Research has consistently shown a strong positive relationship between cigarette smoking and the risk of developing ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (see links below)
But is it the tobacco, or something else, that’s behind ALS in smokers?
And what about Cannabis? There are multiple studies showing positive impact of Cannabis on ALS symptoms. But hold on a minute – there’s something very important happening here too!
The links between cigarettes and ALS are clear. For example, a recent, large longitudinal study involving five prospective cohorts found that cigarette smoking very significantly increases the risk of developing ALS. This study also highlights the importance of the impact the age at which smoking begins. It’s quite clear – the younger the age smoking begins, the higher the risk of ALS development before middle-age.
“Smoking and Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis:
A Pooled Analysis of 5 Prospective Cohorts”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/802279#
Similarly, another recent systematic review and meta-analysis found widespread robust evidence supporting the association between cigarette smoking and ALS.
“Association of smoking with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:
A systematic review, and meta-analysis, including dose-response analysis”
While the connection between smoking tobacco products and ALS is well-documented in these and other studies, one potentially critical aspect of the connection that goes almost universally unnoticed is the widespread pesticide contamination of tobacco products.
And here, of course, is where the question about Cannabis also comes in. What are the impacts, if any, of the pesticides that we know have contaminated Cannabis since the 1960s, including those applied by the US government like Paraquat and Agent Orange to poison American marijuana users, as well as all the “permitted” levels of dozens of pesticides under various state regulatory schemes. But are those levels actually safe, or do they represent a lot of lazy ass-covering by incompetent regulators?
“Epigenetics in neurodegenerative disorders induced by pesticides”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8662853/
“Neurotoxicity can be induced upon high acute exposure, or by chronic exposure at low doses. Multiple studies have proven chronic exposure to pesticides at a low dose is a risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) etc.”
This information is critical to identifying a potentially addressable cause of ALS in both tobacco and cannabis smokers, since pesticide exposure is known to contribute significantly to the risk of developing ALS. It also raises the heretical question of whether smoking pesticide-free cigarettes would have the same links to ALS as smoking conventional contaminated cigarettes.
In other words, is smoking tobacco causing ALS or is inhaling pesticides the actual causal factor in all the disease and death around smoking?
Let’s see what science has to say about pesticide exposure and ALS.
“Early Pesticide Exposure Contributes to Faster ALS Progression”
“While exact causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remain unknown, new research shows legacy organochlorine pesticides and other environmental pollutants advance the progression of the neurodegenerative disease.”
“Pesticide Exposure and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358481/
This research found that in a meta-analysis of 8 studies, ALS was associated with general pesticide exposure and in an agricultural cohort, ALS was associated with organochlorine insecticides. Specific pesticides associated with ALS were aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, and toxaphene – every one of which were major cigarette contaminants in all brands from the 1940s through the 1970s, when organochlorines were replaced in tobacco production by other classes of pesticides, primarily fungicides and insecticides, first the organophosphates in the 70s, then the carbamates in the 80s, and so on until today, with the pyrethrins and neonicotinoids.
| Pesticide | First Registration Date |
| DDT | 1945 |
| Aldrin | 1948 |
| Dieldrin | 1950 |
| Heptachlor | 1952 |
| Chlordane | 1954 |
| Endrin | 1950 |
| Toxaphene | 1947 |
“Exposure to pesticides and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population-based case-control study”
https://www.scielosp.org/pdf/aiss/2010.v46n3/284-287/en
“In a conditional logistic regression model, we found an excess ALS risk associated with exposure to pesticides, with a relative risk of 3.6 (95% confidence interval 1.2-10.5).”
Given the compelling evidence linking both smoking and pesticide exposure to ALS, I believe that it is imperative to raise public awareness about the potential risks associated with pesticide-contaminated tobacco and cannabis products.
Growers should be incentivized through tax relief and supportive grants to produce pesticide-free cannabis without distinguishing between “recreational” and “medical” – a false, misleading and ultimately dangerous distinction created to serve regulatory interests, not public health.
Smokers should be informed about the presence of pesticides in tobacco and cannabis, and the additional, preventable risk these pesticide chemicals pose for developing ALS and many other neurological well-documented, pesticide-related diseases, along with the harm reduction and safety made possible by the simple act of avoiding these pesticide chemicals in tobacco and cannabis products they choose. Simply by choosing pesticide-free tobacco products and cannabis, smokers can reduce their exposure to harmful pesticide chemicals and lower or eliminate their risk of this and many other debilitating diseases.
Conclusion
The intersection of smoking, pesticide exposure, and ALS presents a significant public health concern. While cigarette smoking cessation remains the most effective way to reduce the risk of ALS, providing smokers with the option to make informed choices regarding pesticide-free cannabis and tobacco products is a crucial step in harm reduction. Public health campaigns should focus on educating the public about the significant risks represented by inhaling pesticide-contaminated smoke, and the fact that these risks are preventable through making informed choices and buying decisions around cannabis and tobacco products. Public awareness of this connection is crucial, as it empowers smokers to make informed choices about their health by opting for pesticide-free tobacco and cannabis products to reduce their rather serious and completely hidden risk.
panaceachronicles 