Long-term pot smoking has no significant effect on lung functions: new study

[RetroGrow]

We all already knew this, but here's proof:

" A doobie a day may keep the doctor away, a new study suggests.

Smoking a joint every day for 20 years does not result in adverse lung functions or significantly threaten disease, according to research conducted at Emory University in Atlanta.

The study will be featured in an upcoming issue of the medical journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Researchers studied a cross-section of adults aged 18 to 49 and determined that daily marijuana use over 20 years did not significantly harm a person's ability to exhale at a normal rate, which is a key determining factor in identifying lung disease.

"Lifetime marijuana use up to 20 joint-years is not associated with adverse changes in spirometric (exhalation strength) measures of lung health," the study said."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...gnificant-lung-damage-study-article-1.2082285

 

[stasis]

yup... I've never been stronger...! Peace,,,,

 

[mr.brunch]

Sweet... I'd rather a doobie than an apple !

 

[bobblehead]

Just 1 doob? K. Not surprised. How about real habitual use? I emptied my ashtray yesterday, and I have 5 roaches in it already not including the joint hanging out of my mouth as I type... and I spent the last 16hs out of the house. If I don't change my habits I bet it comes back to bite me in the ass down the road.

Inhaling hot smoke isn't benign.

The article hasn't even been published! There's no study to read and poke holes in.

 

[WeetisPotPie]

It's not just smoke, but what is in it and how it was grown. Tobacco wouldn't be half as bad as it is if it wasn't loaded up with chemical poison. Another reason I wouldn't trust big biz operating weed farms.

 

[Scottish Research]

I do smoke pot, but...

Any smoke in the lungs is bad. Lot's of people from pre-history onward died of lung cancer due to their smoky environments.; that is why I make edible oils.

I finally got my recipes down. I just love edible oils, because the high lasts forever, and I don't get fat! It mimics the strain! Don't be fooled, if it is a Sativa, you get the sativa effects. Most of the oils I make allow me to function just great, or better than normal! I make gelatin filled tabs, or I just drink shots of canna olive oil.

I have used leaf litter from mothers in veg to make oils that keep me high for at least 3 hours. The darker the dried leaf the more resin present.

It is all about research and trial and error.

I will say this; cannabis oil has helped my liver...

 

[al666]

impossible, smoke is smoke and it's very dangerous for healt in general...

i hear my friends who says smoking tobacco causes cancer... and pots do it too

of course is better to smoke 5 joints a day instead of 1 box and a half of cigarettes

 

[Former Guest]

Just 1 doob? K. Not surprised. How about real habitual use? I emptied my ashtray yesterday, and I have 5 roaches in it already not including the joint hanging out of my mouth as I type... and I spent the last 16hs out of the house. If I don't change my habits I bet it comes back to bite me in the ass down the road.

Inhaling hot smoke isn't benign.

The article hasn't even been published! There's no study to read and poke holes in.

Biopsy of tongue at 33. Doc said it was hot smoke. Smoking out of a pipe was worse than joints. That is also for low rec use; not us. Someone who smokes the same yearly amount but cigs would show the same thing.

 

[RandomMan]

Just 1 doob? K. Not surprised. How about real habitual use? I emptied my ashtray yesterday, and I have 5 roaches in it already not including the joint hanging out of my mouth as I type... and I spent the last 16hs out of the house. If I don't change my habits I bet it comes back to bite me in the ass down the road.

Inhaling hot smoke isn't benign.

The article hasn't even been published! There's no study to read and poke holes in.

I'd start by ignoring 18 and 19 year olds that've been smoking for 20 years.

 

[armedoldhippy]

I'd start by ignoring 18 and 19 year olds that've been smoking for 20 years.

ya know, I was sort of wondering about that. they need to ask about a 100k folks that have smoked for twenty+ years & check them. basically, you are going to end up (for the most part) with 35 & up. good catch, Random. sorry, it won't let me give anyone rep today...???

 

[m314]

http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/10/study-smoking-marijuana-not-linked-with-lung-damage/

This story came out 3 years ago saying something similar. Moderate pot smokers actually have better lung function than nonsmokers. It might be different with heavy smokers, but heavy pot smokers are still better off than daily tobacco smokers.

It's a different topic, but heavy smokers actually have lower rates of lung cancer than nonsmokers. That's if they stick to weed only with no tobacco. The cannabinoids in the smoke seem to have a protective effect, helping to prevent cancer even when the smoke contains carcinogens.

 

[m314]

Study: Smoking Marijuana Not Linked with Lung Damage

Marijuana smokers performed better on tests of lung function compared to nonsmokers and cigarette smokers

Marijuana does not impair lung function—at least not in the doses inhaled by the majority of users, according to the largest and longest study ever to consider the issue, which was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers working on a long-term study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults or CARDIA study) tested the lung function of 5115 young adults over the course of 20 years, starting in 1985 when they were aged 18 to 30.

They found that marijuana use was almost as common as cigarette smoking in the sample, which was designed to reflect the U.S. population. Among participants, the average marijuana user toked 2-3 times a month, while the average tobacco user smoked eight cigarettes a day. Those who smoked both tended to do so slightly more frequently than those who smoked only cigarettes or only marijuana.

The study was “well conducted” and is “essentially confirmatory of the findings from several previous studies that have examined the association between marijuana smoking and lung function,” says Dr. Donald Tashkin, professor of medicine at UCLA and a leading scientist in the area. He was not associated with the new research.

“The major strengths of this study are that it included a far larger number of subjects followed for longer than any of these previous studies,” he adds.

While tobacco smokers showed the expected drop in lung function over time, the new research found that marijuana smoke had unexpected and apparently positive effects. Low to moderate users actually showed increased lung capacity compared to nonsmokers on two tests, known as FEV1 and FVC. FEV1 is the amount of air someone breathes out in the first second after taking the deepest possible breath; FVC is the total volume of air exhaled after the deepest inhalation.
“FEV1 and FVC both actually increased with moderate and occasional use of marijuana,” says Dr. Mark Pletcher, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco and the lead author of the study.

That was a bit of a surprise, says Pletcher, since “There are clearly adverse effects from tobacco use and marijuana smoke has a lot of the same constituents as tobacco smoke does so we thought it might have some of the same harmful effects. It’s a weird effect to see and we couldn’t make it go away,” he adds, explaining that the researchers used statistical models to look for errors or other factors that could explain the apparent benefit and did not find them.

The improvement wasn’t seen in the heaviest users, however. At high levels of marijuana use—for example, in those who smoked more than 20 times a month—FEV1 slipped back to levels seen in nonusers and a reduction was seen in, um, the most chronic smokers. But FVC remained high in even the longest term, heaviest users.

So why might marijuana users have greater lung capacity than nonsmokers? Consider Bill Clinton’s famous non-denial denial of his marijuana use, “I didn’t inhale” and Barack Obama’s retort that he “inhaled frequently; that was the point.” Unlike cigarette smokers, cannabis users usually draw deeply on the joint or pipe— and hold each puff in, typically for as long as physically possible.

“In some ways, marijuana smoking is really a lot like doing a pulmonary function test,” Pletcher says. This “practice” or “exercise” might expand lung capacity and account for the unusual results.

He cautions, however, that long term exposure to marijuana smoke at the most extreme doses probably does damage the lungs, although he concedes that the evidence from the study on this point is “weak.”

The authors conclude:

Marijuana may have beneficial effects on pain control, appetite, mood, and management of other chronic symptoms. Our findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana for these or other purposes may not be associated with adverse consequences on pulmonary function. It is more difficult to estimate the potential effects of regular heavy use, because this pattern of use is relatively rare in our study sample; however, our findings do suggest an accelerated decline in pulmonary function with heavy use and a resulting need for caution and moderation when marijuana use is considered.
Since the study focused on cardiovascular disease and even the oldest participants had not yet reached the highest risk ages for lung cancer, it does not provide new information on cancer risk, but it does confirm the link between cigarette smoking and long-term lung function declines.

Tashkin, however, has studied this issue extensively. He says, “The largest epidemiologic (case-control) study of the association between marijuana use and lung cancer failed to demonstrate that marijuana increases the risk of developing lung (or, for that matter, upper airway) cancer.”

He notes that a much smaller, recent study from New Zealand did claim to find a link, but only in very heavy users. He says, “The authors’ interpretation of their data can be faulted because of the small numbers of their subjects exhibiting such heavy use, which rendered their estimates of risk imprecise.”

Why smoking marijuana and smoking tobacco should have such different effects on the lungs is still a matter of dispute. Many researchers believe that it’s simply a matter of dose: most marijuana users smoke a few times a month, while most cigarette smokers light up multiple times a day.

But Tashkin argues that specific properties of marijuana also matter. He says that THC has anti-inflammatory and immune suppressing properties, which may prevent lung irritation from developing into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a devastating lung disorder frequently caused by tobacco smoking.

As for cancer, he says, “the THC in marijuana has well-defined anti-tumoral effects that have been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of cancers in animal models and tissue culture systems, thus counteracting the potentially tumorigenic effects of the procarcinogens in marijuana smoke.”

Whatever the cause, it seems that those who argue that marijuana is harmful because of its smoke are going to have to find a different line of attack.

 

[armedoldhippy]

the average pot smoker smoked 2 to 3 times a month, tobacco smokers about 8 times a day ? sounds low as hell to me on both counts. most folks (that I know) go through a pack & a half of cigs a day, and lots of folks I know smoke weed daily (or almost). some folks do both. hmmm...

 

[m314]

I've gone through phases where I get high every night, plus all day on weekends and vacations. Right now I'm back to just getting high on Fridays and Saturdays. And now, since tomorrow's a holiday. I've known just as many occasional smokers and weekend warriors compared to daily tokers. I wonder what the actual numbers are in terms of percentages.

I spent this weekend with my ex gf, again. She smokes joints all day every day, so I smoke with her when she's here. When I'm on my own I usually stick to the vaporizer or my tinctures and capsules. I might as well go with healthier options, even if pot smoke isn't as bad as tobacco smoke. I mostly care about the quality of the high itself. The main thing I like about smoking is the taste with certain strains.

 

[Scottish Research]

I smoked some Sour D last summer provided by a guy that I have to say was the worst person that I have ever met, and I was high for like 1 hour.

This was gear sent by some guy from Cali! How do i know? I was there to help open the bags.

Nothing near the potency of my ECSD.

You want to know how these people shipped this shit?

Awful!

SR

 

[m314]

Maybe California commercial growers ship their lower quality buds east so they can save the top quality stuff for themselves and their friends. Sometimes you get a higher yield and more money growing plants that are good but not elite.

I wouldn't know, since I just grow my own. The Cinderella 99 I grew in Georgia in 2000 / 2001 beats or is at least as good as any clone only strain I've grown in California.

 

[paper thorn]

Bet SR meant to post that in another thread

 

[paper thorn]

I can max out all those exhale/blowing/ whatever devices the docs have. Some would call me a heavy mj smoker. i smoke from a 1 to 3 grams a day. For 42 years now.

Seems I've never heard of all the Jamaicans keeling over from heart attacks and down with copd from smoking spliffs all day.

If it was happening, we'd all know about it.

 

[DrFever]

Don;t kid your self folks Dec. 14, 2007 -- New research from Canada shows that some toxins may be more abundant in marijuana cigarettes than tobacco cigarettes.

The researchers burned 30 marijuana cigarettes and 30 tobacco cigarettes on a machine in their lab, measuring levels of chemicals in the smoke.

Ammonia levels were up to 20 times higher in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke. Levels of hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen-related chemicals were three to five times higher in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke.

The nitrogen-based fertilizer used on the marijuana plants -- which all came from the same batch of Canadian pot plants -- may have affected the results. The temperatures used to burn the cigarettes may also have been a factor.

Marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke shared many of the same chemicals. But the two types of smoke weren't identical.


For instance, marijuana doesn't contain nicotine. And tobacco doesn't contain cannabinoids, which include THC, marijuana's active ingredient

Tobacco has long been linked to cancer and other health problems. Marijuana smoke hasn't been tied to cancer in the past, note the researchers, who included David Moir, PhD, of the Safe Environments Programme in Kitchener, Ontario.

Moir and colleagues report their findings in the advance online edition of Chemical Research in Toxicology.

 

[DrFever]

owe and another ,,, A 2011 systematic review of the research concluded that long-term marijuana smoking is associated with an increased risk of some respiratory problems, including an increase in cough, sputum production, airway inflammation, and wheeze – similar to that of tobacco smoking (Howden & Naughton, 2011). However, no consistent association has been found between marijuana smoking and measures of airway dysfunction. Occasional and low cumulative marijuana use has not been associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function (Pletcher et al., 2012); the effects of heavier use are less clear.

Additionally, many marijuana smokers also smoke tobacco, which further increases the harm. Numerous studies have found that the harmful effects of smoking marijuana and tobacco appear to be additive, with more respiratory problems in those who smoke both substances than in those who only smoke one or the other (Wu et al, 1988).

The association between smoking marijuana and lung cancer remains unclear. Marijuana smoke contains about 50% more benzopyrene and nearly 75% more benzanthracene, both known carcinogens, than a comparable quantity of unfiltered tobacco smoke (Tashkin, 2013). Moreover, the deeper inhalations and longer breath-holding of marijuana smokers result in greater exposure of the lung to the tar and carcinogens in the smoke. Lung biopsies from habitual marijuana-only users have revealed widespread alterations to the tissue, some of which are recognized as precursors to the subsequent development of cancer (Tashkin, 2013).

On the other hand, several well-designed and large-scale studies, including one in Washington State (Rosenblatt et al, 2004), have failed to find any increased risk of lung or upper airway cancer in people who have smoked marijuana (Mehra et al, 2006; Tashkin, 2013), and studies assessing the association between marijuana use and cancer risk have many limitations, including concomitant tobacco use and the relatively small number of long-term heavy users – particularly older users. Therefore, even though population-based studies have generally failed to show increased cancer risk, no study has definitively ruled out the possibility that some individuals, especially heavier marijuana users, may incur an elevated risk of cancer. This risk appears to be smaller than for tobacco, yet is important to know about when weighing the benefits and risks of smoking. (Tashkin DP, 2013). More research on marijuana smoking and cancer is needed.

Two other conditions of concern, bullous lung disease (abnormal airspaces in the lungs caused by damage to the lung walls) and pneumothorax (“collapsed lung”), have not been definitively linked to marijuana smoke either (Tam et al, 2006). Several studies have found evidence of a possible association (Beshay et al, 2007; Hii et al, 2008; Reece, 2008), however, many of these studies featured 10 or fewer study subjects, some of whom also smoked tobacco. The research remains unclear.

Respiratory Effects and Route of Delivery

Naturally, research on respiratory effects of marijuana does not apply where marijuana is not smoked. Currently there are several alternative methods of administration available including devices with filters, vaporizers, and oral, sublingual, rectal, and transdermal ingestion.

Smoking devices that use water filters (bongs, e.g.) have been shown to involve equivalent amounts of tar and do not reduce risks of marijuana smoke inhalation (Gieringer, 1996; Bloor et al, 2008).

Vaporizers, which heat marijuana below combustion point, have been theorized to be a safer method of administration, producing lower levels of tar than cigarettes (Grotenhermen, 2001) and fewer respiratory symptoms reported by users (Earleywine & Smucker Barnwell, 2007). However, these devices have also been shown to release ammonia which, when inhaled, can cause irritation and central nervous system effects, as well as asthma and bronchial spasms (Bloor et al, 2008). More research on the potential use of vaporizers as a harm reduction technique is needed.

Eating marijuana ("edibles") is perhaps a more obvious means to reduce the respiratory effects when using the drug. Oral administration carries its own challenges, however, as it typically takes longer for the effects of the drug to appear (30–60 minutes compared to seconds), making it more difficult to monitor dose and increasing the risk of overdose. Additionally, the effects last longer than some users prefer (Grotenhermen, 2001). That said, overdosing on marijuana is rare and most likely to happen to naïve users. A marijuana overdose can trigger acute anxiety or panic, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, and additional problems.

Other alternative forms of marijuana delivery, including sublingual, rectal, and transdermal delivery have not been appropriately investigated but may also further reduce the possible risks associated with the administration of cannabis (Grotenhermen, 2001).

Summary

Based on the current scientific research, there is no definitively proven "safe" way of inhaling marijuana (smoke or vapor).
Inhaling marijuana smoke in the long-term is likely to result in damage to the respiratory tract.
Smoking both marijuana and tobacco increases the risk of damage from both substances.
While marijuana smoke contains carcinogens, research about the association between marijuana smoking and cancer is limited and conflicting. The same is true for other lung-related diseases.
Marijuana smoking does appear to increase cough, sputum production, airway inflammation, and wheeze.
Using a water pipe or bong does nothing to reduce exposure to tar and carcinogens in marijuana smoke; using a vaporizer may reduce the harm associated with smoking marijuana, however vaporizers may carry their own risks and more research is needed.
Oral administration of marijuana (“edibles”) is one way to eradicate the risk of marijuana smoke on the lungs, but carries with it its own challenges.
references

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- See more at: http://adai.uw.edu/marijuana/factsheets/respiratoryeffects.htm#sthash.jKJwM3yZ.dpuf