WeeklySA_AdminRECREATIONAL: New study finds ‘hidden’ connection between weed consumption and rising rates of various cancers and birth abnormalities, as well as DNA damage…
By Monk Nkomo
The prevailing narrative by several countries legalizing the use of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, for recreational purposes, has been shot down after shocking and mounting evidence by researchers that the drug instead had serious health consequences that included increased cancer risks, birth defects and accelerated aging.
A startling new paper released this week by researchers from the University of Western Australia, fundamentally challenged the narrative around the relative safety of cannabis use. ‘’ The researchers emphasize that the data points to cannabis as a potent genotoxin, capable of causing widespread genetic damage and disrupting normal cellular processes.’’
The research also highlighted a disturbing connection between using cannabis and rising rates of various cancers and congenital abnormalities as well as DNA damage. The research painted a sobering picture of the hidden health consequences of widespread cannabis consumption as more and more countries legalized its use recreationally.
Led by Albert Stuart Reece and Gary Kenneth Hulse, the research found that cannabis exposure was associated with significant increases in cancers, particularly breast, pancreatic, liver, thyroid and testicular.
Testicular cancer risk rose 2.6 times among cannabis users. The perspective, published in the journal, Addiction Biology, also discovered that cancers in users tend to develop much earlier and were more aggressive.
While cannabis-related cancers may be relatively rare, the effects on aging and birth defects appeared widespread and severe. Studies have shown a 30% acceleration of cellular aging in users as young as 30 and clusters of major birth defects in areas with high cannabis cultivation.
The authors urgently called for new epidemiological research to further investigate the modern health consequences of cannabis use, given the rise in potent products. They believed that policymakers and the public could no longer ignore the mounting evidence of cannabis-related genotoxicity.
The research challenged the prevailing narrative around the relative safety of cannabis use and warned that this mounting evidence was ‘’ a resounding clarion call for action’’ that could not be ignored. Beyond cancer, the scientists uncovered troubling links to birth defects. Epidemiological data across Europe and the United States revealed elevated rates of severe developmental abnormalities, including missing limbs, heart problems and chromosomal disorders. In other words, cannabis users appeared to be passing on DNA mutations to their children in the womb.
“The link we have described between cannabis use and genotoxicity has far-reaching consequences. This new research shows how genetic damage from cannabis use can be passed down the generations,” according to Reece. ‘’ This should reframe the discussion surrounding cannabis legalization.”
In another research conducted by corresponding author, Professor Joseph Cheer, PhD, a Professor of Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine , it was found that with the legalization of recreational cannabis, as many as one in five pregnant women in the USA were now using the drug to help with morning sickness, lower back pain and anxiety.
Evidence had been growing however, to suggest that THC , the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, posed risks to the developing fetus by impacting brain development. A new study had found that this could increase the risk of addiction to opioids later.
‘’ Doctors are contending with an explosion of cannabis use and the THC content has quadrupled from what it was a generation ago’’, said Cheer.
Meanwhile, the Society for the study of Addiction researchers found that cannabis consumption could result in permanently disrupting organ functions with potentially far-reaching consequences on physical and mental health. It has been scientifically proven that using cannabis could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease including heart attacks.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia attributed the health impacts to the cannabis plant’s chemical composition, including compounds like THC and CBD, a treatment for epilepsy and marketed as dietary supplement for the management of chronic pain, but which have been shown to cause genetic damage and disrupt normal cellular processes. Importantly, researchers pointed out that cannabis potency had skyrocketed in recent decades, with THC levels now commonly reaching 25-30% – a potential driver behind the worsening outcomes.
While cannabis-related cancers may be relatively rare, the effects on aging and birth defects appeared widespread and severe. Studies have shown a 30% acceleration of cellular aging in users as young as 30 and clusters of major birth defects in areas with high cannabis cultivation. The authors urgently called for new epidemiological research to further investigate the modern health consequences of cannabis use, given the rise in potent products.
This paper was a perspective piece that synthesized findings from multiple recent studies, particularly focusing on new research published in science about micronuclear fragmentation. The authors reviewed and analysed studies from various fields, including molecular biology, epidemiology and clinical research to build a comprehensive picture of cannabis’s potential genetic impacts.
The research identified three main areas of concern: increased cancer risk (with particularly strong evidence for testicular cancer), birth defects (especially affecting cardiovascular, neurological and limb development) and accelerated aging (showing about 30% faster aging by age 30 in cannabis users). The research suggested these effects may be transmitted across generations through changes to reproductive cells.
The paper acknowledged that some historical cannabis-cancer studies had shown conflicting results, which may be due to multiple exposures (like tobacco use), differences in study design and varying cannabis potencies. Additionally, many studies excluded high-level cannabis exposure, which may have limited their findings.
The continued use of the drug had dire implications not just for individual users but for the health of future generations. The transgenerational transmission of cannabis-related abnormalities was especially alarming and demanded urgent attention from policymakers and public health officials.
The authors called for a major shift in how to approach cannabis, moving beyond simplistic discussions of personal liberties to focus on the solemn responsibility of protecting societal genomic integrity. They believed the mounting evidence was a resounding clarion call to action that should not be ignored.
