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home / 世界杯决赛2022

study suggests smoking cannabis alters lung function in different ways than smoking tobacco

the study is one of the longest and most comprehensive carried out on the effect of lifetime cannabis use.

by the fresh toast

feb 7 2022
read time 2 minute read
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smoking alters a person’s lungs, no matter the substance. but, according to a new study, there’s a difference eseen in long-term cannabis smokers compared to long-term tobacco smokers.

the study, conducted by researchers from new zealand, showed differences in how cannabis and tobacco operate. while researchers found both substances detrimental to people’s health and lungs, they note that smoking tobacco made people’s lungs decline with regards to how much air they can force out while smoking cannabis produced the opposite result. indeed, cannabis was connected to higher lung volumes.

“although the effects of cannabis were detrimental, the pattern of lung function changes was not the same. the research found that prolonged cannabis use led to over-inflated lungs and increased the resistance to airflow to a greater extent than tobacco,” explained professor bon hancox, one of the study’s co-authors.

“it was also found that cannabis use may also impair the ability of the lungs to extract oxygen from the breath. this is a known consequence of smoking tobacco, but has not been demonstrated with cannabis until now,” hancox noted.
the study is one of the longest and most comprehensive carried out on the effect of lifetime cannabis use, tracking 1,037 adults until the age of 45, and measuring both their tobacco and cannabis smoking habits.
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at the start of the study, when subjects were 18, they all had similar lung health, an overall healthy baseline. by 45, lung damage was apparent, particularly in those who smoked tobacco.

despite cannabis having been smoked for ages, very little is known about its effects, with the most evident harm being “bong lung,” a condition that can leave users with bronchitis and permanent lung damage known as emphysema. this condition has appeared in people who abuse cannabis smoking, although reportedly not in in regular or occasional smokers.

lung damage from cannabis and tobacco has been historically difficult to differentiate, primarily because cannabis smokers may also be tobacco smokers, at least in years past.
in future studies, it will be worth looking into whether or not tobacco smoking has decreased and if cannabis users are still tobacco consumers.

the freshtoast.com, a u.s. lifestyle site that contributes lifestyle content and, with their partnership with 600,000 physicians via skipta, medical marijuana information to the growthop.

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