Rastafarians are probably the most well known supporters
of marijuana use. They consider it the wisdom weed and
believe in its natural qualities. They refuse to smoke
tobacco cigarettes because it's unnatural and harmful
to their health. Rastas might be on the right track by
passing on tobacco but passing the dutchie may make them
sick.
SHOT
TO POT
A study in the January issue of the Journal of General
Internal Medicine shows that marijuana isn't any
better than tobacco and it can cause the same respiratory
troubles. Although this isn't the first study to reach
this conclusion, it is one of the most comprehensive,
involving data from 6,728 participants, aged 20 to 59,
in an effort to characterize "a nationally representative
sample in the United States with a broad range of ages
and marijuana exposure."
COMMON
COMPLAINTS
The study is based on results from the third National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Approximately
6% of the respondents qualified as weed users, having
smoked up at least once in the previous month, and more
than 100 times in their life. Besides a case of the
munchies, these pot smokers complained of bronchitis,
frequent phlegm, frequent wheezing and chest sounds
without a cold, and pneumonia symptoms. Researchers
also found that these complaints occurred significantly
more often for weed users than for the general population.
NOT
AN ALTERNATIVE
The common myth that reefer is a safe, all-natural alternative
to tobacco should be put to rest. "Marijuana smoke contains
similar levels of tar as tobacco smoke and up to 50%
more carcinogens," according to study author Dr Brent
Moore of the Yale University School of Medicine. He
adds that, "marijuana users smoke unfiltered material,
inhale the smoke more deeply, and hold the smoke longer
than tobacco smokers, resulting in substantially greater
tar deposits in the lungs." As if this isn't bad enough,
Dr Moore also says that Mary Jane increases risks of
respiratory exposure by infectious organisms such as
fungi and molds, since cannabis plants are often contaminated
with spores.
Conservative estimates put the
number of North Americans who have 'puffed the magic
dragon' in the last month at more than 12 million. This
number is on the rise, especially among youth who often
have easier access to ganja than to tobacco or alcohol.
Dr Moore explains, "because more than two million adult
Americans are heavy marijuana smokers, these risks present
a potentially large health burden." He concludes that
heavy pot smokers actually use more medical services
for their respiratory problems than tobacco smokers.
J Gen Intern Med published
online Dec 27, 2004
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