Marijuana Raises Cancer Risks.Turns out that marijuana isn't quite the low-risk high that supporters have long claimed. UCLA researchers have discovered that tetrahydrocannabinol tetrahydrocannabinol /tet·ra·hy·dro·can·nab·i·nol/ (THC) (-hi?dro-kah-nab´i-nol) the active principle of cannabis, occurring in two isomeric forms, both considered psychomimetically active. (THC THC tetrahydrocannabinol. THC n. Tetrahydrocannabinol; a compound that is obtained from cannabis or is made synthetically; it is the primary intoxicant in marijuana and hashish. ), pot's major psychoactive psychoactive /psy·cho·ac·tive/ (-ak´tiv) psychotropic. psy·cho·ac·tive adj. Affecting the mind or mental processes. Used of a drug. ingredient, impairs the body's anti-tumor immunity system. Marijuana smoke also deposits four times as much tar in a person's respiratory tract as does a comparable amount of tobacco. And that tar contains higher concentrations of carcinogenic hydrocarbons, a key factor in promoting human lung cancer. (National Institute on Drug Abuse The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal-government research institute whose mission is to "lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. ) |
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