Does Smoking Medical Marijuna Have The Same Health Consequences As Smoking Cigarettes?

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Question: Does Smoking Medical Marijuna Have The Same Health Consequences As Smoking Cigarettes?

When using medical marijuana, does the smoking have the same side effects of tobacco products (lung, throat, mouth cancers, addiction)? When ingested, is the THC released fully or is it digested and broken down, making is less effective as a pain killer?

Thanks

Answer #1

I'm no expert, but I'm sure there are a lot of the same dangers in smoking Marijuana as tobacco. On the good side, if it is home grown, you know there are no bad additives. Also, you don't have to smoke it to get the THC. Brownies are a common way to get it in, but I have also heard of making pot butter. Eating it does mean that you will have to wait longer for the effects, but if it's a regimented medical program it should be easy to plan. If you misplan you can always take a few tokes while you're waiting for it to digest. Marijuana has been used for thousands of years and is about as natural and safe as any herbal remedy around.

Answer #2

Yes it's carcinogenic...about fifty times as bad as tobacco. If it is actually reducing your pain, then go ahead. It's a much better option than opiates like morphine and the risk of addiction. Response one is right about cookies being a much better choice. They are quite safe, though the standard problems of smoking ganja (poor short term memory, lack of motivation, etc.) will still be there.

Answer #3

I am not an expert on the subject, but I believe that smoking marijuana is not as harmful as smoking cigarettes. There are fewer additives, and the THC is not as physically addictive a chemical as most of what is found in cigarettes. There are drawbacks, I'm sure, but definitely weigh your options, and pay attention to not just short term, but also long term effects of both.

Answer #4

Although I'm not a doctor, I have smoked marijuana for over 10 years and have read countless articles on the impact to health. The general rule is marijuana has 4 times the tar as cigarettes, but even a heavy marijuana smoker doesn't smoke 1/4 of the material that a heavy smoker does (unless you have smoked weed daily for 10+ years like me don't even try to contradict this) and marijuana smoking is often done with water pipes that filter out some of the resins. The bottom line is that, yes you are smoking and any inhaled smoke can cause cancer, but taken in moderation your risk level shouldn't be very high.

As far as ingesting, I would guess it's the same as "brick" weed, which is marijuana that has been compressed for smuggling purposes. The actual resin glands burst when the weed is compressed, thus exposing the THC to degenerative effects like sun and air. When this happens, the THC degrades into CBD which can also have a similar effect but chemically is a different substance. When you prepare THC to be ingested you have to find something like oil or alcohol that will absorb the chemical, and that process may have the same result as compressing marijuana.

As far as taking the pain away, marijuana is a god send. I suffered severe injuries at age 23 that left me in the hospital receiving government grade morphine injections into my IV tube every four hours. Upon release from the hospital, I suffered withdrawal from morphine and felt horrible. My doctor prescribed marijuana off the record (this was before medical marijuana was legal in California) and it worked wonderfully! He told me that the reason he would even do such a thing that could jeopardize his career was because he thought it was absolute bullsh–– that a 23 year should have a morphine hang up because the only quality pain killer that could be prescribed had addictive qualities and marijuana wasn't like that.

After 10+ years of smoking it, I can quit within a day because there is NO addiction whatsoever (again, unless you personally have smoked it for 10+ years don't even try to contradict me). Once again, the bottom line is that anything you smoke can cause cancer, including marijuana, but used in moderation it can be a wonderful substance.

Answer #5

Marijuana is addicting. I have smoked since I was 14 or 15 on a regular basis. I'm 44 now. When I say regular, I mean every day, at least 2 joints a day. When I dry out for a while, I have noticed physical changes. Appetite is the most recognizable, along with sleep, a mental fog, cold chills, and clammy skin. The digestive system is also affected (could be from the crap I eat when high). Temperament is also very different. I also have cravings for the weed after a meal or a cup of coffee (just like cigarettes). I also experience a preoccupation. When smoked on a regular basis, the feeling of being high is not as noticeable (it's a habit).

If you think that smoking pot is completely harmless, think again. I quit lying to myself a long time ago about my pot use. I am addicted, it is addicting. I would be better off (financially and emotionally) if I didn't smoke pot. But I do, and will continue to. It is the lessor of a lot of evils. When done in moderation, it can be very beneficial to so many. I abuse the weed. And if you think it is not addicting, then smoke another one my friend.

Answer #6

Here's the truth, as I heard it from an ophthalmologist. They have been studying the effects of medical weed smoke in California since the passage of Prop 215. Basically, they've ruled out the use of weed for most ailments, because the risks of diseases (most notably emphysema, and lung cancer), make taking more effective medicines the only option. After studying lots of people who smoked weed for their Glaucoma, they have found CONCLUSIVE PROOF that weed smoke causes EMPHYSEMA! This is for daily smokers, who generally consume several joints/bowls/or blunts a day. It is also related to smokers who smoke around one joint every day or so.

I was surprised as hell to hear this, and it really woke me up. Until then, I was under the impression (along with most Americans) that weed smoking was actually pretty harmless, except for the obvious mild brain damage that is the tell-tale sign of an avid smoker. Man, I quit smoking everything a week after I heard that! I could no longer pretend that it wasn't bad for me. And, I was already a high cancer/emphysema risk at the time. Strange that America has yet to hear of this discovery, and very few realize that indeed weed is VERY HARMFUL. An occasional smoke is not, but who smokes occasionally? Everybody ends up getting addicted to it in one way or another. Quitting gives you new hope to clean out and keep your lungs clean. Start taking vitamins and quit being so dull.

I also noticed a weird benefit of stopping, DREAMS! Oddly, I've been having like 10x more dreams (at night) than when I was smoking. From when I go to bed untill I wake up, I feel as though I've been having dreams all night. ONE MORE BAD THING I LEARNED: Weed's active chemicals and other chemicals will stay in your system for up to several months after you quit! The most active (THC) is highly fat soluble and will stay in the kidney, testicles, brain, and fatty areas of a daily smoker for up to 9 months! This has many side effects which occur subtly over time: less energy, less testosterone for men, duller mood, and slower metabolism. All this should gradually reverse, with time, if you quit.

Response #1 to Answer #6

Some comments on Answer #6:

>>they have found CONCLUSIVE PROOF that weed smoke causes EMPHYSEMA!

Anything that puts smoke into your lungs can lead to lung disorders such as emphysema. That's a no brainer.

>>This is for daily smokers, who generally consume several joints/bowls/or blunts a day.

The more you smoke, the more it will harm you. Duh.

>>Until then, I was under the impression (along with most Americans) that weed smoking was actually pretty harmless, except for the obvious mild brain damage that is the tell-tale sign of an avid smoker.

Brain damage? You'd better have some references. There are no studies that have shown anything other than mild impairment of some higher cognitive functions, and that in lifetime smokers (several times a day, every day, for life). How can you just assume there is brain damage, something that has never been proven, but be blown away that SMOKE can hurt your lungs?

>>Strange that America has yet to hear of this discovery, and very few realize that indeed weed is VERY HARMFUL. An occasional smoke is not, but who smokes occasionally? Everybody ends up getting addicted to it in one way or another.

America hears all sorts of (mis)information about drugs, most of it crap. But there is no documented evidence that "weed is VERY HARMFUL."

>>Weed's active chemicals and other chemicals will stay in your system for up to several months after you quit! The most active (THC) is highly fat soluble and will stay in the kidney, testicles, brain, and fatty areas of a daily smoker for up to 9 months! This has many side effects which occur subtly over time: less energy, less testosterone for men, duller mood, and slower metabolism.

Yes, THC is fat soluble. Yes, it stays in your system, probably for 'several weeks' (not 9 months, I don't think) after you smoke. But there is no evidence that it is released at levels large enough to do anything to you at all.

Read The Science of Marijuana, by Dr. Leslie Iversen, Oxford University Press, 2000. He takes a very balanced view of marijuana, explains the harmful effects, and doesn't make any wild claims. Marijuana is VERY SAFE compared to many, many legal prescription and over the counter drugs. Like any drug, it is NOT COMPLETELY SAFE. Use your head. Don't abuse it. But don't go advocating a continuation of the war on drugs because of your own personal beliefs.

Answer #7

Well, well, as you will be now aware, there are many differing viewpoints on this topic. The hard evidence is hard to find. My anecdotal review of the experiences that I have had may provide a little bit of an insight as to how people get into it. In our society as we know it, there are several vices to choose from (be they drugs, religion, relationships, sports, among countless others).

For some people, marijuana works. For some, it doesn't. For a still maturing mind, I think it is a very unsafe road to go down. I've been indulging since I was about 13 (I'm now 25) and sometimes I wonder if I would be a different person if I had used alcohol instead. Moderation and social circles seem to be the most important factors for me. All of my friends smoke. Sometimes at the price of other things. If it gets to you, but you still feel that it is the best form of drug for you, then try it in smaller doses, or less potency (e.g. cabbage versus buds/heads). Let those around you know of your reasons for taking it, and find out as much as possible. I've found that it's a habit forming thing, which leads me to believe this is why some feel that it is addictive. Find the reasons for using it and use it only at those times. If you start to get paranoid, then cut down or stop and try to find someone close (who empathizes) and have a good discussion with them on how you feel during and after the ingestion. And remember that if you are using it because of a problem, it gets the effect, not the cause. You are the whole being and everything else is the additive. Whatever you choose, then do so wisely. Everyone has a different tolerance level.

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