Cannabis might just help you breath…

Evidence came to light recently, that Cannabis use may help respiratory function. Though the mainly uninformed public will still argue that Tobacco smoke and Cannabis smoke are equally as bad for you, the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago, is proving this theory wrong. Maybe, Cannabis is a performance enhancing drug after all…

Taken from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19679602

The effects of cannabis on lung function remain unclear and may be different to tobacco. We compared the associations between use of these substances and lung function in a population-based cohort (n=1037).

Cannabis and tobacco use were reported at ages 18, 21, 26, and 32 years. Spirometry, plethysmography, and carbon monoxide transfer factor were measured at age 32. Associations between lung function and exposure to each substance were adjusted for exposure to the other substance. Cumulative cannabis use was associated with higher forced vital capacity, total lung capacity, functional residual capacity, and residual volume. Cannabis was also associated with higher airways resistance but not with forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced expiratory ratio, or transfer factor. These findings were similar amongst those who did not smoke tobacco.

By contrast, tobacco use was associated with lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second, lower forced expiratory ratio, lower transfer factor, and higher static lung volumes, but not with airways resistance.

Cannabis appears to have different effects on lung function to those of tobacco. Cannabis use was associated with higher lung volumes suggesting hyperinflation and increased large-airways resistance, but there was little evidence for airflow obstruction or impairment of gas transfer.

I myself had to look up the meaning a few of the terms in this story, so I decided to post them, so you guys don’t have to do the same. Thank you Wikipedia

• Higher forced vital capacity (FVC) – the maximum volume of air that a person can exhale after maximum inhalation. It can also be the maximum volume of air that a person can inhale after maximum exhalation.
• Total lung capacity – This is a given, I hope.
• Functional residual capacity (FRC) – the volume of air present in the lungs at the end of passive expiration. At FRC, the elastic recoil forces of the lungs and chest wall are equal but opposite and there is no exertion by the diaphragm or other respiratory muscles.
• Residual volume – refers to physical differences in lung volume, while lung capacities represent different combinations of lung volumes, usually in relation to inhalation and exhalation.