Our special in-studio guest: Cathy Grindstaff
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About Professor Albert Stuart Reece Dr. Stuart Reece is a family physician working in Brisbane in Australia where he runs a large clinic with a special interest in the medical treatment of drug addiction. He is interested both in the underlying pathophysiology of drug addiction – how drugs work in the body and why they are so destructive to long term health – and also in the treatment of drug addiction including its radical cure. Dr Reece has a long standing interest in cannabinoids particularly as they relate to genotoxicity, epigenotoxicity and chromosomal and mitochondrial toxicity which have downstream effects lasting for multiple generations. For these reasons Dr Reece has published several epidemiological research papers on cannabis-induced genotoxicity as reflected in the incidence of both birth defects and cancer development both in exposed adults and in the offspring of exposed individuals and subsequent generations. |
Dr Reece extensively uses advanced space-time statistical analytical techniques and the formal techniques of causal inference to analyze not just associations across space and time simultaneously but also to quantitatively evaluate the evidence for truly causal relationships.
Dr. Reece was appointed and now re-appointed a Professor in the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at both the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University in recognition of his many contributions which advance our understanding of the toxicopathophysiology and treatment of drug addiction in general and cannabinoid exposure in particular.
Dr. Reece was appointed and now re-appointed a Professor in the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at both the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University in recognition of his many contributions which advance our understanding of the toxicopathophysiology and treatment of drug addiction in general and cannabinoid exposure in particular.
A letter from Dr. Reece that sparked the scheduling of this show:
All of these effects are based around genotoxicity…
If you understand these two articles you will see that by altering the genetic and epigenetic (the epigenome is the software layers which control the hardware of the genes inside every cell’s nucleus) structure of cells scientists are able to make cells age either faster or slower – that is they can finely tune the biological age of cells by manipulating stem cell factors on one side, and genetic and epigenetic lesions on the other. (As you read those papers consider that David Sinclair one of the senior authors is the leader of the world leading aging laboratory @ Harvard Medical School).
This definitively proves causality formally. Whilst there are other complicating factors – environment – and especially drugs – and immune stimulation and other factors feed into this central genome – epigenome - metabolome engine, this is the central story which drives aging.
Cannabis damages both the genome and the epigenome – the hardware and the software layers – in exactly and precisely this deleterious manner described.
Published literature indicates that across the whole community cannabis could accelerate the biological aging rate 30-70% likely increasing with age (in either linear or quadratic fashion). Say 50% across the whole community as a ballpark.
The USA spends around 3-5 Trillion annually on health care. AI estimates suggest that this approximately would double if the population became 50% biologically older to up to 11 Trillion annually.
People older than 55 years constitute 30% of the USA population but contribute 60% of the health care costs. If that section of the population older than 60 grew 60% older biologically – which is what the data points towards - then their health costs are projected to rise x 2.5 to x 4 consuming an extra 5-8 trillion per year.
Note that this is only first approximation estimates from AI on the current structure of the US population. Our next project will include detailed health econometric modelling of the US population which is a very lengthy and detailed project.
This does not include the costs for severe autism – about $20,000,000 each – and USA has 4 million of them = $USD 80Trillion over a lifetime
This does not include the costs for schizophrenia – about $11,000,000 each – and USA has 1 million of them = $USD11Trilloin over a lifetime
This does not include the costs of anencephalus (babies born without a brain which live only a few hours usually) – Two CDC papers state that cannabis doubles the rate of anencephalus – At about $14,000,000 each – at almost 1000 born each year = $14Billion annually or over 1Trilloin over a 75 year lifetime.
Or all of the other 88 birth defects implicated here. Each life lost is valued actuarially at $USD12-15Million.
USA spends around $USD300Billion on mental health each year. Cannabis has been shown to cause most of the major mental illnesses (anxiety, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and suicidal thinking, acts and attempts; also violence in both intoxication and withdrawal; and mass homicides – you have a list of over 80 mass shootings in USA linked to cannabis – almost 80 in a row) - and say cannabis causes / contributes / exacerbates about 20% of that mental health burden which is a realistic estimate - = 4.5Trillion over a 75 year lifetime…..
And that’s even without talking about cancer.
You can find that cannabis has been linked with testicular germ cell tumors in journals as eminent as Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Reviews of Cancer. That is important because testicular germ cell tumour is the cancer responsible for the most years of life lost of any adult cancer – and as Gary pointed out earlier, there are many others…. Which of course is another discussion….
Weed is now linked with breast cancer – the commonest cancer of all; acute lymphoid leukaemia the commonest cancer of childhood; and liver and pancreas cancers which are the two fastest growing tumours; and at least for childhood cancers – proving intergenerational transmission not just of mutagenicity and teratogenicity but of carcinogenicity….
SO PLEASE TELL ME WHY WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY OF THIS????!!!!
And the politicians are talking about how much money they will raise in taxes from everybody getting stoned!!!!
What are our lawmakers smoking for goodness sakes!!!!
I would emphasize again that these are preliminary ballpark estimates only – detailed analyses will be prepared but are likely to take years to come about. Of course we will model the USA and Australian populations because they are the two we are very concerned about indeed (as Australians with hundreds of close and very dear USA friends).
This is why Gary Christian is calling this a massive existential health crisis of monumental proportions!!!!
If you understand these two articles you will see that by altering the genetic and epigenetic (the epigenome is the software layers which control the hardware of the genes inside every cell’s nucleus) structure of cells scientists are able to make cells age either faster or slower – that is they can finely tune the biological age of cells by manipulating stem cell factors on one side, and genetic and epigenetic lesions on the other. (As you read those papers consider that David Sinclair one of the senior authors is the leader of the world leading aging laboratory @ Harvard Medical School).
This definitively proves causality formally. Whilst there are other complicating factors – environment – and especially drugs – and immune stimulation and other factors feed into this central genome – epigenome - metabolome engine, this is the central story which drives aging.
Cannabis damages both the genome and the epigenome – the hardware and the software layers – in exactly and precisely this deleterious manner described.
Published literature indicates that across the whole community cannabis could accelerate the biological aging rate 30-70% likely increasing with age (in either linear or quadratic fashion). Say 50% across the whole community as a ballpark.
The USA spends around 3-5 Trillion annually on health care. AI estimates suggest that this approximately would double if the population became 50% biologically older to up to 11 Trillion annually.
People older than 55 years constitute 30% of the USA population but contribute 60% of the health care costs. If that section of the population older than 60 grew 60% older biologically – which is what the data points towards - then their health costs are projected to rise x 2.5 to x 4 consuming an extra 5-8 trillion per year.
Note that this is only first approximation estimates from AI on the current structure of the US population. Our next project will include detailed health econometric modelling of the US population which is a very lengthy and detailed project.
This does not include the costs for severe autism – about $20,000,000 each – and USA has 4 million of them = $USD 80Trillion over a lifetime
This does not include the costs for schizophrenia – about $11,000,000 each – and USA has 1 million of them = $USD11Trilloin over a lifetime
This does not include the costs of anencephalus (babies born without a brain which live only a few hours usually) – Two CDC papers state that cannabis doubles the rate of anencephalus – At about $14,000,000 each – at almost 1000 born each year = $14Billion annually or over 1Trilloin over a 75 year lifetime.
Or all of the other 88 birth defects implicated here. Each life lost is valued actuarially at $USD12-15Million.
USA spends around $USD300Billion on mental health each year. Cannabis has been shown to cause most of the major mental illnesses (anxiety, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and suicidal thinking, acts and attempts; also violence in both intoxication and withdrawal; and mass homicides – you have a list of over 80 mass shootings in USA linked to cannabis – almost 80 in a row) - and say cannabis causes / contributes / exacerbates about 20% of that mental health burden which is a realistic estimate - = 4.5Trillion over a 75 year lifetime…..
And that’s even without talking about cancer.
You can find that cannabis has been linked with testicular germ cell tumors in journals as eminent as Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Reviews of Cancer. That is important because testicular germ cell tumour is the cancer responsible for the most years of life lost of any adult cancer – and as Gary pointed out earlier, there are many others…. Which of course is another discussion….
Weed is now linked with breast cancer – the commonest cancer of all; acute lymphoid leukaemia the commonest cancer of childhood; and liver and pancreas cancers which are the two fastest growing tumours; and at least for childhood cancers – proving intergenerational transmission not just of mutagenicity and teratogenicity but of carcinogenicity….
SO PLEASE TELL ME WHY WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY OF THIS????!!!!
And the politicians are talking about how much money they will raise in taxes from everybody getting stoned!!!!
What are our lawmakers smoking for goodness sakes!!!!
I would emphasize again that these are preliminary ballpark estimates only – detailed analyses will be prepared but are likely to take years to come about. Of course we will model the USA and Australian populations because they are the two we are very concerned about indeed (as Australians with hundreds of close and very dear USA friends).
This is why Gary Christian is calling this a massive existential health crisis of monumental proportions!!!!
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Rising US cannabis use is causally responsible for exponential increases in a birth defect commonly called 'hole in the heart' for Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)A landmark new study published by one of world’s most elite scientific journals, Nature - Journal of Perinatology, has demonstrated that rising US cannabis use is causally responsible for exponential increases in a birth defect commonly called ‘hole in the heart’ or Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), where US rates that measured 10.3 cases for every 10,000 births in 2005 have moved amongst certain ethnicities to as high as 884/10,000 in Nevada and Mississippi in 2020, or about 1 in 11 babies affected. The study used careful statistical adjustments to show that the effect was truly causal. The findings are even more significant when it is recognized that many common birth defects lead to the termination of a pregnancy, whereas ASD generally doesn’t. This means that the causal role of cannabis in this particular birth defect may be the canary in the coal mine, signaling not only the likely involvement of cannabis in other birth defects but that these rises in ASD rates are the bellwether marker for other cannabinoid genotoxic effects including human aging and some cancers. In Nevada careful statistical modelling shows an exponential rate of rise. Across the USA ASD rates are rising faster than exponentially. As one reviewer of the J Perinatology paper wrote: “… regarding statistical analysis and "causation" this manuscript has relevance to pediatric cardiologists, neonatologists, and above all to obstetricians who should more strongly advise against the use of cannabis (in any form) during pregnancy. Indeed, this reviewer believes that this is a landmark study, and with the revised data analysis, much more strongly points to causation rather than mere association. Extremely important for public health advisories against cannabis use during pregnancy (and most probably for paternal cannabis use during partner's pregnancy).” Other peer-reviewed cannabis population studies by the same researchers show that cannabis is causal in twice as many cancers as tobacco and numerous other birth defects in the both Europe and USA. The effects on human ageing are extremely concerning indeed when rolled out across whole populations including eggs, sperm and babies. Says Gary Christian, President of Drug Free Australia, “This is an issue that the media urgently needs to bring to the attention of the Australian people given a heavy reliance in this country on medicinal cannabis, which presents all of these risks to both the child bearing and general populations.” This is a discussion we urgently need to have. |
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