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Smoking cannabis may increase risk of multiple types of deadly cancers, study finds
Heavy marijuana use may raise the risk of multiple types of head and neck cancers, a study warns.
Researchers found a link between smoking cannabis daily and an up to nine-fold increase in various cancers of the mouth, throat and nose.
The study only looked at the heaviest users - those so addicted to weed that it was impacting their lives.
But experts are concerned about the implications for recreational users.
Writing in the study, the team said it 'has substantial public health implications given that cannabis use is rising among young adults with trends toward legalization.'
A study published this week found that heavy marijuana users could be up to nine times more likely to develop head and neck cancer
Federal research has shown that cannabis use is growing, particularly in Americans under the age of 30
The academics believe cannabis smoke may irritate the upper airways and cause DNA damage that leads to the formation of cancer.
The findings come just weeks after the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) downgraded marijuana's legal classification.
It was moved from Schedule 1, which has the highest potential for abuse, to Schedule 3, alongside the likes of ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
Schedule 3 drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.
This rescheduling, however, will not automatically legalize marijuana for the whole US. Recreational marijuana is currently legal in 24 states, and 13 allow for limited medicinal use.
As the substance becomes legal in more states, use and addiction has also become more prevalent. An NIH-funded study, for example, found that marijuana use among young adults reached an all-time high of one in 12 in 2021.
Rates surged the most in states like California, which legalized recreational cannabis in 2018.
A slew of recent studies have linked heavy marijuana use to health issues like heart attacks, strokes, and some forms of cancer, including head and neck cancers.
Head and neck cancers, which include tongue, tonsil, and gum cancer, are also on the rise, with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimating a one percent increase year over year since 2012.
Experts believe this could be due to increasing cases of human papillomavirus (HPV) and an increase in alcohol use, which can stimulate the production of cancer cells.
Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, though others have legalized it only for medicinal purposes
In the new study, published Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, researchers analyzed data from more than 230,000 adults, half of whom were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder at some point between April 2004 and April 2024.
Those who used marijuana heavily were about 42 years old on average, while the average age of those who did not use marijuana was 60.
Heavy marijuana users were anywhere from six to nine times more likely to develop different forms of head and neck cancer than those who did not use the substance.
Overall, cannabis users were three times more likely to develop any form of head and neck cancer.
With a nine-fold increase, the highest risk was seen in cancer of the larynx, or voice box. This form of the disease, which affects 13,000 Americans and kills about 3,500 per year, is typically caused by excessive tobacco and alcohol use.
The team believes that cannabis aggravates cells in the airways, leaving them more vulnerable to damage and less able to fend off cancer cells. However, they stated that more research is needed.
The study had several limitations, namely focusing only on heavy marijuana users instead of more casual users. It's also unclear exactly how much cannabis the users consumed and how often they engaged in the habit.