Bogarting that joint might decrease oral HPV among cannabis users

[摘要] Human papilloma virus (HPV) has many known strains, perhaps two of the most well studied being the high-risk types 16 and 18. This is because these strains are known to disrupt tumor-suppressing genes that control the cell cycle, rendering them less effective at keeping cell division in check. Within the last decade an increase in oral HPV-linked cancers of the throat and tongue has been attributed to exposure and contraction of HPV through oral sex, most notably in younger people. An understudied and arguably equal contributor to oral HPV infection might be through indirect contact with an infected person. Presented here is a brief but important perspective on the relationship between cannabis use and oral cancer. This is not due to smoking cannabis per se, rather it is hypothesized to be due to contracting HPV through various forms of sharing and passing joints and other smoking apparatuses. Therefore, it is hypothesized that bogarting (not passing) joints might decrease oral HPV among cannabis smokers. Future research, therefore, should investigate the prevalence of oral HPV in cannabis smokers to better understand its epidemiology.

[学科分类] 肿瘤学