A study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash., concludes that recreational marijuana smoking doesn't appear to increase the risk of oral cancer, the Seattle Times reported June 2.

"Oral cancer probably shouldn't be one of the things people should worry about when they decide whether to smoke marijuana," said Stephen Schwartz, a member of the center's public-health sciences division and the study's senior author. "Our study found no relationship between marijuana and cancer."

The study's findings contradict a 1999 UCLA study that concluded that marijuana smokers were more likely to develop head and neck cancers than nonusers.

Schwartz and his team of researchers analyzed 407 oral-cancer patients and 615 healthy participants from western Washington. Nearly all of the study participants smoked marijuana less than once a week, while 1 percent of the cancer patients and 2 percent of the healthy participants were daily users of the drug.

The researchers could find no link between oral cancer and marijuana use.

The study's findings are published in the June 2004 issue of Cancer Research, the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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People with lung cancer feel they get blamed for their illness because the disease is mainly associated with smoking, the BBC reported June 11. The stigma attached to lung cancer was detailed in a study conducted by researchers at Oxford University.

The study of 45 lung-cancer patients found that those who had stopped smoking years ago or had never smoked felt unfairly blamed for their illness. The study said that some anti-smoking campaigns perpetuated the problem, causing damaged relations with family, friends, and doctors.

"Efforts to help people to quit smoking are important, but clinical and educational interventions should be presented with care so as not to add to the stigma experienced by patients with lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases," the researchers concluded.

Mike Unger, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, supported the study's findings, saying there is a "huge" stigma attached to having lung cancer.

"At a meeting I had with patients a few weeks ago, without exception they were angry at the 'dirty lungs' image portrayed in recent [ads] -- this just reinforced the stereotype. This campaign might persuade some to stop smoking briefly, but it does nothing to help those with lung cancer, a significant number of whom have never smoked," he said. "[We] would much rather have such [ads] focusing on lifestyle."

The study's findings appear in the British Medical Journal.

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New research from the Boston University Medical Center concluded that lung-cell genes may be used to determine whether a smoker will develop lung cancer or other chronic airway diseases, Health Day News reported June 22.

Researchers examined the gene-expression profiles of bronchial cells from 93 smokers and nonsmokers. They found that smokers had more genes that were altered by mutation, and thus may contribute to tumor development. In addition, smokers showed decreased expression of various tumor-suppressing genes and genes that regulate airway inflammation.

Some of the genes returned to normal levels after a smoker quit for two years. However, several genes never rebounded.

The researchers concluded that bronchial gene expression may be effective as a biomarker for lung cancer in smokers.

The study is published in the June 21-25 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Jumping on the low-carb bandwagon, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. has introduced Bacardi Silver Low-Carb Black Cherry, a so-called "malternative" beverage, Fox News reported June 8.

The alcoholic drink contains 2.6 grams of carbohydrates and 96 calories, compared with 32 grams of carbs and 225 calories for other Bacardi Silver drinks.

Don Meyer, director of new products for Anheuser-Busch, said the company plans to target 21- to 27-year-olds with the new product. Anheuser-Busch also plans to promote Bacardi Silver Low-Carb through television commercials that emphasize the characteristics of the drink, rather than the lifestyles of consumers.

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A Louisiana Senate panel passed a bill to partly close a legal loophole that allows minors to possess and consume alcohol at private residences, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported June 9.

Rep. Rep. Daniel Martiny (R-Kenner) introduced the bill after an incident at a private home in Ascension Parish that involved drinking by underage partygoers. Murphy Painter, the state Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner, said current drinking laws exempt private residences, thus hindering the ability of prosecutors, sheriffs, and police chiefs to break up underage-drinking parties.

"They argue that they cannot stop a 12-, 13-, 14-, 15-, 16- or 17-year-old from drinking in a private home, whether their parents are there or not," Painter said.

The new bill would only permit teens ages 18-21 to drink unsupervised in a private home. Those under 18 would only be able to drink in a private home if a parent or guardian is present.

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After 20 years, the family of a New Jersey man who died from a smoking-related illness has reached a settlement with cigarette makers, the Newark Star-Ledger reported May 17.

Peter Rossi of Westfield smoked up to four packs a day for 40 years. When he died in 1984 of cancer at age 55, his three daughters, ex-wife, and second wife sued the tobacco companies. The case was finally settled in April.

The lawsuit, which claimed the cigarette makers produced a defective, unsafe product and inadequately informed consumers about the dangers of smoking, triggered the release of internal tobacco-company documents which have since been used in other individual tobacco lawsuits.

The terms of the agreement were not released. The lawsuit sought $358,000 in lost income for Rossi, $10,000 for medical and funeral costs, and punitive damages. Liggett Group Inc., was the only defendant named in the settlement. R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, and the parent company of Lorillard were removed as defendants because Rossi smoked their brands after warning labels were placed on the products.

"It feels like a huge victory," said Susan Haines, Rossi's oldest daughter. "There's been a whole change of consciousness. If my father had a small part to play in contributing to that, that's a good thing."

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Reaching the Addict through Multifaceted Therapy Efforts

Opening up with Drug Rehab Therapy The setting: a support group meeting in a residential drug rehab facility. The group is made up of only male treatment patients, and the topic for group: Things in life that can influence addiction. A man in his mid 30's begins to share with the group. He discusses some things about his past that led him to drink. For the story's purpose, we will call him 'Tom'. Tom is approaching his second month of sobriety and has been in alcohol rehab just shy of 60 days. He is very open in this group, as he shares things about himself that fellow patients did not know.

Of course, originally it wasn't like this at all. Over the past two months of treatment, Tom has learned and developed through many different types and kinds of therapies.

When he first arrived to rehab, Tom was in pretty bad shape. His wife and parents forced him into this situation, and he wanted no part of it. He felt almost like he was betrayed by his family. Group was very different then. He wouldn't share; he felt he had nothing to share. Treatment was a struggle as Tom's unwillingness to work the program was evident. However, he couldn't leave, and he felt that he should at lease improve some for his wife and kids.

The drug rehab program, stepped up its approach with Tom, and used more personalized psychotherapy sessions. Initially this wasn't a help either. But, as he became more comfortable around the therapist, Tom began to open up. Soon, he learned that he could discuss everything that was troubling him.

At first, it was trivial day-to-day things that were happening in rehab. Things like his roommate's bad bathroom habits, or how the food was too spicy. Eventually however, Tom began to open up about other things in his life. The therapist assisted Tom in recognizing the things in his life that led him to drinking. One of which was a rift he developed in adolescence with his father.

A few weeks went by and Tom's progress began to show. He began to share in group. Not as much at first, but it was a considerable improvement. Before these breakthroughs he would just sit there with his arms folded. A couple of weeks went by and a different element of drug rehab came into play; Family Program. Tom was nervous and anxious to go through rehab courses with his family.

His kids were still pretty young, so he was just joined by his wife and parents. The different elements of family week began to show proof of the strained relationship Tom had with his father. In an intimate family therapy session, the issues of this problem were brought to light. A few weeks prior, Tom wouldn't have shared at all. However, because of breakthroughs, he was more open. In that setting amends and apologies that have been required for decades were made. Tom and his father, for the first time in years, embraced in a tearful exchange.

Back to present, in the group meeting, Tom shares with his fellow residents about his father and the healing and growing they are doing. He tells the group how every fight with his dad led to drinking when he was younger. He then expressed his hope that in the future he could learn to just communicate with his father, without fear and contention.

The many elements of drug rehab therapy made this possible. It worked miracles to show Tom not only how to stop drinking, but also what to change in his life to make this possible. Multifaceted alcohol and drug rehab therapies makes these types of breakthroughs happen. It all stems from the caring provided by a dedicated drug rehab counselor, staff member or therapist.

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