An 11-year-long study of 83,000 people who smoked either pot or cigarettes or both has revealed that smoking marijuana decreases a person’s risk of bladder cancer. The more they smoke, the lower the risk goes. Dr. Anil A. Thomas presented his findings last week at the American Urological Association’s annual conference, later telling USA Today:
“Cannabis use only was associated with a 45 percent reduction in bladder cancer incidence, and tobacco use only was associated with a 52 percent increase in bladder cancer.”
Marijuana – scientific name cannabis – contains unique molecules that interact with the human nervous system’s signaling processes. This interaction has been shown in labs to encourage cancer cell suicide in a process called apoptosis. There are about 72,000 new cases of bladder cancer each year in America. About 15,000 Americans will die of the disease this year. Two types of bladder cancer result from chronic irritation and inflammation, conversely cannabis contains a number of potent anti-inflammatory molecules including cannabidiol.
By David Downs
Source: blog.sfgate.com
