Public Health – Marijuana Impact Group https://themig.org Marijuana Impact Group Fri, 09 Aug 2024 19:18:56 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://themig.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/logo_reduced-150x150.png Public Health – Marijuana Impact Group https://themig.org 32 32 Increased Risk of Oral, Head, & Neck Cancers from Those with Cannabis Use Disorders https://themig.org/increased-risk-of-oral-head-neck-cancers-from-those-with-cannabis-use-disorders/ Fri, 09 Aug 2024 19:18:52 +0000 https://www.thenmi.org/?p=7637 Individuals with a cannabis use disorder (CUD) have a 3 to 8 times higher risk of developing a “head and neck cancer” (HNC) when compared to non-cannabis users. These are among the findings of a new study released in JAMA Otolaryngology this week. Historically, these types of cancers have been associated to heavy tobacco and/or alcohol use. Given that many of the same carcinogens found in tobacco can be found in cannabis, this raised concerns about cannabis’s role in detected HNCs. 

This study used patient data (deidentified), over a ten-year period comparing the occurrence of HNC in patients with a diagnosed CUD (N=116,076 patients) to those who did not use cannabis (N=3,985,286 patients) to arrive at relative risks factors. The authors (Gallagher, T. et.al.) found that when comparing non-users to those with a CUD, the risk of developing “any” HNC was 3.49 times greater in the CUD group. For location specific cancers in the CUD group, risk of oral cancer was 2.51 higher, oropharyngeal cancer (back of mouth and throat) was nearly 5 times higher, and laryngeal cancer (throat) was more than 8 times the risk, when compared to non-cannabis user group.

While the authors identify several potential relationships common to tobacco and cannabis use to adverse health outcomes, the call for more research to better understand this issue is clear. 

Abstract Read Time: < 5 minutes

Image: MIG 

Link to JAMA abstract online: 
]]> Cannabis Policy: Recommendations from the United States Senate Caucus https://themig.org/cannabis-policy-recommendations-from-the-united-states-senate-caucus/ Fri, 02 Jul 2021 20:27:59 +0000 https://www.thenmi.org/?p=6192 The United States Senate Caucus recently issued a report titled, “Cannabis Policy, Public Health and Safety, Issues and Recommendations”.  The report focused on five (5) key areas: (1) Barriers to Researching Cannabis, (2) Impacts of Increased Cannabis Potency, (3) Cannabis Use on the Developing Brain, (4) Unregulated Products and (5) Cannabis Impaired Driving. 

The National Marijuana Initiative (NMI) created a summary of the Caucus’s 59 page document by highlighting their findings, recommendations and key points with respect to issues stemming from today’s marijuana in America. 

The role of the Senate Caucus is to encourage government and programs in the private sector, “seeking to expand international cooperation against drug abuse and narcotics trafficking.” To learn more about the Senate Caucus or to read the entire report, go to: https://www.drugcaucus.senate.gov/HomePage

Summary Read Time: <10 minutes

Photo: National HIDTA Assistance Center 

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