Researchers from the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital in Canada conducted a study in which they found that the lung damage of marijuana smokers would be greater than that of tobacco users.
According to research published in the journal Radiology and quoted in a report published on the website of Bio Bio Chilethis conclusion is due to the way they consume the products.
The study was based on the analysis of the chest X-rays of 56 cannabis smokers, 57 non-smokers and those of 33 people who only smoked tobacco between 2005 and 2020.
Upon examination, they found higher rates of airway inflammation among regular marijuana smokers compared with regular tobacco smokers and non-smokers. In addition, cannabis users had emphysemaa chronic lung disease.
What is the difference between smoking marijuana and using tobacco?
Gisel Revah, a radiologist at Ottawa Hospital, explained: “Marijuana smoking is on the rise and there is a perception that marijuana is safe, or safer than cigarettes. But this study raises fears that this is not true.”.
For the specialist, the difference is in how both substances are consumed: “Marijuana is smoked without a filter, while tobacco is usually filtered. When unfiltered marijuana is smoked, more particles reach the airways, settle there, and irritate the airways.”.
He also recalled that, in the case of marijuana smokers, “the puffs tend to be larger and the smoke is retained longer in the lungs, which can cause greater trauma to those organs.”
Revah noted that there is very little research on the health effects of cannabis, as it is banned in most countries. In Canada, where the study was conducted, the recreational use of cannabis was legalized in 2018.