Marijuana smoke harms lungs in tobacco smokers, study finds - CNN

CNN  — 

Smoking weed portion being a baccy smoker whitethorn summation harm to the respiratory system, a caller survey found.

“There’s a nationalist cognition that marijuana is safer than tobacco, and this survey raises interest this whitethorn not beryllium true,” said pb survey writer Dr. Giselle Revah, an adjunct prof successful the section of radiology astatine the University of Ottawa successful Ontario.

“The American Lung Association says the lone happening that should spell into your lungs is cleanable air, truthful if you’re inhaling anything, it could perchance beryllium toxic to your lungs,” she said.

The preliminary study, published Tuesday successful Radiology, a diary of the Radiological Society of North America, compared computed tomography (CT) thorax scans from 56 radical who smoked marijuana and tobacco with lung scans of 33 radical who had been dense cigaret smokers for implicit 25 years.

Scans from an further 57 nonsmokers with nary preexisting lung disease, chemotherapy oregon different past of lung harm were utilized arsenic controls.

Some 75% of the radical successful the survey who smoked marijuana and baccy had emphysema, a illness of the tiny airways that causes harm to the aerial sacs successful the lungs. About 67% of the tobacco-only smokers had emphysema, portion lone 5% of the nonsmokers had the disease, she said.

A quality of 8 percent points betwixt weed positive baccy and tobacco-only smokers whitethorn not look similar a immense difference, but it was significant, Revah said.

“It suggests that marijuana has further effects connected the lungs than baccy alone,” Revah said. “Is it the operation of the marijuana and baccy that makes much holes successful the lungs and airway inflammation oregon conscionable the marijuana itself?”

Another interest was the property of the marijuana smokers — galore were overmuch younger than 50, she said.

“These patients presumably had little beingness vulnerability to smoke, but they’re adjacent sicker than those who are dense baccy smokers and person been doing it longer,” Revah said. “We conscionable don’t cognize if it’s a synergistic effect betwixt the marijuana and the baccy versus the marijuana alone.”

Airway harm from smoking tin rapidly go permanent, she said.

“Airway inflammation aboriginal connected is reversible,” she said. “When I spot mucus and thickening of the airways, if you halt the vulnerability that should improve. But sometimes that tin pb to dilatation of the airways and erstwhile it’s dilated, past it’s irreversible.”

The survey had immoderate limitations, Revah noted. It was small. There was small accusation connected however overmuch marijuana was smoked oregon however it was inhaled — bong, blunt oregon joint.

However, determination are respective differences successful however weed and baccy are consumed that could supply clues for further investigation, Revah said. For example, baccy is typically smoked with a filter, portion weed is not.

“If you’re smoking an unfiltered joint, let’s say, much particulates volition scope the airways, get deposited and go irritants, which is wherefore you spot the mucus and the inflammation,” she said.

In addition, baccy smokers rapidly exhale, portion marijuana smokers often inhale and clasp their enactment to maximize the high, she said.

“People usually person a longer enactment clasp and a higher puff volume, truthful they are holding successful the larger measurement of fume for a longer play of time,” she said. “That could pb to micro-trauma of those airspaces. These are each questions for aboriginal research.”

This isn’t the archetypal survey to find lung harm from inhaling marijuana. A June study recovered cannabis users were 22% much apt than nonusers to sojourn an exigency section oregon beryllium hospitalized. The main crushed was carnal injury, but respiratory concerns were a adjacent second.

A 2021 study recovered teens are astir doubly arsenic apt to study “wheezing oregon whistling” successful the thorax aft vaping marijuana than aft smoking cigarettes oregon utilizing e-cigarettes.

“I often americium approached by some parents and teens who judge vaping cannabis is ‘OK’ and amended than smoking (a joint, blunt, doobie etc.),” Carol Boyd, founding manager of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking & Health astatine the University of Michigan successful Ann Arbor told CNN successful a anterior interview.

“And so, they ask, ‘Vaping is harmless — right?’ My reaction: ‘You are fooling yourself. We cognize that inhaling blistery tobacco/cannabis fume into your lungs is unhealthy and tin origin bronchitis oregon life-threatening breathing problems,” said Boyd, who is besides prof emerita successful the section of wellness behaviour and biologic sciences astatine the University of Michigan’s School of Nursing.

“And yet, you look to judge that heating chemicals (including carcinogens) into a vapor and inhaling them is healthy? My reply is, ‘No, it is not a steadfast behavior,’ ” she said.