STUDY FINDS NO LINK BETWEEN POT, CANCER

The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking
marijuana, even heavily and regularly, does not lead to lung cancer.

The new findings "were against our expectations," said Donald
Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles, a
pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years.

"We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between
marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more
positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no
association and a suggestion of some protective effect."

Federal officials have widely used Tashkin's previous work on
marijuana to make the case that the drug is dangerous. Tashkin said he
still believes marijuana is potentially harmful, but its
cancer-causing effects appear to be of less concern than previously
thought. Marijuana contains the chemical THC, which may keep cells
from becoming cancerous.