http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...-easier-on-lungs-than-a-cigarette?sc=fb&cc=fp
Not sure how valid the article is, but interesting.
Not sure how valid the article is, but interesting.
-
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Smoke a joint a week, and get healthy!
- Thread starter Bobby Stainless
- Start date
K
KSP
It's one of the top medical journals. I don't read that journal, but I'm guessing they don't publish garbage. That's a hell of a sample size and a long observation period. I may have to pull this one to read later on.
Hot off of the NORML presses!
JAMA: Long-Term Exposure To Cannabis Smoke Is Not Associated With Adverse Effects On Pulmonary Function
http://blog.norml.org/2012/01/10/ja...d-with-adverse-effects-on-pulmonary-function/
Exposure to cannabis smoke, even over the long-term, is not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. That’s the conclusion of a major clinical trial published today in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Investigators at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed the association between marijuana exposure and pulmonary function over a 20 year period in a cohort of 5,115 men and women in four US cities.
Predictably, researchers “confirmed the expected reductions in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration) and FVC (forced vital capacity)” in tobacco smokers. By contrast, “Marijuana use was associated with higher FEV1 and FVC at the low levels of exposure typical for most marijuana users. With up to 7 joint-years of lifetime exposure (eg, 1 joint/d for 7 years or 1 joint/wk for 49 years), we found no evidence that increasing exposure to marijuana adversely affects pulmonary function.”
The study concludes, “Our findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana … may not be associated with adverse consequences on pulmonary function.”
To those familiar with the science of cannabis, JAMA’s findings should come as no great surprise. They are consistent with previous findings reporting no significant decrease in pulmonary function associated with moderate cannabis smoke exposure. For instance, according to a 2007 literature review conducted by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (and summarized by NORML here), cannabis smoke exposure is not associated airflow obstruction (emphysema), as measured by airway hyperreactivity, forced expiratory volume, or other measures.
Further, in 2006, the results of the largest case-controlled study ever to investigate the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking reported that cannabis use was not associated with lung-related cancers, even among subjects who reported smoking more than 22,000 joints over their lifetime. (Read NORML’s summary of this study here.)
“We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use,” the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles stated. “What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect” among marijuana smokers who had lower incidences of cancer compared to non-users.
A previous 1997 retrospective cohort study consisting of 64,855 examinees in the Kaiser Permanente multiphasic health checkup in San Francisco and Oakland also reported, “[E]ver- and current use of marijuana were not associated with increased risk of cancer … of the following sites: colorectal, lung, melanoma, prostate, breast, cervix.”
Separate studies of cannabis smoke and pulmonary function have indicated that chronic exposure may be associated with an increased risk of certain respiratory complications, including cough, bronchitis, phlegm. However, the ingestion of cannabis via alternative methods such as edibles, liquid tinctures, or via vaporization — a process whereby the plant’s cannabinoids are heated to the point of vaporization but below the point of combustion –- virtually eliminates consumers’ exposure to such unwanted risk factors and has been determined to be a ‘safe and effective’ method of ingestion in clinical trial settings.
JAMA: Long-Term Exposure To Cannabis Smoke Is Not Associated With Adverse Effects On Pulmonary Function
http://blog.norml.org/2012/01/10/ja...d-with-adverse-effects-on-pulmonary-function/
Exposure to cannabis smoke, even over the long-term, is not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. That’s the conclusion of a major clinical trial published today in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Investigators at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed the association between marijuana exposure and pulmonary function over a 20 year period in a cohort of 5,115 men and women in four US cities.
Predictably, researchers “confirmed the expected reductions in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration) and FVC (forced vital capacity)” in tobacco smokers. By contrast, “Marijuana use was associated with higher FEV1 and FVC at the low levels of exposure typical for most marijuana users. With up to 7 joint-years of lifetime exposure (eg, 1 joint/d for 7 years or 1 joint/wk for 49 years), we found no evidence that increasing exposure to marijuana adversely affects pulmonary function.”
The study concludes, “Our findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana … may not be associated with adverse consequences on pulmonary function.”
To those familiar with the science of cannabis, JAMA’s findings should come as no great surprise. They are consistent with previous findings reporting no significant decrease in pulmonary function associated with moderate cannabis smoke exposure. For instance, according to a 2007 literature review conducted by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (and summarized by NORML here), cannabis smoke exposure is not associated airflow obstruction (emphysema), as measured by airway hyperreactivity, forced expiratory volume, or other measures.
Further, in 2006, the results of the largest case-controlled study ever to investigate the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking reported that cannabis use was not associated with lung-related cancers, even among subjects who reported smoking more than 22,000 joints over their lifetime. (Read NORML’s summary of this study here.)
“We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use,” the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles stated. “What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect” among marijuana smokers who had lower incidences of cancer compared to non-users.
A previous 1997 retrospective cohort study consisting of 64,855 examinees in the Kaiser Permanente multiphasic health checkup in San Francisco and Oakland also reported, “[E]ver- and current use of marijuana were not associated with increased risk of cancer … of the following sites: colorectal, lung, melanoma, prostate, breast, cervix.”
Separate studies of cannabis smoke and pulmonary function have indicated that chronic exposure may be associated with an increased risk of certain respiratory complications, including cough, bronchitis, phlegm. However, the ingestion of cannabis via alternative methods such as edibles, liquid tinctures, or via vaporization — a process whereby the plant’s cannabinoids are heated to the point of vaporization but below the point of combustion –- virtually eliminates consumers’ exposure to such unwanted risk factors and has been determined to be a ‘safe and effective’ method of ingestion in clinical trial settings.
Yeah one joint a week... read between the lines->> that doesn't mean you ICMag burnouts!!! hahaha
smoke 2 joints a day for 80 years and you will be fine
all4theluvofit
Member
I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints, then I smoke two more!
It will make you feel just fine!
It will make you feel just fine!
A "joint" is a gram, right? I'm not too far off from that!
all4theluvofit
Member
Does that mean I just smoked 6 grams!
I smoke 2 grams before I smoke 2 grams, then I smoke 2 more......
Why would I cut back?? lol
Sure pretty soon the Government will release a 20 year study saying smoking pot causes lung problems.
Can you believe this?
Can you believe this?
Posted at 04:17 PM ET, 01/10/2012 Moderate marijuana use not linked to lung damage
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Smoking marijuana doesn’t appear to do the kind of damage to people’s lungs as smoking tobacco does, research published Tuesday afternoon in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds. But that may have to do more with the way marijuana is typically smoked than with anything inherent in the substance itself.
Researchers at University of California-San Francisco and University of Alabama at Birmingham gleaned 20 years’ worth of data for more than 5,000 people ages 18 to 30 (when the data was first collected) from a database that included information about participants’ tobacco and marijuana smoking. The data also included measurements of participants’ lung capacity, specifically forced expiratory volume (FEV, which measures the volume of air the lungs can hold) and forced vital capacity (FVC, or the speed at which a person can blow air out) at several points during those 20 years.
The authors’ interest in the potential lung-health effects of marijuana smoking (they didn’t look at other means of consuming the substance, such as ingesting it) stems in part from marijuana’s increasing medical use. The study notes that marijuana smoke is known to contain many of the same compounds as tobacco smoke, so it’s important to determine whether it causes similar damage to the lungs.
Their analysis confirmed that tobacco smoking reduced lung capacity according to both measures, and that the more people smoked tobacco, the greater their loss of those functions.
But regular use of marijuana actually appeared to improve lung capacity, with moderate use associated with improvements in both FVC and FEV. The authors note that very heavy marijuana use is likely tied to decreased lung capacity, though too few study participants were heavy users of marijuana but non-users of tobacco to make that connection clear. Still, the authors point out that the moderate use of marijuana reflected in their data is consistent with the way people tend to use that substance; smoking just a few joints per week, with use typically starting and peaking in youth and young adulthood and tapering off with age. In contrast, tobacco smokers tend to smoke many cigarettes per day and to stick with the practice for many years.
The authors speculate that aspects of the way marijuana users inhale -- drawing the smoke deep into their lungs and expanding their chest walls to accommodate those deep inhales -- may actually strengthen lungs and increase their capacity.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...m3roP_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost
...actually saw this reported on network news today...they weren't gloating during this report, which was a shocking diversion from their regular dissenting views.
Can you believe this?
Posted at 04:17 PM ET, 01/10/2012 Moderate marijuana use not linked to lung damage
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Smoking marijuana doesn’t appear to do the kind of damage to people’s lungs as smoking tobacco does, research published Tuesday afternoon in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds. But that may have to do more with the way marijuana is typically smoked than with anything inherent in the substance itself.
Researchers at University of California-San Francisco and University of Alabama at Birmingham gleaned 20 years’ worth of data for more than 5,000 people ages 18 to 30 (when the data was first collected) from a database that included information about participants’ tobacco and marijuana smoking. The data also included measurements of participants’ lung capacity, specifically forced expiratory volume (FEV, which measures the volume of air the lungs can hold) and forced vital capacity (FVC, or the speed at which a person can blow air out) at several points during those 20 years.
The authors’ interest in the potential lung-health effects of marijuana smoking (they didn’t look at other means of consuming the substance, such as ingesting it) stems in part from marijuana’s increasing medical use. The study notes that marijuana smoke is known to contain many of the same compounds as tobacco smoke, so it’s important to determine whether it causes similar damage to the lungs.
Their analysis confirmed that tobacco smoking reduced lung capacity according to both measures, and that the more people smoked tobacco, the greater their loss of those functions.
But regular use of marijuana actually appeared to improve lung capacity, with moderate use associated with improvements in both FVC and FEV. The authors note that very heavy marijuana use is likely tied to decreased lung capacity, though too few study participants were heavy users of marijuana but non-users of tobacco to make that connection clear. Still, the authors point out that the moderate use of marijuana reflected in their data is consistent with the way people tend to use that substance; smoking just a few joints per week, with use typically starting and peaking in youth and young adulthood and tapering off with age. In contrast, tobacco smokers tend to smoke many cigarettes per day and to stick with the practice for many years.
The authors speculate that aspects of the way marijuana users inhale -- drawing the smoke deep into their lungs and expanding their chest walls to accommodate those deep inhales -- may actually strengthen lungs and increase their capacity.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...m3roP_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost
...actually saw this reported on network news today...they weren't gloating during this report, which was a shocking diversion from their regular dissenting views.
B
BrnCow
Marijuana lung function study
Marijuana lung function study
moking a joint once a week or a bit more apparently doesn't harm the lungs, suggests a 20-year study that bolsters evidence that marijuana doesn't do the kind of damage tobacco does.The results, from one of the largest and longest studies on the health effects of marijuana, are hazier for heavy users — those who smoke two or more joints daily for several years. The data suggest that using marijuana that often might cause a decline in lung function, but there weren't enough heavy users among the 5,000 young adults in the study to draw firm conclusions.
Still, the authors recommended "caution and moderation when marijuana use is considered."
Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law although some states allow its use for medical purposes.
The study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham was released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The findings echo results in some smaller studies that showed while marijuana contains some of the same toxic chemicals as tobacco, it does not carry the same risks for lung disease.
It's not clear why that is so, but it's possible that the main active ingredient in marijuana, a chemical known as THC, makes the difference. THC causes the "high" that users feel. It also helps fight inflammation and may counteract the effects of more irritating chemicals in the drug, said Dr. Donald Tashkin, a marijuana researcher and an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Tashkin was not involved in the new study.
Study co-author Dr. Stefan Kertesz said there are other aspects of marijuana that may help explain the results.
Unlike cigarette smokers, marijuana users tend to breathe in deeply when they inhale a joint, which some researchers think might strengthen lung tissue. But the common lung function tests used in the study require the same kind of deep breathing that marijuana smokers are used to, so their good test results might partly reflect lots of practice, said Kertesz, a drug abuse researcher and preventive medicine specialist at the Alabama university.
The study authors analyzed data from participants in a 20-year federally funded health study in young adults that began in 1985. Their analysis was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The study randomly enrolled 5,115 men and women aged 18 through 30 in four cities: Birmingham, Chicago, Oakland, Calif., and Minneapolis. Roughly equal numbers of blacks and whites took part, but no other minorities. Participants were periodically asked about recent marijuana or cigarette use and had several lung function tests during the study.
Overall, about 37 percent reported at least occasional marijuana use, and most users also reported having smoked cigarettes; 17 percent of participants said they'd smoked cigarettes but not marijuana. Those results are similar to national estimates.
On average, cigarette users smoked about 9 cigarettes daily, while average marijuana use was only a joint or two a few times a month — typical for U.S. marijuana users, Kertesz said.
The authors calculated the effects of tobacco and marijuana separately, both in people who used only one or the other, and in people who used both. They also considered other factors that could influence lung function, including air pollution in cities studied.
The analyses showed pot didn't appear to harm lung function, but cigarettes did. Cigarette smokers' test scores worsened steadily during the study. Smoking marijuana as often as one joint daily for seven years, or one joint weekly for 20 years was not linked with worse scores. Very few study participants smoked more often than that.
Like cigarette smokers, marijuana users can develop throat irritation and coughs, but the study didn't focus on those. It also didn't examine lung cancer, but other studies haven't found any definitive link between marijuana use and cancer.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Marijuana-doesn-t-harm-lung-function-study-found-2456479.php
Marijuana lung function study
moking a joint once a week or a bit more apparently doesn't harm the lungs, suggests a 20-year study that bolsters evidence that marijuana doesn't do the kind of damage tobacco does.The results, from one of the largest and longest studies on the health effects of marijuana, are hazier for heavy users — those who smoke two or more joints daily for several years. The data suggest that using marijuana that often might cause a decline in lung function, but there weren't enough heavy users among the 5,000 young adults in the study to draw firm conclusions.
Still, the authors recommended "caution and moderation when marijuana use is considered."
Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law although some states allow its use for medical purposes.
The study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham was released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The findings echo results in some smaller studies that showed while marijuana contains some of the same toxic chemicals as tobacco, it does not carry the same risks for lung disease.
It's not clear why that is so, but it's possible that the main active ingredient in marijuana, a chemical known as THC, makes the difference. THC causes the "high" that users feel. It also helps fight inflammation and may counteract the effects of more irritating chemicals in the drug, said Dr. Donald Tashkin, a marijuana researcher and an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Tashkin was not involved in the new study.
Study co-author Dr. Stefan Kertesz said there are other aspects of marijuana that may help explain the results.
Unlike cigarette smokers, marijuana users tend to breathe in deeply when they inhale a joint, which some researchers think might strengthen lung tissue. But the common lung function tests used in the study require the same kind of deep breathing that marijuana smokers are used to, so their good test results might partly reflect lots of practice, said Kertesz, a drug abuse researcher and preventive medicine specialist at the Alabama university.
The study authors analyzed data from participants in a 20-year federally funded health study in young adults that began in 1985. Their analysis was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The study randomly enrolled 5,115 men and women aged 18 through 30 in four cities: Birmingham, Chicago, Oakland, Calif., and Minneapolis. Roughly equal numbers of blacks and whites took part, but no other minorities. Participants were periodically asked about recent marijuana or cigarette use and had several lung function tests during the study.
Overall, about 37 percent reported at least occasional marijuana use, and most users also reported having smoked cigarettes; 17 percent of participants said they'd smoked cigarettes but not marijuana. Those results are similar to national estimates.
On average, cigarette users smoked about 9 cigarettes daily, while average marijuana use was only a joint or two a few times a month — typical for U.S. marijuana users, Kertesz said.
The authors calculated the effects of tobacco and marijuana separately, both in people who used only one or the other, and in people who used both. They also considered other factors that could influence lung function, including air pollution in cities studied.
The analyses showed pot didn't appear to harm lung function, but cigarettes did. Cigarette smokers' test scores worsened steadily during the study. Smoking marijuana as often as one joint daily for seven years, or one joint weekly for 20 years was not linked with worse scores. Very few study participants smoked more often than that.
Like cigarette smokers, marijuana users can develop throat irritation and coughs, but the study didn't focus on those. It also didn't examine lung cancer, but other studies haven't found any definitive link between marijuana use and cancer.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Marijuana-doesn-t-harm-lung-function-study-found-2456479.php
L
longearedfriend
yeah but who here smokes a joint a week ?
The title of the acrticles for this should be "No Shit Sherlock" lol
all4theluvofit
Member
Agreed HashZepelin!
