Cannabis Joint More Harmful Than Multiple Cigarettes

Ivanhoe Newswire
Tuesday, July 31, 2007; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Smoking one cannabis joint, or marijuana, is as bad for your lungs as smoking up to five cigarettes.

Recent research reveals the extent of damage done to the lungs is directly related to the number of joints smoked. The effects of each joint on the lungs were equivalent to between two-and-a-half and five cigarettes.

Both large and small airways in the lungs were damaged by cannabis smoking, restricting airflow, and blocking oxygen transport -- thus forcing the lungs to work harder. Study authors explained the increased damaging effects of cannabis are related to the way cannabis is smoked -- usually without a filter, and at a higher temperature.

Researchers studied four different groups of people who were divided by their smoking habits. The group of cannabis smokers smoked an average of one joint a day; the cigarette smokers smoked at least one pack a day. There was also a group for people who smoked both cigarettes and cannabis, and the final group didn't smoke at all.

The study participants underwent breathing tests and chest X-rays, and were questioned about their smoking habits. Combined smokers tended to use less tobacco and more cannabis. Cannabis smokers complained the most about wheezing, cough, chest tightness and phlegm. The only cases of emphysema were seen in cigarette smokers.

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SOURCE: Thorax, published online July 30, 2007