REVIEW - Does smoking contribute to the risk of developing lung cancer?

[Guest guest]

April 2008, Volume 12, Number 3

Oncology Myths and Legends

A. Weiss, RN, MSN, OCN®, CCRP—Associate Editor

Does Smoking Marijuana Contribute to the Risk of Developing Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer has emerged as the most common cause of cancer-related

death in men and women in the United States (Edmondson, 2008; Swaney,

2002). Marijuana, a product of the Cannabis sativa plant, is the most

frequently used illegal substance in the United States (Mehra, ,

Crothers, Tetrauld, & Fiellin, 2006). The question explored here is

whether evidence links marijuana use to lung cancer development.

Tobacco use was known to Native Americans, but the first recorded

harvest of a tobacco crop in North America was in 1611 in the

town colony (Cruz et al., 1998). Marijuana has a world history

that dates back to 4000 BC, when it was grown in China for the hemp

fibers. Oral traditions from China list medical uses for marijuana as

far back as 2700 BC (Zuardi, 2005). Marijuana use in the United States

dates to the early 1900s, when it was used as a cure for morphine

addiction (Cruz et al., 1998). Marijuana primarily is obtained from

the leaves and flower heads of the female Cannabis sativa plant. The

active ingredient is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), with the

highest content found in the flower heads and decreasing in

concentration from the stems down to the seeds (, 1999; Hall &

Solowij, 1998).

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Not an MD