Science Alert 4 December 2019
Family First Comment: Another good reason to avoid dope
“The study found that men who smoked one marijuana cigarette, or joint, daily for 10 years or more had an estimated 36 percent increased risk of developing testicular cancer compared with men who had never smoked the substance.”
There’s new evidence that a daily marijuana-smoking habit could increase your risk of testicular cancer.
A study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open found that men who smoked one marijuana cigarette, or joint, daily for 10 years or more had an estimated 36 percent increased risk of developing testicular cancer compared with men who had never smoked the substance.
To come to their conclusion, researchers analysed 25 studies that looked at the link between marijuana use and testicular cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer, and head and neck cancer.
Though the researchers found no association between regular marijuana use and lung, neck, or oral cancer, they did find that regular weed smoking over many years could heighten a man’s risk of testicular cancer.
Smoking marijuana releases cancer-causing substances
Like smoking cigarettes, smoking marijuana releases carcinogens, or substances that can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.
That’s because cannabis, the plant marijuana is derived from, is like any other plant in that it burns and releases smoke when you light it, according to Dr. Jeffrey Chen, the director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative.
“When you combust any plant, you’re creating significantly more carcinogens,” Chen previously told Insider.
READ MORE: https://www.sciencealert.com/men-who-smoke-marijuana-daily-may-be-more-likely-to-get-testicular-cancer
