Cannabis and Tobacco Smoke Are Not Equally Carcinogenic
Robert Melamede, "Cannabis and Tobacco Smoke Are Not Equally Carcinogenic," Harm Reduction Journal 2, issue 2, 2005.
A major objection to marijuana use, particularly for medical purposes, centers around the health risks of smoking, and it is often assumed that marijuana smoke is as likely as tobacco smoke to cause cancer of the lungs, throat, etc. Here, the chairman of the biology department at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, argues that this is a scientifically unwarranted assumption. Melamede discusses evidence for a protective role of THC and for a unique role of nicotine -- not present in marijuana -- in enhancing the lung cancer risk of other carcinogenic compounds in tobacco smoke.
Full text available for free at http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/2/1/21.
