Cannabis Not Associated With Increased Lung Cancer Risk Or Other Pulmonary Complications
By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
In the upcoming June Annals of the American Thoracic Society,
Donald P. Tashkin, MD, emeritus professor of medicine and medical
director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory at the David Geffen School
of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, reviews research
on the effects of marijuana smoking on the lungs.
Dr. Tashkin found that regular smoking of marijuana by itself causes
visible and microscopic injury to the large airways that is consistently
associated with an increased likelihood of symptoms of chronic
bronchitis that subside after cessation of use. He also found that the
evidence does not indicate that habitual use of marijuana leads to
significant abnormalities in lung function when assessed either
cross-sectionally or longitudinally, except for possible increases in
lung volumes and modest increases in airway resistance of unclear
clinical significance.
The author finds no clear link between marijuana use and the
development of COPD or lower respiratory tract infections. In addition,
"findings from a limited number of well-designed epidemiological studies
do not suggest an increased risk for the development of either lung or
upper airway cancer from light or moderate use, although evidence is
mixed concerning possible carcinogenic risks of heavy, long-term use,"
Dr. Tashkin notes. "In summary, the accumulated weight of evidence
implies far lower risks for pulmonary complications of even regular
heavy use of marijuana compared to the grave pulmonary consequences of
tobacco."
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