{"id":6303,"date":"2016-07-07T07:54:26","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T07:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/?p=4843"},"modified":"2016-07-07T07:54:26","modified_gmt":"2016-07-07T07:54:26","slug":"cannabis-damages-dna-claim-debunked-by-leading-researcher-ethan-russo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/cannabis-damages-dna-claim-debunked-by-leading-researcher-ethan-russo\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Cannabis Damages DNA\u2019 Claim Debunked By Leading Researcher Ethan Russo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/cannabis-damages-dna-claim-debunked-by-leading-researcher-ethan-russo\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Critics are calling &#8220;reefer madness&#8221; on a new study from Australia claiming smoking pot will give your kids cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis has been shown in cell, animal and limited human trials to prevent, halt or kill cancer, researchers note. Australia is getting world-famous for their reefer-madness research, this time for equating pot to the notorious birth defect-causing chemical thalidomide.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Associate Professor Stuart Reece and Professor Gary Hulse at The University of Western Australia released a paper called \u201cChromothripsis and epigenomics complete causality criteria for cannabis- and addiction-connected carcinogenicity, congenital toxicity and heritable genotoxicity\u201d, published July 2016 in the journal &#8220;Mutation Research&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>A press release from the university paper ran the chilling conclusion that pot smokers were damaging their <span class=\"highlight\">DNA<\/span>, and effectively giving their kids cancer. \u201cThe worst cancers are reported in the first few years of life in children exposed in utero to cannabis effects,\u201d one researcher said.<\/p>\n<p>But the paper&#8217;s authors did no actual tests. Rather, they reviewed studies to \u201cclose the logical loop\u201d that pot causes gene replication damage that is passed on to kids.<\/p>\n<p>So the Express contacted Ethan Russo, founding editor of Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics, widely considered to be one of the leading cannabinoid researchers on the planet who actually studies cannabinoids and he sent us this reply. He stated:<\/p>\n<div>\u201cThis report is based on a foundation of falsehoods. Cannabis is not mutagenic (productive of mutations in<span class=\"highlight\">DNA<\/span>), nor is it teratogenic (productive of birth defects) or carcinogenic (causative of cancer). Countless animal studies and human epidemiological studies support its relative safety in this regard.\u201d<\/div>\n<p>The paper\u2019s abstract makes no mention of how the research reviewed was controlled for byproducts of smoking or other drugs, which are carcinogenic.<\/p>\n<p>Russo states: \u201cAdditionally, there is a world of difference between drug abuse, and the judicious use of low doses of cannabinoids for therapeutic application in serious diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The paper\u2019s abstract lacks basic information as to how much cannabis&#8217; relative carcinogenicity, congenital toxicity and heritable genotoxicity could be a problem. It\u2019s unclear if we should be singling out cannabis relative to other vectors. Even the research authors note other drugs damage <span class=\"highlight\">DNA<\/span> and cause the \u201cacceleration of the aging process \u2026 including alcohol, tobacco, \u2026 stimulants and opioids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other sources of epigenetic damage include life stressors like prohibition-related violence and incarceration. Sunburns and oxygen also damage <span class=\"highlight\">DNA<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExposure to pharmaceutical and toxic chemicals, diet, stress, exercise, and other environmental factors are capable of eliciting positive or negative epigenetic modifications with lasting effects on development, metabolism and health. These can impact the body so profoundly as to permanently alter the epigenetic profile of an individual,\u201d other reviews have noted.<\/p>\n<p>Russo concludes: \u201cIt is high time to move beyond reefer madness and acknowledge the utility and safety of cannabis-based for the advancement of the public health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/cannabis-damages-dna-claim-debunked-by-leading-researcher-ethan-russo.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>News Moderator: Katelyn Baker <a href=\"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a><br \/>\nFull Article: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eastbayexpress.com\/LegalizationNation\/archives\/2016\/05\/31\/cannabis-damages-dna-claim-debunked-by-leading-researcher-ethan-russo?utm_content=buffer56a6a&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\">&#8216;Cannabis <span class=\"highlight\">Damages<\/span> <span class=\"highlight\">DNA<\/span>&#8216; Claim Debunked By Leading Researcher Ethan Russo<\/a><br \/>\nAuthor: David Downs<br \/>\nContact: 510-879-3752<br \/>\nPhoto Credit: None found<br \/>\nWebsite: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eastbayexpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">East Bay Express<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Critics are calling &#8220;reefer madness&#8221; on a new study from Australia claiming smoking pot will give your kids cancer.<br \/>\nCannabis&#8230; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/2016\/07\/cannabis-damages-dna-claim-debunked-leading-researcher-ethan-russo\/\" class=\"read-more\">[Read More]<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2329,9,1,3],"tags":[4896],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6303\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}