The Jan. 31 front-page article "D.C. rules on smoking pot may go down in flames" described a "cloud of marijuana smoke" that rose from the audience at a Grateful Dead concert. That means the nonsmokers at the event were forced to inhale secondhand smoke. I doubt it would have been tolerated if audience members had lit tobacco cigarettes in the arena. Amid the controversies surrounding marijuana legalization, it's important to understand that smoked marijuana is not just a drug. There's a legitimate cardiovascular-health concern about exposure to the smoke itself, because secondhand marijuana smoke is similar to secondhand tobacco smoke, which impairs proper functioning of the arteries. [continues 116 words]
Re: "Cannabis, symphony in concert for series," April 29 news story. As a symphony musician and a biomedical researcher who studies the effects of secondhand smoke on the cardiovascular system, I was dismayed to read about the Colorado Symphony Orchestra's plan to perform a series of bring-your-own-marijuana concerts sponsored by the cannabis industry. There is no reason to believe that marijuana smoke, including secondhand smoke, is less harmful than tobacco smoke. Regardless of the nicotine, both kinds of smoke contain thousands of chemicals, many of which are carcinogens, and smoke from sources other than tobacco cigarettes can still cause rapid harmful effects on the heart and blood vessels. [continues 77 words]
