Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2025
07:30
Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
6.7K
Cannabis- and Substance-Related Carcinogenesis in Europe: A Lagged Causal Inferential Panel Regression Study
Albert Stuart Reece1,2, Kellie Bennett1,3, Gary Kenneth Hulse1,2
1Division of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Journal of Xenobiotics
|July 25, 2023
Summary
Cannabis use is linked to significantly higher cancer rates, including reproductive and inherited genetic impacts. This study identifies cannabis as a major multigenerational carcinogen, surpassing tobacco and alcohol in impact.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Toxicology
- Genetics
Background:
- Prior research suggested cannabis use may cause reproductive issues and genetic damage.
- Cannabis's role in cancer etiology remains controversial and requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the epidemiological relationship between cannabis use and cancer incidence.
- To assess cannabis's carcinogenic potential compared to tobacco and alcohol.
- To explore potential reproductive and transgenerational genotoxic effects of cannabis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized European cancer incidence data (2000-2020) and drug use data.
- Employed bivariate and inverse-probability-weighted multivariate models.
- Incorporated temporal lagging in panel models for robust analysis.
Main Results:
- Higher cancer rates were observed in high-cannabis-use countries (p < 3.54 × 10⁻¹¹⁵).
- Twenty-five out of forty-one cancers showed significant association with cannabis exposure.
- Cannabis emerged as a stronger correlate of cancer than tobacco or alcohol, with evidence of reproductive and inherited genotoxicity.
Conclusions:
- Cannabis fulfills epidemiological criteria for causality in 25 out of 41 investigated cancers.
- Findings indicate cannabis is a significant multigenerational community carcinogen.
- Reproductive and transgenerational effects are prominent concerns associated with cannabis use.
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