Alasana, Thanks for this piece. Marijuana use among youths in the Gambia is increasing, as a last resort for their frustrations. I have many firends who are into it. Let me hasten to add that i have never smoked ciggarettes or marijuana myself. Many have the erroneous believe that 'jamba' cures a hosts of diseases. I have always pointed out to them that it can cloud an individual's judgement, among many other effects. I will print this piece and mail it to them, so that they can read for themselves. Seeing, as they say, is believing. Saul. >From: Alasana Bah <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Fwd: Marijuana may be greater cancer risk than tobacco, > research suggests >Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 06:51:02 PDT > >Hi Folks, >Years back in the Gambia i used to hear from some of my friends who use to >do Marijuana that it was best to smoke it than cigarettes. The following >study proves that to be wrong. By the way i never smoked Majijuana and >never >smokes cigareyyes either. Read on >God Bless and Peace Be Upon All >Alasana Bah > > >>(CNN) -- Smoking marijuana may be a greater cancer danger than smoking >>tobacco, a new study from the University of California at Los Angeles >>suggests. >> >>The research, conducted on mice, was published in the July issue of the >>Journal of Immunology. The UCLA researchers studied the effect of >>tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the major euphoriant in marijuana. >> >>They found that THC can promote tumor growth in mice by impairing the >>body's >>anti-tumor immunity system. Mice with normal immune systems had >>significant >>tumor growth when injected with both lung cancer cells and THC. However, >>the >>compound appeared to have no effect on mice whose immune systems were >>already >>compromised. >> >>While previous research had shown that THC can lower resistance to both >>bacterial and viral infections, this is the first time that THC’s >>possible >>tumor-promoting activity has been reported, according to the National >>Institute on Drug Abuse, a part of the National Institutes of Health. >> >>The UCLA scientists also found that the tar in marijuana smoke contains >>higher concentrations of substances called hydrocarbons than tar from >>tobacco >>smoke does. These hydrocarbons are a key factor in promoting human lung >>cancer. >> >>Because marijuana smoke deposits four times as much tar in the respiratory >>tract as a comparable amount of tobacco, the exposure to carcinogens is >>increased, the researchers wrote. >> >>"What we already know about marijuana smoke, coupled with our new finding >>that THC may encourage tumor growth, suggests that regular use of >>marijuana >>may increase the risk of respiratory-tract cancer and further studies will >>be >>needed to evaluate this possibility," Dr. Steven M. Dubinett, head of the >>research team that conducted the study, said in a statement. >> >>Smoking marijuana is illegal in the United States, though several states >>have >>laws allowing its use for medicinal purposes. A federal advisory panel >>last >>year acknowledged that marijuana can fight pain and nausea, and the drug >>is >>thought to ease symptoms of the eye disease glaucoma. >> >> >> >> >>------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>-- >> >>RELATED STORIES: >>Hawaii governor signs medical marijuana bill >>June 14, 2000 >>Maine sheriff proposes using seized pot for medicinal purposes >>May 12, 2000 >>Federal officials bust huge marijuana smuggling ring >>April 13, 2000 >>Teen-age drug use down, anti-drug group's survey finds >>November 22, 1999 >>Medical marijuana grower slapped with stiff sentence >>August 7, 1999 >> >> >>------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>-- >>RELATED SITES: >>National Institute on Drug Abuse > >_________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. > >Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at >http://profiles.msn.com. > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >You may also send subscription requests to >[log in to unmask] >if you have problems accessing the web interface >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------