cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Cancer Link Disputed Marijuana Cancer Link Disputed Posted by FoM on November 11, 2000 at 15:34:05 PT Letter To The Editor By Peter Keegan Source: Ukiah Daily Journal Your lead article on Sunday (Oct. 29) seems to imply that marijuana causes lung cancer. Glenda Anderson reports that crime fighter Bob Nishiyama thinks some of the medical reasons for marijuana use are bogus because they have been issued for alcoholism: "I'm a little lost why that's good thing. So you get lung cancer, but not cirrhosis."There is no evidence showing higher rates of lung cancer in people who use marijuana. Mr. Nishiyama has confused tobacco with marijuana. While there is overwhelming evidence that tobacco use causes heart disease, emphysema, and cancers of all type, that has never been shown for marijuana. An average cigarette smoker, uses 100-200 inhalations a day for decades, and faces a 50-fold increase in lung cancer.Marijuana users don't even have to smoke to enjoy it. Many chose to eat it or drink it as a tea. And if a person does chose to smoke, a typical marijuana smoker will use just a few inhalations.Moreover, liver disease (whether from alcoholism, common viral infections, congenital defects, or bile duct obstruction) is often accompanied by intractable nausea and anorexia for which marijuana is highly therapeutic. So, to answer Mr. Nishiyama's quandary, marijuana use is a good thing because it reduces their suffering. I also felt reporter Glenda Anderson was misleading in Friday's issue when she reported comments from the Prop. G debate out of context: "Dr. Keegan's also not concerned about teenagers using marijuana..."For the record, let me be clear. I do not think teenagers should use drugs of any type.But, regardless of what I, or any parent, wants, teenagers are using drugs. The Public Health Dept. surveyed high school juniors in Mendocino County in 1993 and 60 percent had used drugs, other than alcohol, to get high. In the class of 1999 at Ukiah, 60 percent of the graduating honor students had used marijuana. That is our reality.Clearly, "just say no" and "zero tolerance" are not effective. In fact, to tell teenagers "you can't," often is counterproductive because of their natural rebelliousness. As parents and teachers, we have a responsibility to be truthful, which we currently are not.Marijuana is a mild intoxicant, has no lethal overdose potential, little risk of addiction, and no long-term health consequences. By way of comparison, 40,000 people die from alcohol every year (not counting auto accidents), lethal overdoses are common, some people become fiercely addicted, and long term use can cause liver failure, pancreatitis, heart failure, and bleeding ulcers to name just a few of the ugly health consequences of alcoholism. Tobacco products cause 400,000 premature deaths every year, are highly addictive, and the health hazards are legion. Heroin, amphetamines, and cocaine are also readily available to Ukiah youth and they all can result in lethal overdose, addiction, and adverse health effects. As parents, we want our young people to be safe. The halcyon days of yore are long gone, and the risks of modern living are real. Safety demands that young people be provided with truthful information about the risks they face. When we lie to them about marijuana, we completely lose our credibility. As a result, youth don't believe our teaching about alcohol and heroin with unfortunate lethal consequences. A person can use marijuana and also be a productive and useful citizen. My comment that you can smoke marijuana and be president of the United States was not just a reference to Clinton, but also acknowledges that our current candidates, G.W. Bush and Al Gore, have both used marijuana. Peter KeeganUkiah Source: Ukiah Daily Journal (CA)Author: Peter KeeganPublished: November 11, 2000Copyright: 2000, Ukiah Daily JournalAddress: 590 S. School St. Ukiah, CA 95482Fax: (707) 468-5780Contact: udj saber.netWebsite: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/Related Article:Measure G Won't Legalize Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7484.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Ukiah:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Ukiah Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by ron on December 14, 2003 at 05:52:46 PT Oldie but Goody Common sense from Ukiah. Check out the ad on the NYTimes this morning. Right in the middle of the Saddam triumph.http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Saddam-World.html?hpGreat site Jose. littleMedia has potential. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by jose melendez on December 14, 2003 at 05:01:16 PT 2000? Seems like an old article. Radio personality Neal Boortz, who debated Asa Hutchinson on this issue, points out that by increasing cigarette taxes to the point they are practically illegal, we verifiably fund terror with millions of dollars.Here's current proof he was right.http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/315/cigarettetax.shtmlSee also http://boortz.com/On another note, Paul Bremer just announced that we have captured former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Not a single shot was fired. Perhaps they could apply the principles of Operation Red Dawn to evil pot smokers. Naah. Just shoot us! What if Goose creek kids had dropped a book or slammed a locker? [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 13, 2003 at 20:28:00 PT Bill Thank you and I wish you good health. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Bill Blubber on December 13, 2003 at 20:03:55 PT: Munchie-Weed & Cancer Patients Five years ago, I was a Cancer patient. Most cancer patients, like myself at the time, have big problems with nausea caused by radiation or drugs that irritate their stomach. Nausea is a big problem because it causes you to not eat and to not drink. Nausea is a quirky medical subject because it is caused by a physical problem in the stomach, and that physical problem is inexplicably linked with the psychology of appetite. When my nausea was at it’s worst, I was anorexic and would heave at just the thought of drinking tap water. Putting anything in my stomach always made me ill, so the thought of food or drink became repulsive. Small amounts of bread crumbs were the only solid food I could manage. I was hospitalized several times for malnutrition and dehydration caused by nausea. Pills I was given to treat the nausea did absolutely nothing for me, except make me gag when I forced them down my throat. This is the indirect way that meny cancer patients die. Not from the cancer itself, but from the treatment that is their only hope.Considering that there was only one more option that might help me with nausea, my doctor carefully worded the following sentence: “ I cannot suggest this, but I can ask you; have you tried using marijuana”? I hadn’t smoked dobie since the Dobie Brothers were on Casey Kasem’s top 40 list. But I did gain considerable appreciation for the stuff back in the 70’s when I was in high school. I decided I would take the advice that my doctor could not legally give me. I asked around to see where I might get some pot. It wasn’t hard to find. My neighbor’s friend gave me a joint after hearing my story.After smoking what was called “stinky green weed” with my neighbor (who was also not a regular pot smoker), I had the most fun that I had had in a long sickly time. Putting smoke in my lungs had absolutely no effect on my hypersensitive nausea. The nausea was apparently confined to my stomach.Unfortunately though, the pot did not help my appetite or my nausea at all. Talking about it with my neighbor, he mentioned that the pot did not “give him the munchies” either, like pot sometimes does. If you have even a little experience smoking marijuana, then you know first hand about a side effect of smoking marijuana called the "munchies". The munchies is a desire to munch on food. You also know that you don't get the munchies every time you smoke marijuana. It is a characteristic that some marijuana plants have, but others do not have.My story has a happy ending, because through a volunteer at the cancer clinic, I obtained a small baggy of dark brown marijuana. As opposed to the green marijuana before, this new stuff definitely “gave me the munchies”.On meny occasions, with “the munchies” in full effect, I consumed what anyone would consider a normal sized meal. That never happened without the munchie marijuana. This was very important to my health. I think I can even say that it was a turning point, since I never did need to be readmitted for dehydration or issues related to that.I have to wonder if this “munchie” characteristic is ever considered when NIH or other scientific researchers try to evaluate the validity of medical marijuana. From my experience, it was the critical factor. Maybe they could even isolate and separate the “munchie effect” from THC, thereby eliminating the controversy of marijuana from treatment altogether. Some studies have concluded that medical marijuana provides no benefits to cancer patients. The only way I can imagine such conclusions were reached is if they were not considering the “munchies” effect. I thought marijuana would not help me at first, but then I tried different marijuana, which had the “munchie” characteristic.My final input on the subject is a message to anyone who needs to try marijuana for medical reasons. Smoking a small amount (half a cigarette) of today’s marijuana puts you in a mental state similar to drinking a six-pack of beer in thirty seconds. So don’t smoke pot until after you return from your daily drive to the radiation clinic. Make rigid plans to do absolutely nothing but sit at home for several hours, and have snacks. You shouldn’t worry about becoming addicted to pot; you can stop whenever you want. You can stop altogether once you’ve beaten cancer. I stopped once I got better. However, I can see how some cancer patients might use intoxication as a means to escape a tough reality. If you see yourself being this way, knock off the stuff for a while and think about why you shouldn’t behave like that. Use marijuana to medicate yourself, not to obliterate yourself. You need a clear head to deal with the tough/complicated situation you are in. You can beat cancer. I did, and marijuana helped me do it. Marijuana helped me a lot. What also helped me a lot were people who put themselves at risk to help me, and who refused to make profit from a cancer patient. I hope my experience helps you.I would like very much to put my name on this, but unfortunately that could get me fired from my job. My employer sometimes manufactures parts for the federal government, which mandates zero tolerance policies to contractors. The zero tolerance policies effectively restrict my freedom of speech. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: