Smoking Pot Linked to Testicular Cancer

Smoking Pot Linked to Testicular Cancer

A peer reviewed journal published by the American Cancer Society has some bad news for male fans of “medicinal” marijuana. It may not be that good for men. The researchers found that those who smoked pot daily were twice as likely to develop testicular cancer.

Testicular cancer tends to strike young men between the ages of 14-45. Victoria Cortessis, the study’s lead author wrote, “We do not know what marijuana triggers in the testis that may lead tocarcinogenesis, although we speculate that it may be acting through theendocannabinoid system–the cellular network that responds to the activeingredient in marijuana–since this system has been shown to be importantin the formation of sperm.”

Despite the serious nature of the illness, some news sites are having fun with the topic. NBC ran a story about the study under the headline “Dude it’s your junk! Pot linked to testicular cancer.” The story’s lede was even more offbeat “Some blunt advice for the young, male fans of marijuana: You may want tokill that joint and clutch your crotch — self-check style, that is.”

In case you’re wondering what High Times, the magazine devoted to pot, has to say, nothing so far. Their most recent news entry is five days old.

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