UNITE Reaches Milestone

For 30 years, Donald Tashkin has studied the effects of marijuana on lung function. His work has been funded by the vehemently anti-marijuana National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has long sought to demonstrate that marijuana causes lung cancer. After 3 decades of anti-drug research, here’s what Tashkin has to say about marijuana laws:

“Early on, when our research appeared as if there would be a negative impact on lung health, I was opposed to legalization because I thought it would lead to increased use and that would lead to increased health effects,” Tashkin says.“But at this point, I’d be in favor of legalization.

UCLA’s Tashkin studied heavy marijuana smokers to determine whether the use led to increased risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. He hypothesized that there would be a definitive link between cancer and marijuana smoking, but the results proved otherwise.

“What we found instead was no association and even a suggestion of some protective effect,” says Tashkin, whose research was the largest case-control study ever conducted.

Prejudice against marijuana and smoking in general runs so deep for many people that it just seems inconceivable that marijuana could actually reduce the risk of lung cancer.

But that’s what the data shows and it not only demolishes a major tenet of popular anti-pot propaganda, but also points towards a potentially groundbreaking opportunity to develop cancer cures through marijuana research.

Over and over again, all the bad things we’ve been told about marijuana are revealed to be not only false, but often the precise opposite of the truth.

That's a very intresting artical I have no grudge agenst smoking pot. except that if you ask most of the people that are addicted to other drug,s they will tell you that they started smoking pot as a teen. As any thing else if it is in it's nnatural stage and not treated with chemicals I also feel it could be used as a treatment for certain thing's. but then again isn't that what pain medicens for to treat people that have chronic pain problems. And yet it is to blaim for so many death,s that,s bull shit. people are responsable for them selves. most that overdose on medication do it because they want to why blame any one else they are so depressed with their own decissons in life that they want to take their lifeif any thing is to blame for their deaths it is society and what they are taught as children. you can't raise a child to think that drug's are ok because mom and dad does them and expect them not to think the same thing. I have lived on this earth forover 50 years. I can see what has taken place I am not as educated as most with degrees.I have a better education that is life and seeing what is out their and what goes on in other's life's I don't judge no one for what they do. That not in my place Im not god. I can also see how the greed for money has not helped our race and how we don't seem to love each other any more. in older day's if someone's house burnt the neighbor's would pitch in and help that family rebuild with thrir own hands if a farmer got hurt and the family needed help other families would pitch in and give them a hand with money or manuel work. now families don't even help each other if they get into hard times and they are about to loose their property the rest of the family just sort of sympithise with them but offer no help. as the bible say's heart's will harden. and look around everyone has to find something or someone to blame their shrot comming's on they can't let it fall where it fall's you can overdose on just about anything but pills seem to be what everyone chooses.