Phillip Leveque has spent has life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician and Toxicologist.
(SALEM, Ore.) - I was totally befuddled to read in the Oregonian newspaper August, 1, 2007, of a research study in New Zealand that smoking one joint of marijuana obstructs the flow of air (in the lungs) as much as five tobacco cigarettes.
The New Zealand Medical Research Institute further reports that long-time pot smokers can develop symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, obstruction of large airways and excessive lung inflation.
They seem to hedge their remarks by writing that the chronic lung disease, emphysema, (from tobacco smoking) was uncommon among marijuana smokers.
They further stated that only 1.3 percent of marijuana smokers had emphysema, while it was 16.3 percent with marijuana AND tobacco and 18.9 percent of tobacco only smokers.
THE CONCLUSION: MARIJUANA SMOKING IS SAFE FOR LUNGS.
I can’t figure how this news item got so screwed up. It sounds like “Reefer Madness” from Anslinger or the Hearst newspapers.
With my experience with more than 4,000 patients including many who have asthma, I was surprised when patients with asthma came in requesting marijuana permits.
This required considerable thought and consideration because I had heard for years that marijuana caused irritation of lung passages and coughing. It was time for some education for me by my patients.
Cannibinoids, the medicine in marijuana, cause smooth muscle relaxation and smooth muscles are the inside lining of the airways; therefore, marijuana should help asthma patients by enlarging the bore. It does.
The answer is simple. Old marijuana pre- about 1980 was usually 5 percent or less medicine and burning it as in smoking caused the irritants and bronchitis. We call that “Ditch Weed”.
I have seen the hemp plantations in New Zealand. That’s “Ditch Weed” and no self-respecting pothead would smoke it. This is obviously what these New Zealand guinea pigs were smoking.
For heavens sake, give them some good grass containing 15 percent THC.
I presume somebody down under is trying to frighten people from smoking marijuana. It won’t work.
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Phillip Leveque is a physician, toxicologist and WWII Combat Infantryman. Watch for his video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King.
You can email your questions to the doctor: newsroom@salem-news.com
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