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Published: 04 June 2023

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A very limited study concluded that Smoking cannabis doesn't carry the same COPD risk as tobacco ??

Ah, but for starters it didn’t include vaping, the now preferred insufflation delivery method for nicotine and any other substance. And it was limited to a small cohort.

Vaping will carry an even higher risk than smoking.  We don’t have the long-term continuous use of smoking that people are doing now.  Many smoke cannabis like cigarettes (multiple times a day) - this will catch up.

• Marijuana and Lung Health
• CDC: Marijuana and Public Health – Lung Health
• How Long Term Cannabis Use Damages Lungs

Although the effects of cannabis were detrimental, the pattern of lung function changes was not the same. The research found that prolonged cannabis use led to over-inflated lungs and increased the resistance to airflow to a greater extent than tobacco," he says.

"It was also found that cannabis use may also impair the ability of the lungs to extract oxygen from the breath. This is a known consequence of smoking tobacco, but has not been demonstrated with cannabis until now.

Respiratory doctors recognise that some patients who smoke a lot of cannabis have a distinct form of lung damage -- a very severe form of emphysema that is sometimes called bong lung -- but little is actually known about this condition.

• American Thoracic Society – Inhaled Marijuana and the Lungs

Inhaling any marijuana product can also expose the user to chemicals and pesticides contained in available products. How these substances affect the proper function of the lung is unknown. No method of inhaling marijuana, smoked or not smoked, can therefore be considered safe until further studies are done. 

• Smoking marijuana damages the lungs more than tobacco

In a recent Radiology journal study, researchers report chest computed tomography (CT) findings that the lungs of marijuana smokers exhibit more significant levels of airway inflammatory markers and emphysema as compared to those of tobacco-only smokers.

Vaping only ramps this up…The results seem to be that the damage will occur earlier and be more severe. Vaping can lead to E.V.A.L.I. - which causes permanent lung damage and irreparable lung damage. 

It is vital we place more than one limited study before young people.  

Dr Karen Randall – D.A.R.Team. 

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Published: 04 June 2023

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JAMA Psychiatry. Published online May 24, 2023. 

Podcast Interview with Author

Question:  Is cannabis use disorder associated with an increased risk of psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression and bipolar disorder?

Findings:  In this cohort study of 6 651 765 individuals in Demark, cannabis use disorder was associated with an increased risk of both psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression and bipolar disorder.

Meaning:  The findings suggest that cannabis use disorder is independently associated with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression.

Importance:  Cannabis use is increasing worldwide and is suspected to be associated with increased risk of psychiatric disorders; however, the association with affective disorders has been insufficiently studied.

Results:  A total of 6 651 765 individuals (50.3% female) were followed up for 119 526 786 person-years. Cannabis use disorder was associated with an increased risk of unipolar depression (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.78-1.90), psychotic unipolar depression (HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.73-2.25), and nonpsychotic unipolar depression (HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.77-1.89). Cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of bipolar disorder in men (HR, 2.96; 95% CI, 2.73-3.21) and women (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 2.31-2.80), psychotic bipolar disorder (HR, 4.05; 95% CI, 3.52-4.65), and nonpsychotic bipolar disorder in men (HR, 2.96; 95% CI, 2.73-3.21) and women (HR, 2.60; 95% CI, 2.36-2.85). Cannabis use disorder was associated with higher risk for psychotic than nonpsychotic subtypes of bipolar disorder (relative HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.21-1.81) but not unipolar depression (relative HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.92-1.27).

Conclusions and Relevance:  This population-based cohort study found that CUD was associated with an increased risk of psychotic and nonpsychotic bipolar disorder and unipolar depression. These findings may inform policies regarding the legal status and control of cannabis use.

(Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2804862 )

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Published: 19 May 2023

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Objective: To examine whether timing of in utero marijuana exposure independently and negatively impacts fetal growth, and if these effects are global or specific to certain growth parameters

Conclusions: Timing of marijuana exposure appears to play a key role in specific fetal growth deficits, with exposure throughout gestation most detrimental. However even first trimester exposure may result in decreased weight.

(Source: (PDF) (researchgate.net)

Also see

• Maternal cannabis use in pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes
• Cannabis in Pregnancy – Rejoinder, Exposition and Cautionary Tales
• Could medical cannabis be the new THALIDOMIDE? 

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Published: 19 May 2023

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Spain’s Universities of Leon and Oviedo found that “The gateway hypothesis holds that cannabis use increases other illegal substance use. Cannabis use duplicated the probabilities of tobacco and alcohol use. 

Cannabis use increased 5 times the likelihood of use of other illegal drugs”.

Testing the cannabis gateway hypothesis in a national sample of Spanish adolescents

Highlights

• The gateway hypothesis holds that cannabis use increases other illegal substance use.
• Cannabis use duplicated the probabilities of tobacco and alcohol use.
• Cannabis use increased five times the likelihood of use of other illegal drugs.

Source https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460323001466

Also see Cannabis and the Gateway Drug Theory: Correlation or Causation – Where does the Evidence Point?(DRR)