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 ...
I'm not sure toking a doobie is an "essential liberty".
Property rights, on the other hand, ARE - which is the reason why I oppose the present "War on Drugs". I don't support legalisation of narcotics, but I do support disallowing police forces from using drugs as an excuse to illegally confiscate property without due process.
“Arent there a lot of additives to cigarette tobacco? I wonder if its these chemical additives that are more cancerous than the tobacco itself. Im not saying that inhaling smoke into the lungs is a good thing, but perhaps tobacco companies have made it much worse.”
I strongly suspect you’re right, though I think even pure tobacco is carcinogenic, since cigar smokers and tobacco chewers are prone to lip and mouth cancers.
(BTW, Sherman cigarettes claim to use ‘pure’ tobacco IIRC.)
Property rights, on the other hand, ARE
Your body is not your property?
Thoughts? When you get enough THC in your brain you won’t have any thoughts.
A study that finds inhaling smoke is bad for your lung. Who ever would have thought?
******
Lungs... ok... risky...
I am waiting for the definitive study on what the cannabis "habit" does to brain cells and mental faculties...
From purely anecdotal observation --
THIIIIIsssss... is the data that should make a difference in the risk/rewards ratio....
Just my humble... no flames please..
drug prohibition is supposed to work?
it’s a lucrative industry. From that viewpoint it works better than most government programs.
‘I’m not sure toking a doobie is an “essential liberty”.’
First off, you’re reading the quote wrong...Ben’s saying that liberty itself is essential, not that there are one sort or the other.
As to ‘toking’, well all I can say is for me it falls right into “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, which should be our guiding principle in the absence of wrongdoing.
Like seat belts. A great idea but a really bad law for adults.
“Thoughts? When you get enough THC in your brain you wont have any thoughts.”
Voice of experience?
Is there research in a reputable medical journal; to support this theory?
‘I am waiting for the definitive study on what the cannabis “habit” does to brain cells and mental faculties...’
From what I’ve gleaned from the research, no permanent effect has ever been established for adults. Developing children (21 seems a reasonable cutoff) shouldn’t be doing any drugs, with alcohol being one of the most damaging.
From my own anecdotal experience it’s a little tough to tell, since alcohol and other drugs figure heavily into most of the ‘sad stories’. On the other hand, I do know of successful older people who regularly use cannabis and lead lives most of you’d consider ‘normal’.
I also know some folks that lived Hunter Thompson inspired youths, but went on to be at least useful members of society.
Simple solution -
With a vaporizer, one can inhale the THC without the smoke.
The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.Full article at:The new findings "were against our expectations," said Dr. Donald Tashkin, a UCLA pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years.
"We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer and that the association would be more positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/26/MNGAKJ2S481.DTL&type=science
Seems it might be a good idea to start smoking pot for awhile after quitting cigarettes.
Funny how nobody seems to know about this study. lol
We'd have to figure out how big that joint is. If it's a fatty, then it's def more than one person needs. If it's a pinner, different story. Usually joint smoking is a social situation. Joints get passed around, so usually no one smokes a whole joint themselves anyway. If they want to smoke alone, they'll just smoke a bowl (use a small pipe.)
Water pipes, while not perfect, cool and cleanse the smoke much more than a joint.
True. You get a bigger, cleaner hit. It's more efficient, but they are a hassle, and so are mostly relegated to dorm rooms.
If marijuana could be grown legally (or it were otherwise less expensive), more people would eat it rather than smoking it.
I doubt it. Smoking, while dangerous, is fun.
“I doubt it. Smoking, while dangerous, is fun.”
I see my statement could be taken two ways. I meant with less expensive cannabis to be had, a greater percentage would eat it than do now, not that they would outnumber the smokers.
I agree, smoking will have its fans.
If the price came way down, I guess someone’d be more likely to throw an OZ. into some cookie dough or a butter sauce or something.
Marijuana wreaks havoc on brain’s memory cells
11:38 20 November 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Roxanne Khamsi
Smoking marijuana often causes problems with memory and learning. Now researchers think they know why.
The active ingredient in the drug, tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC), disrupts the way nerves fire in the brains memory centre, a new study shows.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10607-marijuana-wreaks-havoc-on-brains-memory-cells.html
So why do you consider them stating facts as alarmism?
If the joint hits your lungs like 5 cigarettes, for whatever reason, then it does.
People should at least know that so they can make an informed decision before they continue destroying their bodies.
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