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
Six months ago, I lost my precious girl. I had to make a terrifying decision, with her daddy, to take my 15-month-old daughter off a ventilator.
Six months ago, I learned how badly the New Jersey medical marijuana program really was failing.
My daughter was born Aug. 21, 2012. She was a perfect baby, cute as a button. I could never imagine life without her. Then I was forced to live without her.
On Feb. 6, 2013, Sabina had her first seizure. To say that I was completely terrified was an understatement. We took her to the local emergency room and had numerous tests done. Everything was normal.
Sabina continued to be a normal baby, even after the second and third seizures. We didn’t understand. Then the medication started to come into play. Phenobarbital, a medication that is not FDA-approved, is what we had to give her. I hated it. We went on to Topamax then to Keppra. Nothing worked.
I always wanted to keep her life as normal as I could. We found a day care that would care for her three days a week. She loved it. I have never met more wonderful people than when I met the women who work there. They loved my girl so much. Looking back, I am so grateful she had that experience.
In August 2013, we finally got a diagnosis of Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy. I wanted to throw up. I could not believe this. I was so mad and scared for her. What was her life going to be like?
My girl was a warrior, as are all kids with this haunting disease. Sabina could have up to 80 seizures a day. Unless she was physically hurt, she never missed a beat.
We went through the summer pretty uneventfully. We were even able to take her to Wildwood. She saw the sunset and had ice cream and put her little toes in the sand. I didn’t know that would be her only time to experience that. When August came, we saw Dravet syndrome rear its ugly head again. She spent her first birthday in the intensive care unit. All I could do was cry.
September greeted us with a trip to see a specialist for a second opinion. We spoke about our options and we knew that medical marijuana was her option for a normal life.
Nov. 26, 2013, was a night I will never forget. It was bedtime and I noticed she was anxious, so I took her into bed with me. We fell asleep. I awoke to put her into her own bed, which now haunts me.
When her dad went into her room, she was unconscious. He screamed out for me to get the rescue meds and call 911. My heart dropped.
Sabina was put into a coma. We learned she was brain-dead. On Dec. 2 at 2:06 p.m., her daddy held her as her heart stopped. That was the worst moment in my life. A part of us died when she died.
What do I do now?
Has the medical marijuana program in New Jersey gotten better? Not at all. The reality is that the people in charge of the medical marijuana program don’t have sick children. They don’t have an urn with their daughter’s name on it. They don’t have a sense of urgency or desperation or fear dwelling in their minds. Until now.
Whatever the reason the state has is invalid. My daughter died on their watch. I will work endlessly to try to change the way this program works. I will never stop or be backed into a corner. I will not settle.
Political agendas kill people. It killed my daughter.
In six more months, it will be a year. I still don’t know how to live without her.
Paula Joana lives in Hopatcong.