Heavy Cannabis Smokers and Lung Cancer – New Study Suggests Weed Addiction Poses Several Health Risks

While the new study “raises important concerns regarding the potential adverse consequences of the secular trend toward increased cannabis use consequent to legalization,” according to its authors, it is important to remember that many people use marijuana casually — and many do not smoke it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines cannabis use disorder as someone who is “unable to stop using marijuana even though it’s causing health and social problems in their lives.” The CDC goes on to say that “three in ten” marijuana users have this disorder.

“Substantial negative health outcomes associated with chronic cannabis use include various cancers associated with inhaling combustion products, declines in cognitive capacity and motivation, and increased schizophrenia risk,” the study says.

Dr. Raja Flores breaks down risk associated with smoking marijuana. 

Chronic pain is cited as a reason for cannabis users to evolve their habit into more of an addiction. Researchers in the study say cannabis use disorder “showed a unidirectional effect on lung cancer.”

The connection between obsessive cannabis usage and lung cancer still remains fuzzy at best and needs more research, authors of the study say. However, the study suggests cannabis use by people who also regularly smoked cigarettes had a negligible effect on their overall cancer risk due to the risk cigarettes already pose.

“Cannabis is frequently consumed using methods involving inhaling combustion products, potentially exposing users to risks similar to those found in smoking other substances such as tobacco … Some of the shared genetic risks between cannabis use disorder and tobacco smoking may relate to propensity to smoke per se, independent of substance, a hypothesis that we currently lack the power to evaluate,” the researchers said.

The cancer risks associated with smoking cigarettes are well documented. However, some experts believe with conviction that cancer risks extend to smoking cannabis as well. Dr. Raja Flores, who is the Chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery for Mount Sinai Health System, is among those who believe cannabis fuels cancer risks. “Smoking marijuana likely causes lung cancer independent of cigarette smoking status,” Dr. Flores told SurvivorNet.

“I do think for cigarettes, there is a genetic predisposition to get lung cancer. As well as a genetic predisposition for substance abuse. So, it would not surprise me that there is a genetic link to lung cancer from smoking weed,” Dr. Flores continued.

Dr. Flores found the study published in Nature Genetics credible. He has long been vocal about the potential lung cancer risks cannabis poses to users.

“As someone on the front lines, who sees this every day, I’ve seen lung cancer caused by marijuana that is incredibly aggressive,” Dr. Flores previously told SurvivorNet.

“There is no really good population-based study that looks at marijuana smoking, and that has had enough time elapsed to show it’s associated with lung cancer, [but] I’ve seen it. I’ve seen multiple multiple cases of it. I see it every day,” he added.

How Smoking Increases Your Cancer Risk

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Nonsmokers still get lung cancer, but cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for the disease. Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer, the CDC says.

WATCH: Smoking and Lung Cancer

The CDC adds cigarette smoking is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, and people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who don’t smoke. Additionally, second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer.

Researchers have made progress in understanding the differences between lung cancer in smokers versus nonsmokers, says Dr. Ronald Natale, a medical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and they’re developing targeted treatments that will be able to address the genetic drivers of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

“Among patients who are nonsmokers, or former very light smokers, we identify a mutation that we can target with pills in about 60% to 70% of them. That leaves 30% or so, 40%, in whom we either have a target for which we do not have successful treatment,” Dr. Ronald Natale, a medical oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.

“Among patients who are smokers, who have more complex cancers that have hundreds, sometimes thousands of mutations, don’t have a driver mutation that we can give a pill for, which is only a tiny percentage of lifelong smokers. Chemotherapy is the primary treatment in most patients,” Dr. Natale explains further.

Help With Quitting

Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health works with cancer patients who are eager to curb their tobacco habit. She often resorts to nicotine replacement therapy as an effective option. A daily nicotine patch to manage withdrawal symptoms, as well as a fast-acting option to curb cravings like nicotine gum, inhaler, or spray.

“We know that there is a causal relationship between smoking and both incidents of cancer and the chance of dying from cancer. There are very few things in science that have a cause-and-effect relationship, but this is one of them which is very powerful,” Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said.

If you are a smoker but want to quit, here are some helpful tips to curb the habit.

• Nicotine replacement therapy is one of the main tools that smokers have at their disposal. Long-acting therapies like nicotine patches can be paired with short-acting therapies (including nicotine gum, lozenges, nasal spray, and inhalers) to cope with intense cravings.
• Avoid your triggers to smoke. Cravings can be provoked by situations in which you are used to having tobacco. It can help you familiarize yourself with these environments and make plans for how you can manage them without tobacco or how you can avoid them altogether.
• Wait. If you feel yourself on the brink of giving in to a tobacco craving, delay smoking for 10 minutes and do something else to distract yourself. Move to a no-smoking area to make it less convenient for you to smoke. Cravings can often subside if given time.
• Chew something. Whether it’s gum, candy, or vegetables, chew something that will occupy your mouth as you resist your cravings.
• Be mindful of the “just one more” mentality and do your best to avoid it. Smoking once leads to smoking again. Be careful not to convince yourself that you can satisfy a tobacco craving and then quit after that.
• Exercise. Boosting your physical activity can distract you from tobacco cravings and make them less intense.
• Try relaxation techniques. Finding new ways of dealing with stress can be an important part of quitting smoking. These activities may include deep breathing, yoga, visualization, muscle relaxation, and massage.
• Reach out for support. Establishing robust support systems is essential both for people battling cancer and people battling tobacco addiction. Calling a friend or family member to talk on the phone or go for a walk can help remind you that you’re not alone.
• Find support groups where groups of smokers are trying to quit together. These groups may be in-person or virtual.
• Constantly remind yourself why you want to quit. Whether your goal is to feel better, get healthier, save money, or prepare for cancer treatment, it can help to write down or speak aloud the reason you decided to quit in the first place.

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