Harmful Health Effects of Chronic

¶ … harmful health effects of chronic marijuana use compared with chronic smoked tobacco use?

A comparison of marijuana and chronic tobacco use comparison of the harmful health effects of chronic marijuana and chronic smoked tobacco use

There is a common myth that marijuana smoking is less harmful than cigarette smoking. However, many studies suggest that both these forms of smoking have similar detrimental effects on heath; while there are also contrary views that posit different degrees and types of health damage to each type of smoking. Many of these studies are based on variables that do not take into account chronic smoking of both tobacco and marijuana. One of the reasons for the disparity in findings is that cigarette smoking has received more research attention and has been publicly analyzed and debated more extensively than marijuana.

A central problem area in a comparative discussion of marijuana and tobacco smoking is that there are a wide range of variables that have to be taken into consideration. This includes the particular chemical composition of each substance and the variable comparison in terms of the health damage that each substance can create. Another problematic area of concern refers to the recent research which indicates that marijuana can in fact be medically beneficial. The following discussion of the research on this issue will attempt to provide some insight into these issues.

Background to the problem

The literature on his topic emphasizes the fact that research into the effects of marijuana since the 1980s and 1990s has increased our understanding of the way that this drug affects human health. An important study that initiated some of the more contemporary insights into the effects of marijuana smoking was the 1982 IOM (Institute of Medicine's) report, Marijuana and Health. However, there has been a considerable body of research since this report, which has, among others, shown the affect of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) on brain cells. (Klein T., et al. 2000) There has also been considerable research on the issue of cannabinoid physiology. (Howlett a.C. et al. (2004) With the identification and characterization of cannabinoid receptors in the 1980s and 1990s, more information was gleaned about the way that marijuana affects human health. This has also led to the assertions that cannabinoids have certain medical benefits and can be used to treat certain illness and conditions. (Marijuana and Medicine)

Research on cigarette smoking has for many years shown the negative affect of tobacco inhalation on the lungs and respiratory system, among others. A fact sheet published by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2006, states that,

Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Each year, more than 400,000 Americans die from cigarette smoking. In fact, one in every five deaths in the United States is smoking related. Every year, smoking kills more than 276,000 men and 142,000 women.

Fact Sheet Cigarette Smoking-Related Mortality)

Relevant research and theory from the literature

The literature makes it clear that there are many differences and contrasts in the effect of marihuana smoking on the human respiratory system when compared to cigarettes. A study by Wu and Tashkin et al. (1988) entitled Pulmonary Hazards of Smoking Marijuana as Compared with Tobacco states that there is no exact equivalency between tobacco and marijuana smoking, as they affect different parts of the respiratory tract differently; "... whereas tobacco tends to penetrate to the smaller, peripheral passageways of the lungs, pot tends to concentrate on the larger, central passageways" (Wu and Tashkin, 1988, p. 349). This seminal study also found that marihuana usage does not tend in the main to cause emphysema, which is a disease that closely linked to tobacco smoking.

On the other hand more recent research has found that a widely accepted view is that "... marijuana smokers consume four times as much carcinogenic tar as cigarettes smokers per weight smoked" (Gieringer D. 1994). This is also related to variables such as the weight of the average marihuana 'joint', which has been estimated to contain 0.4 grams of pot, "...a bit less than one-half the weight of a cigarette...making one joint equal to two cigarettes" (Gieringer D. 1994). Variables like these have made simplistic comparisons between marijuana and cigarettes extremely difficult to ascertain definitively.

Notwithstanding the many variables that complicate easy comparisons, in general researchers like Tashkin have found that both marijuana and cigarettes are equally detrimental to the health of the individuals and that this is increased when both marijuana and tobacco are used chronically. Some studies have established that "... marijuana and tobacco smokers had similar symptoms of respiratory problems" (the Effects of Marijuana Smoke).

The above view is offset by other studies that have found that while marijuana is harmful to the lungs and respiratory system, yet "...human studies carried out abroad have failed to find any evidence of respiratory dysfunction or disease in long-term heavy users of marijuana..." (Tashkin, D.P., Coulson, V. et al. 1987, p.211). This issue is further problematized by the inclusion of a wide set of relevant variables; such as the view that Marijuana smokers smoke less material by weight per day than tobacco smokers, but they inhale the smoke deeper into their lungs and retain it longer. (Executive Summary: Institute of Medicine) Included in these variables is the fact that marijuana cigarettes do not have filters like conventional tobacco cigarettes and this can increase the intake of tar to the lungs and "Tobacco cigarettes are tightly packed, providing more filtration. Marijuana cigarettes are comparatively loosely packed, and provide more complete combustion of the smoking material." (the Effects of Marijuana Smoke)

Statistics and demographics

One clear statistic and demographic is that there has been an increase in the use of both tobacco and marijuana among the youth in the United States and other areas of the word since the early 1990s. (Marijuana and Tobacco Use Up Again Among 8th and 10th Graders) a study by the NDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) found that, "... 8th and 10th grade students increased their use of marijuana and tobacco in 1996, while 12th graders continued to use these two substances at generally the same level as they did in 1995" (Mathias R. 1997) Other studies tend to confirm this view: "...substance use is widespread among American adolescents. In fact, by the time they graduate from high school, most have used alcohol (80%), tobacco (61%) and marijuana (54%" (Wallace, Brown, Bachman & Laveist, 2003).

However, more recent statistics indicate that this trend has declined in recent years. The Cannabis 2002 Report, a joint international effort at the initiative of the Ministers of Public Health of Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, found that in the European Union (EU) the percentage of high school students who use cannabis has decreased in the UK and Ireland, whereas the number of marijuana users has tended to stabilize in Holland. (the Cannabis 2002 Report)

Impact on individual and society

The above statistics and demographics clearly indicate that it is the youth that are main users of both cannabis and tobacco. This has obvious healthcare implications for society, as well as for the individuals in that it is the young workforce and future leaders and innovators in society who are most at risk. Numerous studies concur that, notwithstanding the many differences and the positive aspects associated with marihuana, in essence chronic and habitual smoking of marijuana, whether alone or with tobacco, has an adverse effect on large airway function. However this view is complicated by research that finds no clear indication of the actual effects on the respiratory system from marijuana smoking. "The implications of these findings with respect to the subsequent development of clinically significant chronic air-flow obstruction in continuing heavy smokers of marijuana is as yet unclear" (Tashkin, D.P., Coulson, V. et al. 1987, p. 215).

Nevertheless, there is little doubt that both marijuana and cigarettes smoking have an adverse affect on the health of the individual. There are many studies that indicate this finding; for example, a study entitled Respiratory Effects of Marijuana and Tobacco Use in a U.S. Sample (2005) states that, "The impact of marijuana smoking on respiratory health has some significant similarities to that of tobacco smoking" (Moore B. et al. 2005. p.33)

Policy and treatment implications

One of the central policy initiatives derived from the general findings about the harmful effects of both marijuana and tobacco is that more attention should be given to the way that the media presents the health dangers associated with these substances. This is related to the general view that the danger of tobacco and marijuana should be more effectively promulgated. "Efforts to prevent and reduce marijuana use, such as advising patients to quit and providing referrals for support and assistance, may have substantial public health benefits associated with decreased respiratory health problems" (Moore B. et al. 2005. p.34)

However, the 1999 IOM report on the benefits of marijuana must also be taken into account. Marihuana has been found to have positive treatment implications for various ailments and illnesses. "The IOM report recognized the therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana and urged that marijuana be made available to individual patients while research continued on the development of new drugs developed from marijuana" (Zeese).

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are two schools of thought on this issue. One view sees very little difference in terms of health implication between marijuana and cigarette smoking. However, there is some resistance to the idea that marijuana is as unhealthy or as dangerous as cigarettes. This had led to the notion that marijuana is less harmful to the user than tobacco. However, many reports and studies tend to stress that while the effects of each substance on the individual differ, in the long - term both have negative effects that should be emphasized. (Vlahov et al., 2004)

While there is a strong case for the benefits of marijuana in certain instances and for certain conditions, this should not override the negative aspects associated with the sunspace.

Recommendations

The above research and the literature tend to emphasize a central recommendation; namely that more in-depth research should be initiated into a comparative analysis of the two substances in question. Furthermore, that this research should be cognizant of the many variables that form part of this comparative analysis and that the positive medicinal aspects related to Marijuana should not override the plethora of negative health issues.

References www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98432636

Bock, a.W. (2000). The Politics of Medical Marijuana. Santa Ana, CA: Seven Locks.

Executive Summary: Institute of Medicine (1999). Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www.nap.edu/html/marimed/es.html

Fact Sheet Cigarette Smoking-Related Mortality. (2006) Retrieved July 3, 2008, at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/factsheets/cig_smoking_mort.htm

Gieringer D. (1994) Marijuana Health Mythology.