Smoking pot doesn't hurt lung capacity, study shows

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by cosmictraveler, Jan 10, 2012.

  1. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Periodically smoking marijuana doesn't appear to hurt lung capacity, the largest study ever conducted on pot smokers has found.

    More than half of the participants, or 54 percent, said they were current marijuana smokers, cigarette smokers or both when the study began. The average marijuana use was only a joint or two a few times a month — typical for U.S. marijuana users, Kertesz said.

    Authors say there weren't enough heavy users (those who smoked two or more joints a day) among those in the study to draw firm conclusions on that group.

    He says this indicates there will be lower rates of COPD, but marijuana smokers are still at risk for chronic bronchitis, which means they tend to have increased cough and mucus. The study didn't look at the risk of lung cancer.

    And Tashkin cautions about drawing overall conclusions from the new work: “We’re only talking about one end point. We’re not looking at lung cancer, chronic bronchitis symptoms. We are not looking at other effects, behavioral effects. We are looking at lung function.”

    http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...ng-pot-doesnt-hurt-lung-capacity-study-shows/
     
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  3. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    An interesting study, cosmic, but not exactly surprising, IMO.

    This study only looked at lung capacity and among moderate users.

    Marijuana is not processed in the same manner as commercial tobacco and the filters are apparently as bad or worse for the compounds they contain.

    I would expect that moderate use of unprocessed (only dried) natural tobacco leaf might show fairly similar results.

    Just my thoughts...
     
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  5. Stoniphi obscurely fossiliferous Valued Senior Member

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    It is a bit more complicated than it may appear on the surface.

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    While inhaling cannabis smoke is less harmful than inhaling tobacco smoke, it is inadvisable to inhale the smoke from any burning vegetable material, cannabis inclusive, due to the presence of many noxious chemicals created by the high temperatures (1200 degrees F) of combustion.

    For those who choose to consume such herbs, the use of a vaporizer or eating the herb (in the case of cannabis) is preferential for general health reasons.

    EDIT: much commercially grown tobacco contains polonium 210, an extremely toxic radioactive element that is up-taken by the tobacco plant from the unprocessed phosphate fertilizer used by the farmers.
     
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  7. babybudd babybudd Registered Senior Member

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    Most people I know who indulge in weed smoke it with tabacco so for them the report is of no use. Also how little is moderate?
     
  8. Ghostintheshell Registered Member

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    I would have thought that smoke of any kind is not beneficial to the lungs; as if combustion is involved then there is tar.
     
  9. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Only stupid Europeans!
     
  10. Ghostintheshell Registered Member

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    ?... anywhere i've been in the world where i've met people who smoke weed most of them (not all, granted) smoke it with tobacco, or in a cigar blunt style. Where are you talking about that only smokes weed alone?
     
  11. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    In the USA. I can't understand why anyone would do that.
     
  12. quadraphonics Bloodthirsty Barbarian Valued Senior Member

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    In North America - where the study was conducted - it's typically smoked alone. Even people who smoke both marijuana and tobacco typically smoke them separately.

    But, there's nothing to stop people elsewhere from cutting out the tobacco if they want to be more healthy. Frankly I've never quite understood the rigid insistence on mixing it with tobacco. Like, I get that some people prefer it that way, but the level of bafflement I've seen expressed at the prospect of smoking it without tobacco is inexplicable to me...

    Do these findings apply to hashish as well, I wonder?
     
  13. Ghostintheshell Registered Member

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    Ah i see. I did notice that there was a higher incidence of people in N America smoking it without tobacco but it was still relatively common in the places i went. It is very common where i am just now to mix it with tobacco, i think because most people i know just now smoke cigarettes as well. Also, if you smoke a pure weed joint then it will mangle you! (if its good weed that is!) but often people here mainly enjoy the actual smoking sensation and the social aspect. If you get too stoned straight away its not so good for socialisation.
     
  14. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Huh. Parties here often feature comically oversized joints rolled from cigar leaves, but the filler is of the finest kind, with names like Diesel or Bubba Kush. But I'm on the West Coast, so maybe we are spoiled.
     
  15. Ghostintheshell Registered Member

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    You certainly are spoilt there! I break the law here with the choice of herbs that i inhale; this naturally puts the price up, and quality down (for the most part, there are of course pleasant exceptions). It's strange that a group of friends sharing a joint and watching a movie makes us all criminals; and likely, if caught, to be placed in the same societal category as people that sell drugs to children, rapists, and murderers. What a strange world i live in.
     
  16. Watcher Just another old creaker Registered Senior Member

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    The frequency of use of pot was so low compared to the cigarette smokers that it's comparing apples to oranges. They even admit they could not draw "firm conclusions". Amazingly flawed study, why bother?

    I've known very heavy pot smokers and to me there was not a lot of difference in the decreased lung capacity compared to tobacco. The only significant difference is the lack of physical addiction for marijuana versus tobacco (IMO).
     
  17. Watcher Just another old creaker Registered Senior Member

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    Very true, I thought I was the only one to notice this. The THC content is so high now that people are essentially tripping, right from the first hit. In the "old days" is was more social, since it took longer to get well and truly toasted. More of a ceremonial aspect to the whole event.

    I see some people here mix it with tobacco, maybe that's a better idea, but remember that many people do not want to become addicted to nicotine.
     
  18. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Many people mix it with a cigarette tobacco so that they "fool" the police to think they are only smoking a real cigarette instead of pot. They remove part of the tobacco then insert the pot to replace whgat they removed. They can then drive along and look like they are only smoking a cigarette while in reality they are smoking pot and tobacco, that's known as a blunt.
     
  19. Stoniphi obscurely fossiliferous Valued Senior Member

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    Here in Detroit they empty a cigar then refill it with low - grade fan leaves - "schwag". If it is a car full of young guys, the police know it is a spliff blunt rather than a cigar. If it is a single older fellow in a BMW they know it is a real stogie.

    Regular cannabis consumers can take a few decent hits of any prime strain/grade of bud and still be quite sociable. At least in my age range. :itold: (Of course many of those consume cannabis in significant quantity for medicinal purpose) Maybe it is different for younger, less experienced cannabis consumers.

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  20. NietzscheHimself Banned Banned

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    It's known as a spliff or swag when it has tobacco mixed in. A blunt is a gram or more in a cigar without tobacco. A joint is about a half gram rolled into a cigarette paper, often without any filter.

    They also make a chillum/one hitter that looks like a cigarette made of either glass or metal. These types are often found in what is called a dougout. A small wooden box with two sides. One springloaded to acquire the piece when opened, the other holds your stash on the go!

    You can modify a cigarette, but the filter lessens the desired effects. It also takes a while to roll out the tobacco and stuff weed into it. Much easier to roll a joint and hide it in your cig pack.
     
  21. Annal606 Guest

    Well, these are precisely I need now.
     
  22. Captain Kremmen All aboard, me Hearties! Valued Senior Member

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    When Marijuana is legalised, all this kind of information can be placed on the packet along with pictures of Lung Cancers etc. Just as with smoking.

    If people want to do themselves harm, they must be allowed to do it.
    But they must pay for the privilege.
    They must pay according to the harm the drug does to society.
     
  23. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    So with that type of attitude if someone wanted to smoke next to others and that smoke affects others around them you'd think that would be OK?
     

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