Marijuana smoke does produces tar
Illegal status effects purity and leads to inconclusive results
No long term studies directly linking cannabis smoke to lung issues
Smoking cannabis can cause short term issues that can pose health risks
European studies claim smoking marijuana causes Bullous disease and lung cysts
No direct link to lung cancer
More research needs to been done

We all get so caught up on how amazingly healthy marijuana is, and why not? It’s almost as if a new study come out everyday proving it.

The medicinal benefits of cannabis are incredible, from being a super antibiotic to killing cancer cells. There is a growing list of research studies that prove the beneficial effects of cannabis use.

Thats all great news, should we assume marijuana is completely, 100% safe? Even though I would love to just agree, but whats really the truth?

Scientific Proof that Cannabis Smoke is Bad For Your Lungs

There really isn’t any definitive proof that smoking cannabis leads to lung disease.

Most of the negative articles come from the European Academy for Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery and the only studies I found consisted of people that smoked weed and tobacco. The EACTS may not even mention the other possible factors.

So take the following with a grain of salt.

Articles and excerpts linking Smoking weed to lung problems:

Cannabis as a cause of giant cystic lung disease – “The patient had smoked minimal tobacco (up to 5 packet years), but had consumed cannabis freely up to 7 g daily (equivalent to about 100 cones) for 25 years.”
Bullous lung disease due to marijuana – ” In subjects who smoke marijuana, these pathological changes occur at a younger age (approximately 20 years earlier) than in tobacco smokers.”
Pulmonary effects of marijuana inhalation – “there is evidence to suggest that marijuana can impair lung function, damage large airway mucosa and possibly contribute to bullous disease, while its carcinogenic potential is controversial.”
Bullous disease of the lung and cannabis smoking – “We found 10 cases in four reports, where the authors have described bullous lung disease in association with cannabis smoking (Table 1). Their ages were 24 to 46, nine were male and all were also tobacco smokers.”

The last article is why I love NIH.Gov, They basically destroyed all the other research articles. Proving no direct link to cannabis caused lung problems!

Is Smoking Weed Harmful to lungs?

I hate to say this, but yes it can be.

First off, the best thing you can do for your lungs is provide them clean, fresh, oxygen rich air.

Anything opposite of that will come with risks. That includes inhaling smoke from marijuana or any of its products.

The smoke produced from burning cannabis leaves contains tar.

All marijuana smoke contains tar. The amount of tar produced depends completely on the strain.

As a rule of thumb, I like to think of it this way. The more trichomes, the more potential tar is produced when lit.

Bud thats stickier, oilier or just totally frosted, looks and tastes GREAT!!, But..

Chances are, that thick dense smoke we all love is full of tar. Don’t believe me, whats does your body tell you after taking a toke?

Dank, Dark and Full of Tar!

Think about it, What happens after you toke on some really Dank herb? Your mind is saying yes, but your lings are yelling NO!

The passageways close up and you start to cough. Since the lungs block the pathways, it makes it hard to inhale.

Its only momentary, but in those few moments, its even possible to pass out and loss consciousness!

Yeh, I know thats the good stuff.

Reduce the Risks of Lung Damage By Not Smoking Pot

So there is no real conclusive evidence that smoking herb does lung damage.

But, we know that pot smoke has tar and tar can cause issues. The good thing is, medical marijuana patients can get the medicine they need without smoking pot.

Depending on the reasons you where prescribed marijuana, you may be able to use other THC/CBD products that don’t need to be smoked.

Edibles – Great for almost any ailment
Topicals – Good for pain reduction in the joints and muscle.
Vaping -know to produce less tar and reduce risks.
RSO – Another way to get the medicinal effects with little to no health risk

Explore these and other options with your physician.