Is cannabis…*COUGH COUGH*… the silent killer?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Sure pothead… you can quit “anytime you want.” Riiight… but don’t tell ME “you’ve changed man,” because YOU’VE changed man – internally!
Dig this. Drew R. Nannini and team from Northwestern University studied cannabis’ effects on human DNA. To do this, they collected blood samples.
And? They identified almost two hundred altered DNA regions affecting metabolism, psychiatric, and immune-related disorders. Another warning? Different patterns also emerged in AHRR, a gene linked to tobacco exposure.
Plus, cannabis and tobacco use can affect each other. Genomic changes can influence addiction, increasing dependence on different drugs.
So add weed AND cigarettes to YOUR nightmare blunt rotation!
Reference: Nannini, D. R., Zheng, Y., Joyce, B. T., Kim, K., Gao, T., Wang, J., Jacobs, D. R., Schreiner, P. J., Yaffe, K., Greenland, P., Lloyd-Jones, D. M., & Hou, L. (2023). Genome-wide DNA methylation association study of recent and cumulative marijuana use in middle aged adults. Molecular psychiatry, 28(6), 2572–2582. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02106-y