors they haven't taken into account here:

    Cannabis users don't use those little foam filters, so they're not filtering out any of these harmful chemicals.

    Only 15% or so of smoking related cancer is connected to tar. The other 85% is due to the radioactive chemicals which they use to fertilise the tobacco. Cannabis isn't grown "professionally" or to a standard, so these fertilisers aren't used, thus we aren't inhaling all of these extra bad chemicals.

    Cannabis isn't addictive, so it's not like most users are smoking all day, every day. And even if it is stronger, that just means you need to smoke even less.


    I stand by my convictions that cannabis is safer than tobacco, in it's present state.
     
  5. i agree. they always seem to **leave** out certain info that could make the difference.
     
  6. Personally I smoked a pack a day for 10 years and just recently quit. Now I am a daily toker. Both of my grandparents are dying from emphazema (spelling sux) from tobacco usage. They are both in their late 70's now and are completely debilitated and live off a little tube hooked to a machine to breathe. My mom smokes 2 packs a day and coughs like a madwoman...sounds like a lung is going to come flying out any minute....and yes, I do have some respiratory problems when I smoke pot, but I am also an asthmatic and still do not suffer nearly as bad as when I smoked tobacco.


    Now, if they are releasing this report through Reuters it will be widely discussed...Reuters suppies many sources with their news...so hopefully we will eventually see either actual tests and back up proof of their study or it will be debunked.

    I personally want to know what kind of marijuana they were testing too...street stuff or government blend....the governments kind probably will kill ya!!! LOL

    I am not putting down my wraps any time soon over this article. However, reading it I, OF COURSE, had to share it with all my Grasscity peeps!

    As far as vaporizing, I have never tried it and it sounds too complicated when I really just want to get stoned. I usually hit the bong anyways...and so far they are taking about j's, like someone said, maybe it has something to do with j's not having a filter or the papers....stop to think about it...you're inhaling PAPER...and GLUE....??

    Ok, just had to come back and throw my 2 cents in....thanks to everyone who stopped in and didn't bash me for posting negative words about the Herb....I think part of legalization is going to be education....and like anything else that makes you feel really good, weed is bound to have some negative aspects....(i.e. alcohol and liver disease, sex and AIDS, chocolate and a fat ass...etc!)
     

  7. (These are just my thoughts based on what if's)

    Now if they legalize marijuana, and make you have to get a license to grow or buy from a "government approved" dealer then they will regulate how it is grown and the strength... (such as alcohol and proofing) I am sure before long the government (if they haven't already) will produce a synthetic marijuana (I am not sure if Marinol is synthetic?) and then I have no doubt that it will have more chemicals and other things that we don't really want in our bodies.


    Damn, this stuff is too complicated to think about when you have a really good buzz kickin....;)
     

  8. I really wish people would pick something a little more useful to campaign against and leave us peace loving potheads alone :(

    How about child abuse? There's something good to bash...! Or feeding the homeless....they could use all those dollars being wasted on advertising against pot....or education, my kids school could use some of that money squandered on research that, even if the findings are true, I don't see many potheads (not true potheads) quitting, even with the health risk.

    The government needs to just make it legal, treat it much the same they do as any other inebriant (we will never have the freedom with mj that exists with tobacco) so some people who are under 18 might have to wait (or just not use publicly)until they are a little older. I personally will not crucify my kids if they smoke pot, but school will always come first. So if they make it legal and assign a legal age to buy it and put a few rules on it, so be it. Who here actually waited until they were 21 to drink? Not me.

    Just quit wasting time and money trying to get people to quit smoking dope, it isnt going to work.

    Sorry, had to rant. With everything in the world as messed up as it is you'd think marijuana would be the least of their (the governments) concerns....
     
  9. more on the same I just found....


    The report surveys all current medical and scientific research into the direct effects of smoking marijuana -- both alone and with tobacco -- on the smoker's respiratory health.


    Among the findings:


    The cannabis smoked today is much more potent than that smoked in the 1960s -- more than 15 times as potent.
    People who smoke cannabis have significantly more respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough and mucus production, wheezing, and acute bronchitis.
    Smoking three or four cannabis cigarettes a day causes the same degree of damage to the lining of the airways as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day.
    Cannabis tends to be smoked in a way that increases the puff volume by two-thirds and the depth of inhalation by one-third. There is an average fourfold longer breath-holding time with cannabis than with tobacco. This means that there is a greater respiratory burden of carbon monoxide and smoke particulates such as tar than when smoking a similar quantity of tobacco.
    As with tobacco smoking, the research also shows a possible link between cannabis smoking and emphysema.

    A survey earlier this year showed that 79% of children believe that cannabis was 'safe,' according to the British Lung Foundation's news release. Only 2% understood correctly that there are health risks associated with smoking pot.
     
  10. i think it's better they don't have filters on J's... seeing as how hot smoke passing through them causes them to burn, releasing other nasty things into your lungs... if you're worried about the health risks, vaporize, use a bong, or cook it :D
     

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