Heavy marijuana smoking may increase cancer risk, researchers warn
Recent studies from Keck Medicine of USC suggest a potential link between heavy marijuana use and an increased risk of lung, head, and neck cancers. Researchers emphasize that while the correlation is growing, the specific dose-response relationship remains unclear.
Why it matters
As marijuana legalization expands, understanding the long-term health implications of heavy usage is vital for public health policy and individual medical decisions.
As marijuana becomes legal in more states, many people assume it is relatively safe. But when it comes to cancer, the picture is far less clear. While tobacco smoking has long been established as a major cause of lung cancer, scientists are still working to understand exactly how marijuana affects cancer risk, according to Brooks Udelsman, MD, a thoracic surgeon with USC Surgery at Keck Medicine of USC.
Researchers continue to investigate whether smoking marijuana increases the likelihood of developing cancer. A recent Keck Medicine study led by Niels Kokot, MD, an otolaryngologist at the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, found that people who smoked large amounts of marijuana appeared to face a higher risk of both small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
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