MARIJUANA, CANCER LINKED

LOS ANGELES -- People who habitually smoke marijuana may be at greater
risk of developing mouth and throat cancers than people who do not
smoke the illegal drug, according to a study published Friday.

The study was conducted at the Jonsson Cancer Center of the University
of California at Los Angeles, said Zuo-Feng Zhang, director of UCLA's
cancer epidemiology training program.

The study -- whose results appear in the journal of Cancer
Epidemiology Biomarker and Prevention -- included 173 people diagnosed
with mouth and throat cancers and 176 cancer-free control patients, he
said.

People who smoke marijuana regularly were found to be at higher risk
for mouth and throat cancers than those who did not.