• Relative to placebo, cannabinoids are associated with only modest benefits for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, small and inconsistent benefits for pain and spasticity, and inconclusive benefits for other indications.
• In randomized controlled trials, cannabinoids increase the risk of total adverse events, serious adverse events, and dropout due to adverse events. Cannabinoids also increase the risk of a large number of specific adverse events.
• Cannabis use is associated with a range of short- and long-term adverse consequences, including impaired cognition, traffic accidents, dependence, respiratory conditions, psychosis, and possibly cancer. Use in adolescence may have adverse implications for psychosocial adjustment and vocational success.
• Current strains of street cannabis may have higher potency and may hence carry higher risks than strains evaluated in former research.

Cannabis and Neuropsychiatry, Benefits and Risks

MEDIA STATEMENT
Monday23 May 2016

RESEARCHERS SAY CANNABIS USE CAN LEAD TO RISK OF INHERRITABLE MUTATIONS

Scientists from The University of Western Australia have identified how using cannabis can alter a person’s DNA structure, causing mutations which can expose them to serious illnesses, and be passed on to their children and several future generations.

Although the association between cannabis use and severe illnesses such as cancer has previously been documented, providing an understanding how this occurs and implications for future generations was not previously understood.

Associate Professor Stuart Reece and Professor Gary Hulse from UWA’s School of Psychiatry and Clinical Sciences completed an extensive analysis of literary and research material to understand the likely causal mechanisms and uncovered alarming information.

Associate Professor Reece said that “through our research we found that cancers and illnesses were likely caused by cell mutations resulting from cannabis properties having a chemical interaction with a person’s DNA,”. “With cannabis use increasing globally in recent years, this has a concerning impact for the population.”

Although a person may appear to be healthy and lead a normal life, the unseen damage to their DNA could also be passed on to their children and cause illnesses for several generations to come.

“Even if a mother has never used cannabis in her life, the mutations passed on by a father’s sperm can cause serious and fatal illnesses in their children,” he said..

“The parents may not realise that they are carrying these mutations, which can lie dormant and may only affect generations down the track, which is the most alarming aspect.”

Associate Professor Reece said that when the chemicals in cannabis changed a person’s DNA structure it could lead to slow cell growth and have serious implications in the foetal development of babies that may cause limbs or vital organs not develop properly or cause cancers.

“The worst cancers are reported in the first few years of life in children exposed in utero to cannabis effects,” he said.

Associate Professor Stuart Reece said that the finding was of major importance with cannabis use increasing in many nations around the world, and many countries legalising its use.

“Some people may say that previous data collected doesn’t show there are serious effects from using cannabis, but many authorities acknowledge that there is now a much larger consumption of cannabis use compared to previous years.

The study carries implications for researchers, medical health professionals and governments in regulating drug use and protecting vulnerable populations.

The research has been published in Mutation Research — Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis

MEDIA REFERENCES

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)                    (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716

Associate Professor Dr Stuart Reece (UWA’s School of Psychiatry and Clinical Services)         (+61 7) 3844 4000

Further Commentary by Papers Authors

Whilst drug addiction is well known to be commonly associated with mysterious and confusing behaviour the features observed amongst addicted patients clinically have long posed many mysteries for their treating doctors.  With regard to cannabis some of these mysteries include the following important questions:  How can cannabis use be associated with cancers in so many different tissues — mouth and throat, lung, testes, leukaemia, cervix, brain and prostate?   Why are they so aggressive?  And why do they occur so much younger?  Why are some cancers apparently inherited so that they occur much more commonly in young children (< five years) and infants (< one year) ?  This relates to cancers of nerve cells, leukaemia and muscle.  Cancer occurring in children is due to inherited genetic damage — so how is it be passed on to the next generation?  How many generations would be affected?

The reproductive effects of cannabis were also very confusing.  Many papers have described that the rates of major heart malformations (of at least five different types), large gaping holes at the top and bottom of the spinal cord (called by doctors encephalocoele and spina bifida respectively), absent and shrunken ears and eyes, major bowel abnormalities including babies born with the bowels hanging out, could all occur at greatly increased rates, from 3 to 30 times usual, in the offspring of cannabis exposed mothers?  And what of the various limb deformities which have been described — fingers joined together, extra fingers, and greatly shrunken arms or absent arms, which seemed to be reminiscent of thalidomide babies?  How could all of these possibly be related?

Whilst it is true that cannabis smoke contains most of the tars which have been found in tobacco smoke, and whilst carcinogenic effects have previously been described with certain cannabis extracts (called cannabinoids) when tested in the lab, still this diverse and varied toxicological profile appeared to be very confusing.  What could possibly be going wrong to cause the varied effects in many different tissues?    It seemed like an enigma wrapped in a puzzle inside a mystery….

Then in 2015 one of the foremost genetics laboratories in the world published their findings from New York relating to how and why chromosomal shattering occurred.  Through careful studies of gene sequences scientists had become aware in the last few years that chromosomes, which carry the genetic material of our DNA, could become cut up, and might then become re-joined in apparently strange and haphazard ways.  But how this occurred was quite unclear.

It was known at the time that when cells divide the chromosomes separate along \”train tracks\” by travelling along “rails” formed of microtubules.  Anything that causes the chromosomes to lose their attachments to these microtubules would make them become “de-railed”, and effectively escape from the normal mitotic process.  When cells divide two new nuclei are formed.  But a chromosome which became detached from this system would end up isolated in a nucleus all by itself.  This tiny nucleus containing one or a few chromosomes was called a micronucleus.  The great insight by the New Yorkers was to show that in these micronuclei, the DNA did not have enough enzymes and proteins around it to look after it properly.  So when the DNA was cut, as happens normally when DNA is copied to form either new DNA or to transcribe RNA and then proteins, it could not be handled properly, and it was effectively shattered into pieces.  These tiny pieces could then be re-joined haphazardly effectively creating genetic chaos.

This was the molecular equivalent of a “bomb going off” in the genome.

Mostly micronucleus formation caused cell death due to excessive genomic damage.  But it was also known that in occasional surviving cells this process could lead to major abnormalities in newborn babies, to cancer, and indeed to heritable cancers in several subsequent generations.

Cannabis, THC and some of its other extracts were known to interfere with the operation of the microtubule “train tracks”, to cause micronucleus formation, and to damage eggs and sperm, the careful and meticulous wrapping and packaging of DNA inside sperm, the proteins around which DNA is wrapped inside the nucleus, and the “software” code which genes carry which determines when they will be switched on and off — called the epigenetic code.

Worryingly, many of the genetic tests showed a threshold effect which had to be crossed for these effects to become obvious.

Suddenly a train of causation became obvious.  By interfering with cell growth in utero abnormalities would be appear in organs growing at that time.  Cancer formation was now expected.  Moreover as cannabis consumption rises these effects will become increasingly common.

Hence these findings, which now imply causality, have major implications for doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and the public health burden of disease globally.  They are of particular concern to parents.

Cancer risk to kids from cannabis use: University of Western Australia found that cannabis alters a person’s DNA, potentially exposing future generations to serious illnesses such as cancer. “In my 20 years of research on human cells, I have never found any other drug, including heroin, which comes close to the DNA damage caused by marijuana” — Dr Akira Miroshima.

WA researchers have warned that cannabis use causes genetic mutations that can be passed on to children and grandchildren.

Chromothripsis and epigenomics complete causality criteria for cannabis- and addiction-connected carcinogenicity, congenital toxicity and heritable genotoxicity

• Albert Stuart Reece^, Gary Kenneth Hulse http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0027510716300574

University of WA scientists found cannabis alters a person’s DNA structure, potentially exposing future generations to serious illnesses and diseases such as cancer. They said the implications for future generations had not been understood and were alarming.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/31678799/cancer-risk-to-kids-from-cannabis-use/

More Black and Hispanic youth arrested for marijuana after Colorado legalization

Pot-related arrests of Black youth jump 58%; arrests of Hispanic kids rise 29%

May 20, 2016
Contact: Jeffrey Zinsmeister
[email protected]
+1 (415) 680-3993

[WASHINGTON, DC] – A recent report from the Colorado Department of Public Safety reveals that marijuana-related arrests of Black and Hispanic youth increased sharply in the two years following legalization, belying claims by legalization advocates that such policies would promote racial justice.

Overall arrests of minors for marijuana jumped 5 percent from 2012 to 2014. Unfortunately, youth of color shouldered the entire burden of this increase.
While arrests of underage Whites dropped 8 percent in this timeframe, arrests of Hispanics rose 29 percent, and arrests of Black youth shot up 58 percent.

\”The data is in, and it shows that once again legalization advocates are only paying lip service to racial justice questions to advance the agenda of the marijuana industry,\” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of SAM. \”They sold legalization to the voters as a solution to racial injustice, but more youth of color are now being arrested for pot, not fewer.\”

Jo McGuire, co-chair of SAM\’s Colorado affiliate and president & CEO of 5 Minutes of Courage, a Colorado advocacy group for drug-free communities, workplaces, and youth, said, \”It\’s time for Colorado leadership to recognize that the promise of tax revenue is not worth the cost to our most vulnerable communities. Our top priority should be public health and safety, not addiction for profit.\”

William Jones III, leader of Two Is Enough – DC, a movement of diverse Washington, DC, residents concerned about the scourge of a third legal recreational drug, added, \”This information comes just months after a Denver Post exposé revealing how pot businesses have concentrated themselves in low-income communities of color. At the end of the day, the pot industry just wants to make money. And if the history of the tobacco industry teaches us anything, they will focus on the disadvantaged and underprivileged to boost their bottom line.\”

For more information about marijuana policy, please visit http://www.learnaboutsam.org.

###

About SAM
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. SAM has affiliates in 31 states.

www.learnaboutsam.org

Impaired Driving And Cannabis
With the recent legalization of marijuana (cannabis) in some U.S. states, questions arise as to its potential effect on driving and driving safety. The AAA Foundation for traffic safety commissioned a handful of studies to see what effects, if any, were shown in statistical data.

Among the various statistics unearthed by the studies, two main findings stand out:
– Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug. Washington was one of the first two states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, and these findings serve as an eye-opening case study for what other states may experience with road safety after legalizing the drug.
– Legal limits, also known as per se limits, for marijuana and driving are arbitrary and unsupported by science.
Below are the individual studies accompanied by capsule summaries comprising this effort:
– Prevalence of Marijuana Use among Drivers in Washington State

– An Evaluation of Data from Drivers Arrested for Driving Under the Influence in Relation to Per se Limits for Cannabis

– Cannabis Use among Drivers Suspected of Driving Under the Influence or Involved in Collisions: Analysis of Washington State Patrol Data

– Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Marijuana: Beliefs and Behaviors, United States, 2013-2015
Related research released earlier this year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety:
– Overview of Major Issues Regarding the Impacts of Alcohol and Marijuana on Driving

– Advancing Drugged Driving Data at the State Level

impaired-driving-and-cannabis

There are echoes of Levy Thamba’s death in the story of a 16-year-old student in Seattle who jumped to his death after trying marijuana for the first time.  The Seattle Police Department ruled that the death of Hamza Warsame was an accident. He had gone to the 6th floor apartment of an older classmate to work on a project.  After having marijuana, he became “frantic,” went out on the balcony and fell off the building.

Hamza Warsame’s death follows that of Levy Thamba (photo above),Luke Goodman and Justin Bondi, youths whose tragic deaths have been linked to marijuana.

Each of these deaths occurred after marijuana was legalized with commercial marijuana sales in Washington or Colorado.   Warsame was not old enough to legally purchase marijuana, but his classmate was 21 and had purchased it legally.   Last year CBS News Denver did a report on marijuana intoxication deaths which occurred before marijuana became legal in Colorado.

THC, not Anti-Islamic Hate Crime

The Seattle Police Department  announced on May 10 that the death of Warsame was the result of a fall that followed his first use of marijuana.   His death on Dec. 5 drew national attention andsparked speculation that he might have been the victim of an anti-Muslim hate crime.

The Seattle Police Department report has details of their  investigation, which came to the same conclusion as the King County Medical Examiner’s Office did in January.   The toxicology screen found “relatively high levels” of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the  psychoactive element of marijuana, in Warsame’s system.  In Washington, smoked forms of marijuana average more than 20% THC….

Wrongful Death Suit Against Marijuana Businesses

The lawsuit claims that the company that made the marijuana edible and the store that sold the candy to Richard Kirk recklessly and purposefully failed to warn him about the bite-sized candy’s potency and side effects – including hallucinations and other psychotic behaviors.   Kristine Kirk had called 911 for help, but it was too late.

For complete article go to….http://www.poppot.org/2016/05/11/marijuana-death-yes/