One of the most common concerns for patients who smoke their cannabis medicine is the affects it might have on their lungs. The facts pressuring us away from tobacco smoke are pounded into us from an early age; pictures of black rotten smoker’s lung juxtaposed an image of a young healthy non-smoking lung. It is understandable why smokers and non-smokers alike might be concerned with the effects of inhaling this burning plant material without the benefit of a filter most often used for smoking tobacco. But is cannabis smoking as harmful as smoking a cigarette? Is it more harmful? To find out, I once again turned to the research.
There were, of course, an abundance of articles condemning the smoking of any type of burning material, citing cancer causing chemicals and claiming irritation of the lungs similar to tobacco for smokers; however upon further examination I wasn’t able to find much in the way of studies to substantiate this claim. I’m not arguing against the fact that inhaling burning plant matter isn’t the healthiest thing you could be doing with your lungs, but I wondered how smoking cannabis compared to smoking tobacco, and how the lung capacity of non smokers stacked up to that of cannabis smokers.
There is evidence to suggest that cannabis affects both bronchial dilation and lung capacity as well as tissue inflammation, in the opposite way that tobacco effects the lungs. There have actually been several pretty in-depth studies observing large numbers of smokers over long spans of time (one for 20years), focusing on the differences between the lungs of non smokers and comparing those individuals who smoked tobacco versus those who smoked cannabis as well as those who admitted to using both. The results were clear, but apparently not altogether fully understood (something I’m sure legalization and further testing would likely clarify). While there seems to be a large percentage of tar and carcinogens appearing to deposit throughout the lungs with both types of smoke, the composition of the byproducts of cannabis smoke is apparently different than that which comes from tobacco smoke. The tar from tobacco smoke lines and clogs the lungs causing irritation and inflammation and often leading to more serious conditions such as bronchitis or COPD. Cannabis is more actively absorbed into the lining of the lung tissue and directly into the blood stream (how you get ‘high’ by smoking), additionally because of its anti-inflammatory affects it appears to reduce irritation and inflammation of the lung commonly associated with the inhalation of smoke. Also, the nature of how cannabis is smoked appears to actually positively affect lung capacity. Deep inhalation, full breaths in, held for extended lengths of time, accompanied with deep productive coughs; cannabis smokers are essentially working out their lung muscles every time they smoke.
Researchers are quick to dispel any suggestions that smoking cannabis could actually be good for the lungs, declaring that the inhalation of burning plant matter can never be looked at as a good thing. However, with new technology like vaporizing, which offers the immediate benefits of smoking cannabis without the potential dangers of inhaling smoke, any medical cannabis patient can gain the benefits of THC, CBD and other beneficial cannabinoids without the worry they might be causing damage to their lungs. For those who prefer good old fashioned smoking of your medicine, I think it’s safe to say you can breathe in a little deeper (apparently that’s part of why it can be good!). While they don’t want to say it’s good for you to smoke, they can’t seem to explain away why cannabis smokers seem to have the same lung health and capacity of non-smokers, beating cigarette smokers on all measures. For those of you who smoke both, what can I say? Maybe it’s time to quit one vice for another: Tobacco which kills thousands of people each year (millions worldwide) or cannabis which has known health benefits and apparently does not negatively affect the lungs.
For further reading on my own research, please feel free to check out the following links: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3340105
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104848
http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/10/study-smoking-marijuana-not-linked-with-lung-damage/
http://naturalsociety.com/marijuana-use-may-positively-impact-lungs/
http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/747982_3
http://asthmafoundation.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Cannabis.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20120103/marijuana-smoking-not-linked_to-chronic-breathing-problems
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/marijuana-and-lungs-study_n_1197854.html
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