An examination was carried out on 56 cannabis smokers, 57 non-smokers, and 33 tobacco/cigarette smokers. They had their chest CT scans reviewed by researchers at the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital.
Results of the study
Researchers collected the data between 2005 and 2020.
The data revealed that marijuana users had greater rates of paraseptal emphysema, a lung disease that results in breathlessness owing to damage to the lungs' air sacs.
Emphysema and other airway illnesses are more common among marijuana smokers than tobacco smokers. According to a short study comparing the two groups, it was revealed that 75% of marijuana smokers develop emphysema, compared to 5% of non-smokers and 67% of tobacco smokers.
Additionally, marijuana users had higher rates of bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening, and mucoid impaction.
However, the researchers claim that further research is necessary because they were unable to draw any firm conclusions from this study, in part because 50 of the 56 marijuana/weed users also smoked tobacco or cigarettes.