Pubdate: Fri,  5 Dec 2003
Source: Reuters (Wire)
Copyright: 2003 Reuters Limited
Author: Patricia Reaney

STUDY: SMOKING CANNABIS CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS

LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking cannabis is not the harmless recreational
activity it may seem because it can cause lung damage, researchers
said Friday.

Regularly smoking three or four joints a week, even for less than six
years, can impair lung function and rob the body of antioxidants that
protect cells against damage that can lead to heart disease and cancer.

"Smoking cannabis on a regular basis actually depletes your lung of
protective antioxidant substances...and this may have chronic
long-term implications for young individuals," said Dr Sarah Nuttall
of the University of Birmingham in central England.

In a small study involving 20 people aged 19 to 30, including
non-smokers and those who smoked tobacco and cannabis, Nuttall and her
team took blood samples, measured lung function and tested for
antioxidant markers. She presented the finding at a meeting of the
British Thoracic Society in London.

"We found that smokers, compared to non-smokers, had impaired lung
function," Nuttall said in an interview.

Cannabis smokers also had significantly lower levels of a protective
antioxidant and nitric oxide, which is involved in lung function, than
non-smokers.

"These findings are important in young individuals in which the use of
cannabis is increasing and may have serious long-term implications for
what is currently regarded as a relatively harmless recreational
habit," she said.

Dr John Harvey, of the British Thoracic Society, called for more
research into the effects of smoking on the lungs.

"It is vital that young people understand the dangers of both
cigarette and cannabis smoking since these habits can start having a
serious impact on their lungs at an early stage," he said in a statement.

Some European countries have taken a relaxed approach to cannabis use.
Although it is technically illegal in the Netherlands, the drug can be
bought and used in cannabis coffee shops in the country.

The Netherlands was also the first nation to make cannabis available
as a prescription drug in pharmacies for chronically ill patients.
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