May 25, 2013
   
Add to Google
Pot Worse for Lungs than Cigarettes
email a friend print


Dieters, don't be fooled by healthy-sounding descriptions. A salad with meat and cheese is likely to be highly caloric. More >

Follow us on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook. Receive updates via E-mail and SMS:







Would you like to ask our staff a question? >
Join the discussion and leave a comment on this article >

Pot Worse for Lungs than Cigarettes

Tom Gilbert
 
Of all the nonsense believed by members of the drug culture, among the most ridiculous is the idea that smoking marijuana has no effect on the lungs.

Now, a new study has backed up the common sense notion that smoking marijuana — which usually involves holding smoke in the lungs for several seconds — can be nearly as bad for your health as smoking tobacco. According to this study, smoking a single cannabis joint has the same effect on the lungs as smoking up to five cigarettes — at once.

Published on-line ahead of print in the August 2007 issue of the journal Thorax, this research is based on a study of 339 adults up to the age of 70, divided into four different groups: those who smoked only cannabis (one joint a day for five years); those who smoked tobacco only (one pack of cigarettes a day for at least a year); those who smoked both; and those who smoked neither.

All had high definition scans taken of their lungs and took breathing tests to assess lung function.

The results? Cannabis smokers complained of wheezing, cough, chest tightness and phlegm. While emphysema, the most common and most crippling smoking-related lung disease, was found only in those who smoked tobacco, cannabis still damaged the lungs by reducing the numbers of small fine airways, which are important for transporting oxygen to and from the blood. Cannabis also damaged the large airways of the lung, blocking airflow and straining the lungs.
July 31, 2007






 
 
Add Comment
NOTE: We regret that we cannot answer personal medical questions.

Name


Comment

Characters remaining:



Readers Comments
No comments have been made







This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.





The Doctor Will See You Now   |   LEGAL RESTRICTIONS AND TERMS OF USE OF THIS SITE. USE OF THIS SITE IS YOUR AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS.
Copyright 2013 interMDnet Corporation. All rights reserved.
About Us | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | System Requirements