CONTEXT: Hepatotoxicity is a potential complication from the usage of various illicit drugs, possibly consequent to their liver metabolism, but information on this is scarce in the medical literature.
OBJECTIVE: To study the occurrence of clinical and laboratory hepatic alterations in chronic marijuana users, from the use of marijuana on its own or in association with other legal or illicit drugs.
TYPE OF STUDY: transversal study
SETTING: Hospital Espírita de Marília, Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
PARTICIPANTS: The study was made among 123 patients interned in the Hospital Espírita de Marília from October 1996 to December 1998, divided into 3 groups: 26 (21%) using only marijuana, 83 (67.5%) using marijuana and crack, and 14 (11.4%) consuming marijuana and alcohol.
PROCEDURES AND MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Patients were examined clinically with special emphasis on types of drugs used, drug intake route, age when consumption began, length and pattern of usage, presence of tattooing, jaundice, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Serum determinations of total proteins, albumin, globulin, total and fractions of bilirubin, aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT) aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase (AP), gamma-glutamyltransferase and prothrombin activity were performed.
RESULTS: Among users of only marijuana, hepatomegaly was observed in 57.7% and splenomegaly in 73.1%, and slightly elevated AST (42.3%), ALT (34.6%) and AP (53.8%). The three groups did not differ significantly in the prevalence of hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and hepatosplenomegaly. The group using both marijuana and alcohol showed the highest prevalence of alterations and highest levels of aminotransferases. Mean AP levels were above normal in all groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Chronic marijuana usage, on its own or in association with other drugs, was associated with hepatic morphologic and enzymatic alterations. This indicates that cannabinoids are possible hepatotoxic substances.
Well done for sounding like you know what you are talking about, while actually pushing a load of incorrect nonsense. First of all regarding addiction, it is of course mentally addictive (as can anything be) and habit forming, but it does not cause physical addiction (like nicotine, heroin and alcohol). And while mental addiction can be profound and even manifest physical symptons it is not addictive from a physical dependance point of view. Secondly, Cannabis does NOT cause of contribute to any kind of cancer. Cannabinoids are actually anti cancer substances and while the potency of this effect may not be sufficient be an all out cure for cancer (though this remains a possibility that has not yet been ruled out) to say that cannabis contributes to causing cancer is an outright lie. It is also a lie to claim cannabis has 400 more toxic chemicals than tobbacco, what research proves this? This is another outright false statement. None of the chemicals that make cannabis are considered toxic. In fact the most well known component of cannabis, THC, is so non toxic that a toxic dose has not yet been established, because it cannot be achieved. The study you sighted above proves absolutely nothing and doesn't even support the possibilities that it claims to, let alone prove them outright. I said in a previous post that i was done commenting on this thread, but i had to respond to this post as it was 90% lies and 10% irrelivant non sense dressed up as facts supporting those lies. The fact remains that there has never been a death attributed to cannabis, this remains true, the point raised by the previous post claiming that this is simply because such toxic effects would not be looked at in autopsies is an irrelevant half truth. If someone had died from direct or indirect toxic effects from cannabis this could and would be recorded and established. Tobbacco, Caffiene, Aspirin, Alcohol, Paracetamol and many other substances have deaths attributted to them, which would not be possible if your claim was true that they can't or don't test for such things. The facts remain. Despite the lies stated above. Cannabis has never caused a death, cancer or any kind of damage, illness or disease. Cannabinoids are actually very beneficial to our health, a fact supported by the fact that we produce cannabinoids constantly for the express purpose of maintaining our health. Even mothers milk is packed with cannabinoids. There is a wealth of evidence showing cannabis is and can be a safe and effective medicine for patients suffering cancer, glucoma, MS, AIDS, Arthritis, Parkinsons, diabetes and epilepsy. And there remains no genuine evidence showing any real danger or harm from cannabis use, just a lot of misrepresented, cherry picked data that proves nothing, suggests little, and fools only the wilfully ignorant. Try doing some real research before you lecture others on the subject.
Unfortunately many posions make our way into the food and our broken down by the liver. It is more likely the food or water you injest rather then the weed you smoke :(
i have been researching the effects of marijuana use..as i am a cancer patient,and a medical marijuana recipient...i have basically smoked weed steadily since i was 16 years old(now in my 40s)The only thing i can conclude from the person who wrote this post of marijuana causing cancer....is that they havent done any studying or research at all....im not going to argue this point with someone who thinks they can pass along this anti marijuana rhetoric..because it clearly shows the complete ignorance of your so-called research....and people like you hinder the research..not embrace it...stick to doing crosswords if your conclusion from your "research"is that marijuana is harmful and causes cancer...
Seriously, research this if you doubt what i am saying. Ingesting (eating) cannabis, particularly activated (decarboxilated) cannabis oil, would be the best thing for her to take to improve her health. I cannot guarrantee she will be cured as a result, though there is a genuine possibility of this, but i can guarantee that eating cannabis will not cause her any harm, to her liver or any other organs. Check out Rick Simpson's site
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for more information on cannabis oil and research endo cannabinoids for more information on the benefits of cannabinoids for maintaining human health. If you can get hold of HIGH GRADE cannabis oil (which will prove difficult for many reasons) then she should be eating it 3 times a day, small amounts at first if she wants to avoid getting high and then increase dose as she builds up tolerance. There is literally not a medicine in existance that is either as safe or as effective at restoring health as cannabis. Activated high grade oil is the best form of this medicine, and eating 3 times a day seems the most effective.
In response to your post, I have been using marijuana since 1965 and acquired liver diseases in 1970. I no longer use marijuana (since December/12 due to the advise of a friend, a chemist, referencing my chronic hepatis c, cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Marijuana decreases life expectancy 7-fold and increases fibrosis.
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Any children, where I've seen other posts, who wish to dispute my claims should do the proper research before running off at the mouth.
Rick Simpson, by his own admission has NO medical training and little to no medical knowledge. If he told you to bath in this concoction or use it as an enema, would you do so as well? I prefer, when considering my life, for what little I have left, to count on scientific fact, as follows:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2376822/
Lots of arguments on both sides true... But Lung Cancer has not been linked to pot smoking... Bronchitis has been reported as the most recorded side affect of smoking chronic. The liver cleans our blood... ANYTHING we inhale or is absorbed by the skin gets into the blood and therefore through the liver. A ten minute walk in any metropolitan area can cause liver damage. All organs regenerate themselves and sluff of dead and harmfull cells/toxins daily.. Its the overload of Booze and drugs etc that can cause a cascade effect thru the organ.. Done to many times or for long periods of time will cause the organ to gradually lose its ability to regenerate.
Both my sons smoked marijuana, their personalities have chaged drastically, not social, withdrawn and unfriendly. Older son hasnt smoked it for 3 yrs now-but his personality hasn't returned back to being normal.
Ok, Rick Simpson is not a doctor, so go check out Dr Melamede, Dr Mechoulam, Dr Guzman, Dr Abrams or simply do some research (real research) on cannabiniods and you will see that cannabinoids are proven as beneficial to human health, are completely non toxic (so much so that it is impossible to cause a fatal overdose on cannabis), and have yet to have any proven detriment to their use, even heavy use. As for all the people who "changed" when they started smoking cannabis regularly, to blame these changes on cannabis use is a lazy and ignorant conclusion to come to. I know people who "changed" in exactly the same way when they were exposed to addictive video games, or tv or a number of other things that may have indirect effects on their lifestyle and by consequence their personalities but that is them not the substance of activity. So, one more time let me some up. Cannabis is safe and effective medicine, it offers no danger to human health but does offer alot of protection and benefit, it naturally regulates our bodies by stimulating the same natural processes as the endo cannabinoids that our body produces through out our lives to fight diseases and maintain homeo statis. That is fact, undisputed. Of course there are many people who, for emotional reasons, don't have positive experiences with cannabis, but it is important to undertand that it is their emotional state that is responsible, not the use of cannabis. Many people who are mentally ill or have emotional problems resort to using cannabis as a way of self medicating, sometimes it genuinely helps, sometimes it doesn't and some times it can even be a bad idea for some (eg. a lazy person will probably find cannabis encourages their laziness by aiding their relaxation, a paranoid person may find the increased brain activity increase how much they think and there for increases their paranoya etc) but people have to take responsibilty for themselves. I concede that cannabis can be habit forming and addictive on an emotional level, but it is not physically addictive like alcohol, nicotine, caffiene, heroin and cocaine so simply require will power alone to stop. It is a lie to say cannabis decreases life expectancy, it actually increases life expectancy by offering additional protection to vital organs, it is a lie to say cannabis damages any part of the body, it actually protects the body, it is a lie to say cannabis causes cancer as it actually fights cancer (possibly to the point of curing it in many cases) and it is a lie to say cannabis causes mental illness when the truth is it is the best known medicine for fighting mental illness. Stop regugitating lies and research the truth. Forget Rick Simpsons and all this anecdotal evidence, the fact remains that science has PROVEN cannabis as safe and effective beyond compare as a medicine for Cancer, MS, Epilepsy, Glucoma, Diabetes, Crohns, Arthritus, and much more. In Israel they even administer THC to help rebuild bones and have shown beyond doubt that Anandamide (endo cannabinoid equilvalent to THC) is produce in the brain to rebuild brain cells and protect against brain damage when head injuries occur. The fact is beyond dispute, our endo cannabinoid system is an integral part of our immune system and the key to controlling or curing any illnesses and cannabis is the only source of cannabinoids that offer the same protection as the cannabinoids our own bodies produce.
I would love to know your sources guest, the only way your going to get cancer from smoking weed is if you smoke a f**k ton of blunts, which are made out of tobacco. Weed is totally harmless... Ive ben smoking weed everyday for the last ten years (and alot at that) and ive neverrrrrrr had one single health problem related to marijuana... People like you are complete tools of the scholar who have never smoked weed and have just had your head rammed full of bullshiiiiiiiit ass lies... Get real man, act real. I suggest you do the research on marijuana yourself and im sure you will smack your self for ever posting the biggest lie ive read about weed in at least 7 years. lmfao.. Have a heart attack from smoking weed...? That is f*****g STUPID haha... Your not injecting yourself full of 3.5 grams of crystal meth, your smoking a sticky green plant grew naturally from the earth.. At least thank you for the good laugh!! Cause you obviously dont know what the f**k your talking about child.
I have hep c. I gave a buddy of mine cpr after being shot 3 times. I'll tell everyone now. I am no doctor but if it wasn't for my pot. I would not be here. It helps me with my pain. It helps me sleep at night. It helps me with my anxiety. And most of all it keeps my stomach settled down and gives me an appetite so I can eat. Personally I don't recommend it for recreational use. But I was refused treatment and I am dying. And pot just make my life easier on my way out. I realized in some states it's against the law. SHAME SHAME GOVERMENT!!! I'll say it again, I was refused treatment. So I'm not worried if they tell a dying women she can't have pot to help her through her dying days. And since I'm already dying of a liver diseases. I don't think pots gonna kill me ; )
imagine not cleaning your bong for 30+ years. that gunk that covers your filter-less bong that you smoke out of is ten times worse in your lungs.
so conclusion: caked on lungs full of weed tar is all natural so you will not die from caked on lungs....only caked on cigarette lungs.
idiots
First of all penis head, we are talking about cannabis, not the residue of it's smoke. Smoke is ofcourse unhealthy for lungs, all smoke, including cannabis contains damaging hydro carbons. But cannabis itself is safe, that's the point here. Fact remains that cannabis contains many components, cannabinoids, that can negate many of the harmful aspects of the smoke making it a less harmful practice than tobacco smoking. But regardless of perceived harms to cannabis smoking, cannabis itself, consumed through other methods like vapourisation, topical or ingestion is harmless. The original question was wether cannabis was harmful to the liver. The answer to this is no, it is not harmful to the liver or any other part of the body. Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine are all harmful substances, regardless of how you consume them. Cannabis is not harmful. Of course if you burn it to produce smoke and inhale that smoke, then their is potential detriment to health of lungs (though far less so than tobacco, and no actual cancer risk has been established even from cannabis smoke, because cannabis smoke still contains strong anti cancer substances, ie vapourised cannabinoids). Cannabis is safe and natural. Inhaling smoke is not safe or natural, but lets face it, that would be equally true if people started smoking Brocolli. Nothing to do with the substance but rather than the nature of smoke. So before you call others idiots you may wanna check your facts and also check what you are actually commenting on. No one here is disputing the harmful aspects of smoke. We are stating, what is now proven fact, that CANNABIS is safe, natural and effective medicine with the potential to cure many forms of cancer and the proven ability to fight, reverse and even cure a large number of diseases and conditions including MS, Epilepsy, Glucoma, Diabetes, Cancer and more. Just do some research on Endo Cannabinoid System, and next time actually read what you are commenting on. id**t