Cannabis and COPD

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I don't have COPD. I do know people who do have it however.

Does smoking herb cause COPD later in life?

A friend of mine who has COPD, although not that bad since he's not on oxygen sometimes smokes herb and he told me how he sometimes does smoke herb socially a few times a month with friends. He smoked cigs for decades but quit those recently. He told me how when he was younger he had one of his lungs collapse but he is thin/tall and apparently that puts you at risk for it.

I'm wondering how bad smoking herb is for him? I know putting hot smoke of any type into your lungs isn't good especially if you have COPD but doesn't THC help open up the lungs?

He also sometimes will smoke some crystal but only in small amounts and mainly snorts meth in very low doses.

My friend does see doctors and is honest with them about how he smokes pot and uses meth, and even if he's used meth the night before he's honest and tells them how he recently used crystal.

I would tell my friend to get a vaporizer but he doesn't smoke herb that frequently and his use of it is more social than it was in the past. He no longer smokes tobacco.

 

[curioushat]

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/180/8/797.full

The study found that even independent of tobacco, smoking marijuana is not correlated with higher instance of COPD.

It does report that other studies have found a correlation between smoking marijuana and chronic respiratory problems.

 

[nekointheclouds]

"The constituents of marijuana smoke are qualitatively and, to a large extent, quantitatively similar to those of tobacco smoke, with the exceptions of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), found only in marijuana, and nicotine, found only in tobacco. "

I found this very interesting, i wonder if that statement only holds true for pure tobacco. I would think if they were testing the tobacco of a cigarette from a pack of cigarettes then they might find the results to be the same. Iv been lead to believe that the tobacco found in prerolled cigarettes from most major cigarette brands contained a lot of additives. Just something to chew on.

 

[curioushat]

"The constituents of marijuana smoke are qualitatively and, to a large extent, quantitatively similar to those of tobacco smoke, with the exceptions of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), found only in marijuana, and nicotine, found only in tobacco. "

I found this very interesting, i wonder if that statement only holds true for pure tobacco. I would think if they were testing the tobacco of a cigarette from a pack of cigarettes then they might find the results to be the same. Iv been lead to believe that the tobacco found in prerolled cigarettes from most major cigarette brands contained a lot of additives. Just something to chew on.

Absolutely. I think this would be similar when marijuana is legalized and the big tobacco corporations begin to offer marijuana cigarettes.

Pure tobacco is something that very few people smoke, most people smoke prerolled cigarettes that I presume are much worse for health.

 

[nekointheclouds]

Absolutely. I think this would be similar when marijuana is legalized and the big tobacco corporations begin to offer marijuana cigarettes.

Pure tobacco is something that very few people smoke, most people smoke prerolled cigarettes that I presume are much worse for health.

Yes exactly my train of thought!

I got teased alot for smoking the American Spirits cigarettes, but i could really tell the difference in the tobacco. And I'm not even very sure that they really are totally additive free, but they certainly feel less contaminated than a camel or a Marlboro cigarette.

Alittle off topic, but oh well.

 

[curioushat]

Yes exactly my train of thought!

I got teased alot for smoking the American Spirits cigarettes, but i could really tell the difference in the tobacco. And I'm not even very sure that they really are totally additive free, but they certainly feel less contaminated than a camel or a Marlboro cigarette.

Alittle off topic, but oh well.

Definitely not additive free. Just less additives. If I were you I'd go for the homerolled, higher quality cigarette tobacco. Not only will it be healthier for you, but if you take an enormous pull you will get a rush for the ages!

 

[PeacePipeChief]

Yeah I've been smoking cigarettes I roll myself for about 2-3 years , mainly because it's a whole lot cheaper but I've definetly noticed a huge difference in the health aspect , I'm hoping to quit cigarettes soon though , I've been smoking since I was 11 and I don't want cancer or any other diseases which are like 95% chance if I continue for many years .

 

[Artificial Emotion]

Has anyone here tried vaporizing tobacco? If so, how was it?

 

[PeacePipeChief]

I actually put a bit of tobacco in a lightbulb vape once just to try what using a lightbulb vape was like , and it tasted like shit was pretty harsh and crappy .

 

[1394]

Any form of smoke inhaled is not good for you.

 

[nekointheclouds]

Definitely not additive free. Just less additives. If I were you I'd go for the homerolled, higher quality cigarette tobacco. Not only will it be healthier for you, but if you take an enormous pull you will get a rush for the ages!

yeah im not at all surprised by this. I actually just very recently switched to using the ecig and have found the switch to be very easy. I have a good model with the juice that i use to fill it myself. You still get nicotine, but i use a high quality juice. I have noticed a huge difference in my lungs since i switched, and its only been 2 weeks.

Since switching to the ecig i have noticed that my throat now becomes kinda raw after smoking pot, which is usually wasnt before. This is a sign that im getting feeling back in my throat finally. The first week i wasnt smoking cigarettes i coughed up alot of gunk(much of it speckled in black mucus) which was really relieving. I no longer have a hacking cough all the time, and when i no cough like that it actually gets stuff out.

 

[Chesh]

Absolutely. I think this would be similar when marijuana is legalized and the big tobacco corporations begin to offer marijuana cigarettes.

most stoners will probably stick to buying their own weed and rolling it/bonging it/piping it themselves

 

[Foreigner]

My aunt who is in her 50's has COPD and she only smoked tobacco in her early 20's. The rest of her life she smoked cannabis. Anecdotal I know, but I do think any smoke inhaled into the lungs can cause COPD in susceptible people, especially if you have any level of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency which many people have some degree of. The surfactants that make the lungs flexible are easily destroyed by heat and tar; without those, your lungs become less flexible and the alveoli compartments break down over time, forming larger compartments. Those compartments continue to fill with tar as you smoke, and you absorb less and less oxygen.

Here is a picture (warning: it's graphic): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Centrilobular_emphysema_865_lores.jpg

Even if you quit smoking, there will always be some tar and its byproducts lodged in the lungs, but your body will purge some of it and the surfactants can start flowing again.