Marijuana Use Can Mutate Your DNA

Marijuana use is on the rise worldwide. It is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S., and the number of cities where it is legal is also growing. In fact, data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that around 22.2 million people in the U.S. have used marijuana in the past month, and studies have suggested that use of the drug has increased significantly in recent years.

The potency of marijuana has also been increasing steadily. In 2009, THC concentrations in marijuana averaged close to 10 percent, compared to around 4 percent in the 1980s.

These may be signs of a more “progressive” society but they are also grim statistics, particularly in light of the data just published by the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Sciences at the University of Western Australia. The researchers have identified how using cannabis can alter a person’s DNA structure, causing mutations which can expose them to serious illnesses, and be passed on to their children and several future generations.

“Through our research we found that cancers and illnesses were likely caused by cell mutations resulting from cannabis properties having a chemical interaction with a person’s DNA,” Associate ProfessorStuart Reece said.

The association between cannabis use and severe illnesses such as cancer has previously been documented; Reece and his team set out to learn more about how this occurs and the implications for future generations.

Although a person may appear to be healthy and lead a normal life, the unseen damage to their DNA could also be passed on to their children and cause illnesses for several generations to come.

“Even if a mother has never used cannabis in her life, the mutations passed on by a father’s sperm can cause serious and fatal illnesses in their children,” Reece said.

The team learned that when chemicals in cannabis changed a person’s DNA structure it could lead to slow cell growth and have serious implications for the fetal development of babies that may cause limbs or vital organs not to develop properly or cause cancers.

“The worst cancers are reported in the first few years of life in children exposed in utero to cannabis effects,” he said.

Reece said that the finding was of major importance, with cannabis use increasing in many nations around the world, and many countries legalizing its use.

The team's research has been published in the journal Mutation Research – Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis.