What Effect does Marijuana have on COPD-Lovego Weekly Report

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What Effect does Marijuana have on COPD

Today, in the USA, it is legal on the state level to purchase and consume marijuana for recreational purposes. However, an additional 19 states have legalized marijuana to be used for medical benefits. This is leading a lot of people to ask, “What is the medical benefit to using marijuana?” There are many reports that state there isn’t enough research data available to make a claim either way. There are also reports that state that marijuana is beneficial and just as many that say it isn’t. When you sift through the political opinion and the media salad, you are still left with a lot of questions. We don’t claim to have completed our own research, or to be experts in the field of medical marijuana, but we are when it comes to lung diseases like COPD, and we have gone through the data to help shed some light on the question, “Can marijuana help COPD?"

Marijuana Doesn’t Have to be Smoked

This may be news to those that have not done much research on the matter, but marijuana can be consumed outside of smoking—just like tobacco. Although smoking is the most common form of consumption, marijuana can be used in the form of food or through vaporizing. As we have mentioned in a previous blog vaporising marijuana has quickly become a popular way to use the drug. Consuming marijuana in edible form has also become one of the norms. Right now in Colorado, the state that has had marijuana available for both medical and recreational uses for the longest period of time, you can find the drug being sold in baked goods and as desserts like lollipops and chocolate bars in licensed dispensaries.

Cigarette Smoke and Marijuana Smoke: Side-by-Side

You’ve heard the argument: marijuana smoke is worse/just as bad/not as bad as tobacco smoke for your lungs. On the basis of whether or not marijuana can help COPD, this argument doesn’t matter. However, comparing the two is useful for the purpose of creating a baseline that connects something we know quite a bit about to something we know little about.

Cigarette smoke contains over 700 chemicals, of which 70 can cause cancer. Is anyone surprised? I’m certainly not. Marijuana has a similar number of chemicals and known carcinogens in its smoke. Additionally, marijuana smoke deposits nearly four times as much tar in the lungs, this is due to most marijuana cigarettes not containing a filter and the habit of deeper inhalation when smoking marijuana. When both types of smoke are analyzed without filters and not through the habits of the smoker, the chemical makeup and detriment to health is notably similar. The largest difference is that tobacco smoke has nicotine and marijuana doesn’t while marijuana smoke has cannabinoids like THC and tobacco smoke does not.

Marijuana and COPD

What does all this mean for COPD? We’re glad you asked. There have been some conflicting studies that have produced results that THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana, is actually good for your lungs. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved thc as a drug, which means that THC’s benefits outweigh its risks. Studies have also shown that THC can act as a bronchodilator, increasing airflow to the lungs. In turn, this could increase lung function and efficiency. Just because THC is an approved drug and has some beneficial attributes to lung disease symptoms does not mean consuming THC products is a safe treatment or a safe recreational activity for people diagnosed with COPD.

There is one thing we are fairly certain about, just like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke seems to be detrimental to lung health. Although there are reports that THC can help relieve some symptoms, the delivery method of smoking marijuana negates any positive results. Consuming marijuana through vaporizing or food may provide some relief without the destructive smoke component. Before you do anything of the sort, you should speak with your pulmonologist and get their guidance first.

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