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Comment by amwelles | Hacker News Reader

Have they done any long-term studies on smoking pot vs. vaping vs. edibles?

Well, if you're not breathing in tar, heavy metals, free radicals, etc., it's not hard to come out on top over smoking.

There still has to be some damage from smoke inhalation, no? Then I'm curious about smoking vs "vaping" vs oil etc. Anecdotally I see a lot of old hippies still kicking.

edit: I didn't realize you were pointing out the effect of smoking cannabis.

Sorry, that WAS the damage from smoke inhalation. Theoretically if you're vaping or eating you shouldn't be combusting anything and should get 0 smoke.

And yes, you can get lung/throat cancer from inhaling pot smoke. Probably way worse than from a cigarette because there's no filter (THC is super sticky, so it's kind of counter productive).

This is a myth. Smoking marijuana might actually be negatively correlated with lung cancer for long term users. Regardless, it's certainly not associated with increased lung cancer or increased risk for COPD. You and others who are misinformed should stop spreading around these ridiculous lies and look at the science:

"Although marijuana smoke contains a number of carcinogens and cocarcinogens, findings from a limited number of well-designed epidemiological studies do not suggest an increased risk for the development of either lung or upper airway cancer from light or moderate use, although evidence is mixed concerning possible carcinogenic risks of heavy, long-term use." -- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23802821

It is far and away irrisponsible to call a health effect a myth because one paper suggests an opposite effect for light to moderate users. Considering we DO know what we are inhaling, and we DO know it causes massive problems for other smoked substances, it is rational to think that there are likely related effects. Until we can identify that these effects are NOT occurring, we should definitely assume that you can get lung cancer by inhaling massive amounts of carcinogens.

So let's throw out the hard scientific evidence you don't like and substitute "rational thinking" instead? I think you were born in the wrong century.

The hard scientific evidence is that light to moderate users do not have increased lung cancer rates. This is a far cry from "smoking pot doesn't cause cancer".

It is not I who is avoiding rationality, friend. Check your ability to corroborate your statements with evidence.

You haven't provided any evidence to support your viewpoint that it does cause cancer so whatever you deduce through "rational thought" is meaningless.

I don't have evidence. All I have is lack of evidence. Skepticism leads me to conclude we do not know the effects of smoking marijuana w/r/t cancer with any certainty. Correspondingly, it would be wrong to call the prospect a myth, as you cannot say that with any certainty.

You also have lack of evidence of unicorns causing cancer.

You're also choosing to ignore the studies that show moderate use (e.g. people who smoke it casually and aren't huffing 24/7) show no increase in cancer.

Maybe if you smoke from the moment you wake until you pass out you might have an increase of cancer. Same way that drinking water til you die of water poisoning is a thing. It is freakishly uncommon and you'd have to more or less choose to do so on purpose.

That seems hardly conclusive.

It's not skepticism when you ignore evidence.

I'm not aware of any, but edibles certainly won't cause lung damage.

Though they may cause stomach and/or intestinal damage.

People have been ingesting cannabis since long, long, long before they smoked it from a pipe. It would surprise me if there are dire health effects that are entirely undiscovered.

This is, of course, shitty compared to actually providing a study.

People have been ingesting cannabis since long, long, long before they smoked it from a pipe. It would surprise me if there are dire health effects that are entirely undiscovered.

The same held true for tobacco for quite a long time, do keep in mind.

Are there poor health effects from ingesting tabacco? it makes my stomach turn, but I wouldn't jump to cancer.

Yes, according to a number of sources.[1][2]

[1] http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-...

[2] http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/smok...

Nice find.

The likely carcinogens in question: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco-specific_nitrosamines

Yes.

In fact, there are also problems for smkers who cough up and then swallow phlegm - this increases risk of bladder and penile cancers.

Stomach, esophagus, and pancreas cancers are all common for people who dip. The chemical difference between smokeless tobacco and marijuana in food is probably a lot different though.

No, not any more than eating any other food; it's a plant, it isn't going to hurt your stomach.

> No, not any more than eating any other food; it's a plant, it isn't going to hurt your stomach.

There are plenty of plants that can hurt your stomach a great deal. Some will even kill you.

"It's a plant" is not an argument.

It's not a poisonousness plant.

>it's a plant, it isn't going to hurt your stomach

Let me be hyperpedantic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants

It's not a poisonousness plant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid_hyperemesis_syndro...

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