Cannabis smoking and respiratory health: Consideration of the literature

@article{Gates2014CannabisSA,
  title={Cannabis smoking and respiratory health: Consideration of the literature},
  author={Peter J Gates and Adam Jaffe and Jan Copeland},
  journal={Respirology},
  year={2014},
  volume={19}
}
The respiratory health effects from tobacco smoking are well described. Cannabis smoke contains a similar profile of carcinogenic chemicals as tobacco smoke but is inhaled more deeply. Although cannabis smoke is known to contain similar harmful and carcinogenic substances to tobacco smoke, relatively little is understood regarding the respiratory health effects from cannabis smoking. There is a need to integrate research on cannabis and respiratory health effects so that gaps in the literature… 
View on Wiley
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
78 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
1
Background Citations
18

78 Citations

Increasing cannabis use: What we still need to know about its effects on the lung
TLDR
It is found that chronic cannabis use (after adjustment for tobacco) is uniformly associated with an increased prevalence of symptoms of chronic bronchitis and there is a need to include older subjects in future studies of the potential impact of cannabis, since failure to do so could underestimate the potential influence of cannabis on the development of this disease.
Cannabis Smoking and the Lung
Lung Disease Associated With Marijuana Use.
Lung Disease Associated With Marijuana Use
Marijuana smoking and cataract.
No smoke, no fire: What the initial literature suggests regarding vapourized cannabis and respiratory risk
  • M. LoflinM. Earleywine
  • Medicine
    Canadian journal of respiratory therapy : CJRT = Revue canadienne de la therapie respiratoire : RCTR
  • 2015
TLDR
In short, vapourizers show promise for cannabis users who want to avoid pulmonary problems and prefer a more rapid onset than edibles provide.
The Relationship Between Tobacco and Cannabis Use: A Review
TLDR
The link between co-use and dependence symptoms, and the substitution phenomenon between tobacco and cannabis use are described, and three forms of simultaneous use–mulling, blunt smoking, and chasing–and their impacts are explained.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Medical Marijuana Laws and Tobacco Use
TLDR
This study finds that the enactment of medical marijuana laws leads to a 1 to 1.5 percentage-point reduction in adult cigarette smoking and that MMLs reduce the number of cigarettes consumed by smokers, suggesting effects on both the cessation and intensive margins of cigarette use.
COPD secondary or associated with cannabis dependence
Cannabis: Use, harms, disorder, and interventions
TLDR
The prevalence of cannabis use, its associated harms, diagnostic considerations, and a brief review of best-practice treatment are outlined.
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 179 REFERENCES
Effects of smoking cannabis on lung function
TLDR
The evidence that smoking cannabis leads to features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as airflow obstruction and emphysema is not convincing, however, there are numerous case reports of bullous emphySEma among cannabis smokers.
Effects of cannabis on pulmonary structure, function and symptoms
TLDR
Smoking cannabis was associated with a dose-related impairment of large airways function resulting in airflow obstruction and hyperinflation and the 1:2.5–5 dose equivalence between cannabis joints and tobacco cigarettes for adverse effects on lung function is of major public health significance.
Case studies in cannabis vaporization
TLDR
The results suggest that the cannabis vaporizer is acceptable to users, and has the potential to decrease cannabis-related respiratory problems, and the device may increase awareness about respiratory health in cannabis users who also smoke cigarettes.
The respiratory effects of cannabis dependence in young adults.
TLDR
Significant respiratory symptoms and changes in spirometry occur in cannabis-dependent individuals at age 21 years, even although the cannabis smoking history is of relatively short duration.
Health care use by frequent marijuana smokers who do not smoke tobacco.
TLDR
Daily marijuana smoking, even in the absence of tobacco, appeared to be associated with an elevated risk of health care use for various health problems, and was adjusted for sex, age, race, education, marital status, and alcohol consumption.
Marijuana and lung diseases
TLDR
There is unequivocal evidence that habitual or regular marijuana smoking is not harmless, and a caution against regular heavy marijuana usage is prudent.
The adverse health effects of chronic cannabis use.
This paper summarizes the most probable of the adverse health effects of regular cannabis use sustained over years, as indicated by epidemiological studies that have established an association…
A comparison of mainstream and sidestream marijuana and tobacco cigarette smoke produced under two machine smoking conditions.
TLDR
Mainstream marijuana smoke contained selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at concentrations lower than those found in mainstream tobacco smoke, while the reverse was the case for sidestream smoke, with PAHs present at higher concentrations in marijuana smoke.
Respiratory effects of marijuana and tobacco use in a U.S. sample
TLDR
The impact of marijuana smoking on respiratory health has some significant similarities to that of tobacco smoking, and efforts to prevent and reduce marijuana use may have substantial public health benefits associated with decreased respiratory health problems.
Pulmonary function in cannabis users: Support for a clinical trial of the vaporizer.
...
...