It is misleading and dishonest to suggest that the health risks of cannabis smoking are equal or greater than those from tobacco smoking.
By Paul Armentano, NORML
An increasing number of Americans believe that smoking marijuana is less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarette. You wouldn’t believe it if you read the latest media headlines.
CNN shrieked that “many Americans incorrectly believe exposure marijuana smoke is safer than smoking tobacco.” The survey results were reported in Everyday Health which warned that “People Underestimate Health Risks from Smoking Marijuana.” US News and World Report also aired a syndicated report saying “More Americans than Ever Believe Marijuana smoke is Safer Than Cigarette Smoke.” They’re Wrong.”
The news media is the one in error.
Many studies that assess the long-term effects of cannabis smoke exposure debunk the myth of marijuana being associated with the same type of well-established, adverse respiratory hazards of tobacco.
Scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles, for example, compared the risk of lung cancer over the course of a lifetime among more than 2,000 marijuana and tobacco smokers. Researchers found that regular smokers of cigarettes had a 20-fold greater lung cancer risk compared to non-smokers. In contrast, people who only smoke marijuana do not have the same elevated risk.
The study’s lead author explained : “We hypothesized there would be an association between marijuana and lung cancer and that it would be stronger with heavier use.” What we found was that there was no correlation at all and even some evidence of a protective effect.
Researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health conducted a longitudinal study to assess the relationship between lifetime cannabis use and respiratory function. The study included 2,300 participants aged 40-80. The authors concluded that: “Current marijuana smokers and former users had significantly higher forced expiratory volumes (FEV1) when compared with never users… Current and former marijuana users were associated with significantly lower quantitative emphysema compared with never users… We also found, in agreement with other studies published, that marijuana use is not associated with more obstructive pulmonary disease.”
In May, a team composed of health experts published a report in the journal Chronic Obstructive pulmonary Diseases stating that neither current nor former cannabis smoking is associated with COPD progression. They concluded: “In [this] group of ever-tobacco users of >=20 packs-years who have COPD or are at risk of COPD, a past history of smoking marijuana in any amount over the course of their lifetime was not associated with a significant detrimental impact on COPD progression.”
Some researchers have also theorized that cannabinoids’ anti-cancer a href=”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14570037/” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>activities/a> may a href=”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14470037/” rel=”noopener Researchers have theorized, too, that the anti-cancer activity of cannabinoids may offset the harms associated with inhaling combustion smoke.
According to a longitudinal study data that was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine last year, “[I]t’s increasingly clear that marijuana has different effects on lungs function [compared to] tobacco and its effects will not necessarily mimic the harms caused from tobacco smoking.”
The review report published by researchers from the University of Arkansas in November is even blunter. The researchers concluded that “the data on marijuana contrasts starkly with the constant demonstration of injury caused by tobacco, which is the most legalized killer today.” “Any potential toxicity of cannabis pales in comparison.”
It is not true that exposure to cannabis smoke is completely harmless. Some of the toxins found in cannabis smoke are also present in tobacco smoke. has linked marijuana smoke to a temporary increase in sputum and wheezing as well as a higher risk of bronchitis. The use of a device that activates cannabinoids without heating them up to the point of combustion can reduce the exposure to toxic combustive gases. In laboratory tests, it was determined that herbal cannabis vaporizers are an “effective and seemingly safe vehicle for THC Delivery …[ that] do not lead to exposure to combustion gasses.”
to imply there are no long-term studies on the effects of cannabis smoke on respiratory health is at best misleading and at worst dishonest. These studies have been conducted and their findings are consistent and clear. Cannabis smoke and tobacco smoke have different risks and the public shouldn’t be punished for recognizing this.
Paul Armentano, the Deputy Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is the author of many books on cannabis, cannabis policy, and cannabis.
Medical Marijuana Company Slams DEA in Lawsuit Alleging Extreme Delayed To Cannabis Research Licensing
The article Let’s Dispel the Myth That Tobacco and Cannabis Smoke are Equally Hazardous to Health (Op-Ed:) appeared first on Marijuana Moment.
