Marijuana: Does it kill brain cells or does it affect only the lungs?

But a person who smoked a joint during their break will most likely give out the fact that he did so by being slow, sluggish, inattentive, or whatever else a person might feel when they are high. If cigarettes don't affect the brain the way marijuana does, I believe that concludes that marijuana has more of an effect, and therefore, more damage.

Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention Vol. 8, 1071-1078, December 1999
© 1999 American Association for Cancer Research

Marijuana Use and Increased Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck1
Zuo-Feng Zhang2, Hal Morgenstern, Margaret R. Spitz, Donald P. Tashkin, Guo-Pei Yu, James R. Marshall, T. C. Hsu and Stimson P. Schantz
Department of Epidemiology, University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health, and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, California 90095-1772 [Z-F. Z., H. M.]; Departments of Epidemiology [M. R. S.] and Cell Biology [T. C. H.], The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030; Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095 [D. P. T.]; New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, New York 10003 [G-P. Y., S. P. S.]; and Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Arizona 85724 [J. R. M.]

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. In some subcultures, it is widely perceived to be harmless. Although the carcinogenic properties of marijuana smoke are similar to those of tobacco, no epidemiological studies of the relationship between marijuana use and head and neck cancer have been published. The relationship between marijuana use and head and neck cancer was investigated by a case-control study of 173 previously untreated cases with pathologically confirmed diagnoses of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and 176 cancer-free controls at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between 1992 and 1994. Epidemiological data were collected by using a structured questionnaire, which included history of tobacco smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use. The associations between marijuana use and head and neck cancer were analyzed by Mantel-Haenszel methods and logistic regression models. Controlling for age, sex, race, education, alcohol consumption, pack-years of cigarette smoking, and passive smoking, the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck was increased with marijuana use [odds ratio (OR) comparing ever with never users, 2.6; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1"6.6]. Dose-response relationships were observed for frequency of marijuana use/day (P for trend < 0.05) and years of marijuana use (P for trend < 0.05). These associations were stronger for subjects who were 55 years of age and younger (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.0"9.7). Possible interaction effects of marijuana use were observed with cigarette smoking, mutagen sensitivity, and to a lesser extent, alcohol use. Our results suggest that marijuana use may increase the risk of head and neck cancer with a strong dose-response pattern. Our analysis indicated that marijuana use may interact with mutagen sensitivity and other risk factors to increase the risk of head and neck cancer. The results need to be interpreted with some caution in drawing causal inferences because of certain methodological limitations, especially with regard to interactions.

Sorry but that is not true either as I had watched with some little amazement more then once some of my fellow engineering students during a break in a three hour night class on Maxwell’s' equations come back and function without any problems in class after sharing a smoke

Well, yeahhh, if it something they do every few hours and their body is simply used to it, or even dependent on it, then of course they will function alright, or even slightly between with marijuana in their system.

Avoiding marijuana after developing schizophrenia also helps reduce relapse rates. Some people with schizophrenia suggest that it makes them feel better, but if depression is an issue we recommend these people talk to their Psych-Doc about possible anti-depressant use rather than street drugs.

Professor Castle, author of the book Marijuana and Madness, has said that those people with this "psychotic proneness" were those who had a family history of mental illness or who had had a bad response on their first use of cannabis or to a tiny amount. Others at risk included those who had experienced a psychotic episode where they had paranoid thinking or heard a voice calling their name. Professor Castle said experiencing such a one-off episode was far more common than people thought.

"People with such a vulnerability should avoid cannabis like the plague," he said.

Without the effects of the drug, such a person might live their whole life without ever experiencing mental health problems. It has been estimated, for example, that between 8% and 13% of people that have schizophrenia today would never have developed the illness without exposure to cannabis.

http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/streetdrugs.html

Lot of weak minded fools in fact the vast vast majority of the human race are weak minded fools if you included alcohol and there is zero reason not to place alcohol consummation in the same class as others mind altering drugs use.

Wonder if our friend Ionus or his family members consume the evil mind-effecting drug of alcohol and therefore can be consider weak-minded fools also for so doing.

Ionus is it your stand that having or not having a legal seal of approval change the effect of drugs on the minds of their users in some magical way?

In some of our states marijuana is becoming legal so in those states are the smokers no longer weak minded fools?

More to the point, the legislators are weak minded fools.

So you admit alcohol and maryJ are dangerous drugs ?

I find it also highly amusing that when I expressed some surprise that such a non-weak minded fool as our friend Ionus is such a loser in life that he can not come up with 10,000 dollars he was all bended out of shape.

He had no problem looking down on others and name calling but when it is reverse he is not at all happy.

DrewDad said : I can go back and look at exactly what you wrote, you know.

Ionus said : It is always associated with peer groups.

Ionus said : Do you know what "always associated" means ? It means that no matter what group you pick there will always be an association. It does not mean there will always be a cause and effect. Your anecdotal evidence is only meaningful in large numbers, not one person. How do you know he wasnt thinking of peer group pressure when he smoked ? Do you think you have to be in a large crowd to feel peer group pressure ?

DrewDad said : So trying to change what you said will result in failure and humiliation.

Stop smoking and focus.

As I stated I am deadly serious about my 10,000 dollars minimum to 50,000 dollars maximum offer to proved with a license drug testing lab that I had not smoke for as long as they can go back with a hair test be that 90 days or over a year.

Seem like for non-smokers you are all losers in life<grin>.

Sorry you call people who are smokers in general drugies and that sound like an insult direct at millions of your fellow hard working citizens to me who are causal users of weed.

Then you try to apply that label to a non-smoker because he dare to disagree with you on the subject.

That also sound like an insult.

So if you have you way we would go back to the 1930s and ban alcohol once more also?

So in that regard at least marijuana is far safer then water.

Amazing you are dead center on one opinion and no facts or studies or logic is going to change that opinion in the least.

So you recommend anyone wanting to be at their peak performance should be high ? Stop smoking, William, it is affecting your ability to reason.

I dont think that was the case but you know my thoughts better than me. Can you hear my voice in your head ? It is called schizophrenia, and I do not believe you when you claim to be a non-smoker.

but I never hear of anyone dying from smoking the evil weed too must had you?