Cannabis Sativa: Biological Effects on the Human Body and Carcinoma Cannabis has been around for centuries the earliest written record of it was in 2727 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nung from China. In 1545 cannabis spread to the western hemisphere by Spaniards where it was imported and used as fiber by Chile. Before 1545 Ancient Greeks, Romans, North Africans North Americans, and the Islamic empire were familiar with cannabis. Cannabis sativa grows in the wild in several tropical and humid areas of the world. Its seeds have been used for animal feed, its fiber for hemp rope, its oil as a vehicle for paint, and for recreational use for smoking (“Cannabis”). The delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana can positively affect ill people undergoing
…show more content…
One marijuana cigarette has a four times greater tar burden than one tobacco cigarette. It has also been shown that chronic marijuana smoking is associated with respiratory symptoms and changes on lung function (Caplan). The smoke from a marijuana cigarette is similar to smoke from a tobacco cigarette qualitatively, with the exception of the content of cannabinoids and tobacco alkaloids. They differ quantitatively in the concentrations of individual carcinogens; marijuana smoke contains about fifty percent more of the carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco cigarettes do. Bronchoalveolar lavage, a medical procedure where bronchoscope is passed into the lungs through the mouth or nose and a fluid is squirted into a small part of the lung and then collected for examination. This test shows that marijuana smoking stimulates an alveolar inflammatory cell response largely of macrophages, a type of white blood cell that digest foreign debris, similar to tobacco smoking (Caplan). Tracheobronchial biopsies show preneoplastic histologic changes, or the microscopic formation of a benign neoplasm; including squamous metaplasia, basal and/or goblet cell hyperplasia, atypical cells, and cellular disorganization, among others, similar to those found in human tobacco smokers and animal marijuana smoker there is no direct evidence that chronic …show more content…
Recent evidence has been presented from cell culture systems and animal models that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and other cannabinoids like THC may prevent the growth of some tumors by restraining basic signaling pathways leading to stopping growth and cell death, as well as by preventing tumor angiogenesis; which is the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones. These anti-tumor associations have been watched for numerous types of malignancies involving the brain, prostate, lung, thyroid, and breast (Hashibe). Therefore, numerous points of evidence proposing the biological likelihood of marijuana causing cancer of any part of the body, especially lung and upper aero digestive tract cancers, have been proven wrong in research of this topic so
One marijuana cigarette has a four times greater tar burden than one tobacco cigarette. It has also been shown that chronic marijuana smoking is associated with respiratory symptoms and changes on lung function (Caplan). The smoke from a marijuana cigarette is similar to smoke from a tobacco cigarette qualitatively, with the exception of the content of cannabinoids and tobacco alkaloids. They differ quantitatively in the concentrations of individual carcinogens; marijuana smoke contains about fifty percent more of the carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco cigarettes do. Bronchoalveolar lavage, a medical procedure where bronchoscope is passed into the lungs through the mouth or nose and a fluid is squirted into a small part of the lung and then collected for examination. This test shows that marijuana smoking stimulates an alveolar inflammatory cell response largely of macrophages, a type of white blood cell that digest foreign debris, similar to tobacco smoking (Caplan). Tracheobronchial biopsies show preneoplastic histologic changes, or the microscopic formation of a benign neoplasm; including squamous metaplasia, basal and/or goblet cell hyperplasia, atypical cells, and cellular disorganization, among others, similar to those found in human tobacco smokers and animal marijuana smoker there is no direct evidence that chronic …show more content…
Recent evidence has been presented from cell culture systems and animal models that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and other cannabinoids like THC may prevent the growth of some tumors by restraining basic signaling pathways leading to stopping growth and cell death, as well as by preventing tumor angiogenesis; which is the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones. These anti-tumor associations have been watched for numerous types of malignancies involving the brain, prostate, lung, thyroid, and breast (Hashibe). Therefore, numerous points of evidence proposing the biological likelihood of marijuana causing cancer of any part of the body, especially lung and upper aero digestive tract cancers, have been proven wrong in research of this topic so