This habit with smoking can increase your chances of oral cancer by 624% in the next 5 years
Smoking leaves behind more than just a taste in your mouth; it leaves behind an elevated risk of oral cancer. In the media, a theory called Cognitive Dissonance is taught to students.
It focuses on the discomfort felt when holding conflicting beliefs, leading to people justifying their behaviour.
When it comes to smoking, the theory is applied unknowingly by every person addicted to the habit, where they are well aware of the risks and damages it can cause, but keep on justifying the habit with reasons.
While this may seem harmless, it can be fatal. Not only smoking, a new
study
out of YC San Diego suggests that a chronic weed habit can also lead to a high risk of oral cancer.
People who often smoke marijuana are 3.25 times likely to contract the disease within 5 years when compared to those without the cannabis use disorder.
'Cannabis smoke contains many of the same carcinogenic compounds found in tobacco smoke, which have known damaging effects on the epithelial tissue that lines the mouth,' said Raphael Cuomo, an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and member of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, to the NY Post.
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 60,000 new cases of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer AND ABOUT 12,800 deaths have been reported in the US this year.
Oral cancer includes cancer in the lips, tongue, gums and lining of the cheeks and the mouth. The common risk factors of the disease include tobacco use, chronic alcohol addiction and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
The increasing risk of oral cancer
Image credits: Getty Images
The researchers analysed health data from over 45,000 oral cancer patients, including 949 who had been previously diagnosed with cannabis use disorder.
They accounted for the factors of age, sex, body mass index and smoking status.
They revealed that tobacco smokers with a cannabis addiction are 624% more likely to get oral cancer within 5 years, compared to cigarette users who don't smoke marijuana. The inhaled smoke, as per researchers, damages the mouth tissues and causes cancer.
'Research is still evolving, so regular self-checks and dental exams remain wise for all cannabis users,' said Cuomo.
Along with this study, a 2024 study from the University of Southern California also linked marijuana consumption to a 3-5 5-fold increase in the risk of head and neck cancers, of which oral cancer is a type.
Cuomo suggested seeing a dentist or an ENT specialist if one has a sore, ulcer, red or white patch in the mouth that has lasted for more than two weeks.
'Early evaluation is critical because oral cancers caught in the first stage are usually curable,' he said.
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