Medical Marijuana Side Effects: Respiratory Illnesses

With all of this talk about medical marijuana in the news lately, many people are wondering how this drug can serve as medicine when some people smoke it and inhale harmful fumes and carcinogens that can damage their respiratory systems permanently. In fact, the smoke in marijuana contains more tar than in tobacco, but fewer chemicals, and can still cause a number of undesirable respiratory illnesses, such as lung, throat and mouth cancer, or even emphysema. Let’s explore this side effect to smoking medical marijuana, and identify any safer methods of THC delivery. Why People Smoke Medical Marijuana Let’s face it: smoking anything is outdated and unhealthy. Some people will still smoke medical marijuana and are not concerned over the side effects. The only reason people smoke it is to activate the THC vapors in the marijuana, which is the medicine that helps provide relief. THC needs to be heated in order to be activated, but you don’t have to rely on harmful smoke just to get the medicine that you need. We will explore harmless ways of using it and delivering THC in just a moment. Clinical Studies on Medical Marijuana Side Effects & Respiratory Illnesses A great article that was published by Harvard University identifies the dangers of smoking marijuana. (Read Full Article Here) Citing from that article, “The main respiratory consequences of smoking marijuana regularly (one joint a day) are pulmonary infections and respiratory cancer, whose connection to marijuana use has been strongly suggested but not conclusively proven. The effects also include chronic bronchitis, impairment in the function of the smaller air passages, inflammation of the lung, the development of potentially pre-cancerous abnormalities in the bronchial lining and lungs, and, as discussed, a reduction in the capabilities of many defensive mechanisms within the lungs. Marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke contain many of the same toxins, including one which has been identified as a key factor in the promotion of lung cancer. This toxin is found in the tar phase of both, and it should be noted that one joint has four times more tar than a cigarette, which means that the lungs are exposed four-fold to this toxin and others in the tar. It has been concretely established that smoking cigarettes promotes lung cancer (which causes more than 125,000 deaths in the US every year), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) and increased incidence of respiratory tract infections. This implies, but does not establish, that smoking marijuana may lead to some of the same results as smoking cigarettes. It is notable that several reports indicate an unexpectedly large proportion ofmarijuana users among cases of lung cancer and cancers of the oral cavity,pharynx, and larynx. Thus, it appears that the use of marijuana as a medicine has the potential to further harm an already ill patient in the same way that taking up regular cigarette smoking would, particularly in light of the fact that those patients for whom marijuana is recommended are already poorly equipped to fight off these infections and diseases.” Harmless Ways to Use Medical Marijuana Without Smoking You can use it harmlessly, too. You can bake marijuana into goods like brownies or cupcakes and eat them to absorb the THC. (Learn About Marijuana Edibles) You can also use a vaporizer to heat up the THC so you can inhale vapors and not harmful smoke. There are now THC-infused beverages, candies, pills, tongue strips and even water that you can use as well—all so that you don’t have to worry about damaging your health from medical marijuana smoke. Apply Online Now and See if You Qualify! There has never been an easier, safer or more convenient method of obtaining your legal medical marijuana card!