Cannabis and your health
Cannabis is one of the most widely used illegal drugs in the UK. The majority of people who smoke it are young people, from teens up to mid to late twenties.
Now doctors are looking into the effects of cannabis on young people’s lungs, after seeing a number of cases of young cannabis-smokers with emphysema. Emphysema is a progressive lung disease, which is usually associated with older people, especially those who have regularly smoked tobacco throughout their lives. Emphysema happens when the small air sacs and airways in your lungs become damaged. It causes breathing difficulties, especially when exhaling.
The doctors, who are experts in the field of respiratory medicine, believe that cannabis smoking is linked to the increase in cases of emphysema amongst young people. They plan to launch a study, comparing the lungs of patients who smoke cannabis against those who smoke only tobacco.
A link between cannabis use and emphysema has previously been difficult to prove. This is mainly because many users smoke both cannabis and tobacco, so it has been difficult to separate the effects of them from each other.
Damaged lungs
In a report by the British Lung Foundation, it was estimated that three to four cannabis cigarettes a day could cause the same amount of damage to the lungs as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day. Cannabis produces the same chemicals as tobacco but it is believed that they cause much more damage to the airways.
In the new study, doctors are planning to use lung function tests and CT scan pictures to search for lung damage. CT scans have not been used in previous studies. These scans can highlight problems such as holes in the lungs, which would be missed by other tests. These tests are important because people with apparently normal lung function and no symptoms could still have respiratory disease.
Many people who smoke cannabis are aware of the fact that they are at risk of health problems similar to those of smoking tobacco, such as lung cancer. However, the risks of emphysema and knowledge of the condition is not widely known. The British Lung Foundation is calling for more awareness of the issue.
More about emphysema
The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath. You may start to notice that you cannot do as much physical activity as you once could, which gets worse as the disease progresses. In time, you may have trouble breathing even when lying down and it may be especially hard to breathe after respiratory illnesses, like a cold.
You should see your doctor if you find you are often short of breath, cannot breathe well enough to tolerate moderate exercise, or are coughing up phlegm that is coloured or possibly infected. These signs do not always mean you have emphysema, but they do show that your lungs aren’t working properly.
Emphysema is one of a number of lung diseases that is covered by one name; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD causes over 30,000 deaths a year in the UK and one of the main causes is smoking- whether it be cannabis or tobacco. So the best chance you have to avoid this illness is to give up smoking.
Cannabis health risks
Apart from the risk of emphysema, cannabis can also affect your health in other ways. Cannabis affects your concentration and can make you feel panicky, anxious and paranoid. It increases your heart rate and affects your blood pressure. There is also increasing evidence of a link between cannabis and mental health problems, such as schizophrenia.
For more information about emphysema, COPD or other respiratory illnesses, visit the British Lung Foundation website.
If you smoke cannabis and would like to give up, there is plenty of helpful information on the talk to frank website or you can call 0800 776600.