All right, the chapter improves after it’s annoying introduction. Cross-checking a claim of benzopyrene in marijuana smoke, I found this excerpt of a study in Analytical Chemistry which claims:
I can’t read the whole article, but as much as I can see suggests they know what they’re doing. Searching for this also uncovered some commentary to the effect that cannabis doesn’t cause cancer even though carcinogens are, apparently, detected in marijuana smoke, though I’m taking this last bit with a grain of salt for now.
They may not be cranks, but the book clearly has an agenda.
They claim that CBD is a psychoactive (chemical) element like THC and will make you high. For the record, out of the 85 cannabinoids identified thus far*, only THC (Delta 9) gets you high. So a book that states that as a fact, leads me to doubt any other claim they make…
All you wanted to know about Cannabinoids and more.
You are correct, but you are missing a small link in the chain: Anything that damages DNA has a chance to create cancer. If something causes scarring, it’s causing cellular damage, which has a chance to cause cancer via damaged DNA. Smoke (“Basic” smoke is aerosolized carbon), by itself and no matter the source, causes damage to your alveoli, because it’s not something our lungs were designed to process.
Now, a little smoke (think: campfire that you aren’t hovering over) isn’t much of a problem. The smoke you might inhale is generally caught by lung mucus long before it gets to your alveoli. A lot of smoke, such as a forest fire or house fire can actually put enough smoke in the air you are (trying to) breathe that it causes damage to your lungs. Over time, repeat exposures can increase your chances of cancer.
This chance, of course, is infinitesimal for several reasons: First and most apparent is asphyxiation. If you get too much smoke, well, you’re already dead (cancer threat: zero ). Second is it’s hard to quantify exposure to things like forest fires (And especially things like campfires), so it’s hard to get a direct gauge on exactly how much death and destruction camp fires will bring, but most people shouldn’t worry about it.
Third, smoke is rarely just “basic” smoke. Most things that burn give off random chemicals. Leaves tend to have things other than just the leaf skin in it and may have bugs or fungi in it (think a leaf pile and not a joint/cigarette). This is the point in both cigarettes and marijuana, of course. But these other substances hike the risk.
In basic cigarettes, the risks are far, far lower because you don’t have all of the crap that phillip morris has decided makes the cigarette more tasty. And, in general (although, this goes back and forth over the 30 years it’s been studied) it’s accepted that nicotine, by itself, doesn’t cause cancer. Most doctors will steer you towards nicotine gum or e-cigs because getting rid of all of those other chemicals is well worth it.
So, the basic smoke risk of cancer still exists with marijuana, which is tiny, but it’s there. That’s why I recommend that if you want to jam either nicotine or marijuana into your system, use vaporizers. It mitigates that huge risk with a standard cigarette and will mitigate the slight risk with a marijuana joint.
). Second is it’s hard to quantify exposure to things like forest fires (And especially things like campfires), so it’s hard to get a direct gauge on exactly how much death and destruction camp fires will bring, but most people shouldn’t worry about it.