What are the effects on the lungs of cannabis use?
A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke cannabis frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than non-smokers. Many of the extra sick days among the cannabis smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses. Even infrequent abuse can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes cannabis regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways. Smoking cannabis possibly increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced evidence that cannabis smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers. Cannabis abuse also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respir
