"Dude, no way!"
Posted on 08/01/2007 6:18:22 AM PDT by PreciousLiberty
Smoking a single joint of cannabis has the same impact on breathing capacity as up to five cigarettes, a new study shows.
The researchers say this may be because cannabis users tend to inhale more deeply and, because joints are smoked without a filter, the smoke is hotter when it hits the lungs.
Researchers from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand publish their findings online in the journal Thorax.
Doctors recruited 339 volunteers who were divided into four categories: those who smoked only cannabis, those who smoked only tobacco, those who smoked both, and those who smoked neither.
Cannabis-only smokers were defined as those who had smoked the equivalent of at least one joint a day for five years; tobacco-only smokers were those who had smoked the equivalent of a packet of cigarettes a day for at least a year.
The participants were scanned by computed tomography (CT) to get a high-definition image of their lungs and were given tests to assess their airflow, or respiratory efficiency.
The researchers found the most serious damage in tobacco smokers - both tobacco-only and combined users - who were the only volunteers to have emphysema, a degenerative and crippling lung disease.
Cannabis smokers had lighter symptoms, such as wheeze, cough, chest tightness and phlegm, which tobacco smokers also had.
But the CT scan also revealed that, among cannabis smokers, fine damage had occurred to their lungs.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc.net.au ...
With modern cannabis, an entire joint is too much for most smokers at one time.
Water pipes, while not perfect, cool and cleanse the smoke much more than a joint.
If marijuana could be grown legally (or it were otherwise less expensive), more people would eat it rather than smoking it.
It's also worth noting that this article didn't mention recent research which indicates that cannabis not only doesn't cause cancer, but might inhibit its growth. In fact, linked articles implied that this study meant cannabis causes cancer (which is clearly not the case).
Thoughts?
Smoke pot like you smoke tobacco and you won’t be responding to many studies. :)
Well, duh! Those who I have observed smoking marijuana tend to look like they are sucking air through a 50 foot water hose. I would dare say if they smoked an unfiltered cigarette like a Camel with the same gusto and suction, the result would be the same.
How about: "The straight press tends to uphold the straight view"?
Smoking itself is an irritant and the CT scans reflect change due to the inevitable inflammatory response.
"Dude, no way!"
I think sometimes drugs should be legalized. I don’t use drugs and I don’t want to, but our society is so criminalized now. More and more things are becoming regulated everyday making crime a big moneymaker for crooks, cops, security and corrections.
However, I believe it’s foolishness to use drugs. I think medical marijuana is a scam, and if you’re healthy enough to run around screaming outside the “clinics” you probably don’t really need it.
I've known a few folks who did that much dope, and you're pretty much right. Even with the much less potent weed of days gone by, a pack-a-day pothead was typically vegetative. Exceptions exist, but so do people who can go to work every day despite a quart of vodka a day drinking habit.
I think it has a lot to do with how a joint is smoked. With a joint you inhale deeply into your lungs then hold it. A cigarette on the other hand is inhaled into the mouth then into the lungs and not held.
“You support Ron Paul?”
Actually, no. I’m voting Fred Thompson ‘08, unless something changes drastically. Sadly, his and my view on the War on Some Drugs is likely one of our few contentious areas.
I’m a neo-Libertarian, which you can read as “a Libertarian with a pragmatic foreign policy”. That means I can’t vote for any party-line current Libertarian. Plus, Fred actually has a great chance of winning... ;-)
Most tobacco smokers I know are in the 1-2 pack a day range.
Solution: Bake a nice batch of brownies.
Yep. Sorta like motorcycle helmet laws -- I'd wear my helmet even if it wasn't mandated, but I deeply resent being told it's illegal if I don't wear one.
“If marijuana could be grown legally (or it were otherwise less expensive), more people would eat it rather than smoking it.”
Now, (fill in the blank), don’t forget to eat your vegetables.
Aren’t there a lot of additives to cigarette tobacco? I wonder if it’s these chemical additives that are more cancerous than the tobacco itself. I’m not saying that inhaling smoke into the lungs is a good thing, but perhaps tobacco companies have made it much worse.
“However, I believe it’s foolishness to use drugs.”
I’d die to defend your right to hold that belief, and act on it.
It’s sad that so many are willing to throw away freedoms that were earned with blood and sacrifice.
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Ben Franklin, Author, Scientist, Diplomat (1706-1790)
LOL. Not for dudes I used to hang out with.
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