While the causes of lung disease vary from person to person, smoking tobacco is considered one of the top reasons people struggle with this condition.¹ But can the same be said about those who smoke cannabis?

The difficulty in answering such a question is most marijuana smokers don’t have the same habits as tobacco smokers. Furthermore, since cannabis legalization remains relatively new, we only have so much long-term research concerning cannabis and chronic lung diseases. Currently, the research is indefinite.Still, there is research to look into and risks to consider if you are a cannabis smoker. Throughout this article, we will look deeper at chronic lung disease, its development, and what cannabis does to this condition.

What is Chronic Lung Disease?

Chronic lung disease is a general term used for a variety of lung disorders, including:

• Asthma
• Chronic bronchitis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Emphysema

All these diseases have one thing in common: they restrict breathing to the lungs, causing various symptoms. These may include:²•Shortness of breath after little (or no) exertion

• Laboured breathing

• A cough that lasts more than a month

• Chronic mucus or sputum production

• Wheezing or noisy breathing

• Coughing up blood

Naturally, such symptoms can cause serious issues. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis (a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) are the fourth leading cause of death. Affecting 210 million people worldwide.

What Causes Chronic Lung Disease?

Most chronic lung disease cases are caused by cigarette smoking and, therefore, can be prevented by simply not picking up the habit. Still, smoking isn’t the only cause of chronic lung diseases. Sometimes, a person may develop symptoms due to environmental factors, such as second-hand smoke or living around (long-term exposure to) industrial pollutants. On top of this, cystic fibrosis can be developed simply due to genetics and may develop early in life.

Does Smoking Cannabis Cause Chronic Lung Diseases?

Since cigarette smoke is the number one cause of chronic lung diseases, some may wonder whether or not cannabis smoke can do the same.As of now, a 2009 review offers the most insight into answering this question.Between the 1990s and 2000s, researchers sought out the relationship between smoking marijuana and COPD through many methods, including4•Assessing respiratory symptoms

• Examining lung structure

• Measuring lung function

The evidence found in this review is mixed. Some research believes there is a direct link between marijuana and COPD, whereas others don’t. However, those that didn’t did find concurrent marijuana and tobacco use did increase the risk of COPD.The best evidence comes from a study concerning young men (with an average age of 33) living in Los Angeles. Some were heavy marijuana smokers, some were chronic cannabis and tobacco smokers, and others were non-smokers’ study found that those who only smoked marijuana did not have respiratory abnormalities. However, there was a mild decrease in certain airways in these cannabis smokers. Still, due to the differences in results, the review firmly states that we cannot reach a consistent conclusion now. Most studies also observed younger people (under 40 years old), which isn’t the best demographic, considering chronic lung diseases usually appear later in life. On top of this, a 2014 study looked into the issue. However, it only concluded that mild marijuana use does no significant harm, whereas chronic cannabis use may obstruct airways and injure lung tissue.5

Can Smoking Cannabis Worsen Chronic Lung Diseases?

While smoking cannabis will likely not cause chronic lung diseases, it should be avoided if you’re experiencing symptoms. When you inhale marijuana smoke, you damage small blood vessels within your airways. This may worsen certain symptoms of chronic lung disease, such as coughing and mucus production.6On top of this, smoking cannabis can lead to microscopic injuries in large airways. As a result, this can make chronic bronchitis symptoms worse

Can You Use Marijuana to Treat Chronic Lung Diseases?

If you struggle with chronic lung disease, you should avoid smoking anything, including marijuana. However, that’s not to say other marijuana products may not be helpful. We don’t have much evidence to suggest that cannabis can help relieve symptoms of chronic lung disease. That is, except for a 2015 review examining cannabis and forced vital capacity (FCV). Simply put, FCV is the amount of air you can forcefully and quickly exhale when taking a deep breath. Chronic lung disease reduces FVC. But cannabis may help to increase it.The 2015 review looked into 19 studies, all of which found that smoking marijuana helped to increase FVC.8Still, this evidence remains inconclusive - for we don’t know if it’s smoking marijuana that reduced FVC or the intake of specific cannabinoids.

Furthermore, there’s been some research to suggest that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) may reduce swelling within the lungs. In turn, they are allowing people struggling with chronic lung disease more open airways. Still, this research also remains inconclusive. As of right now, treatment of chronic lung disease should be left to healthcare providers and medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While there may be little evidence to suggest marijuana may help, its assistance falls short compared to these medications.

Final Word

If you struggle with chronic lung disease, it’s best to avoid marijuana products altogether. Beyond smoking cannabis can harm your condition, there’s very little evidence to suggest other marijuana products will help. On the other hand, if you’re worried that smoking marijuana may cause chronic lung disease, we don’t have any evidence to suggest this. Still, as we’ve discussed, this evidence isn’t conclusive, namely because most individuals observed were younger. With that said, our research concerning marijuana and chronic lung disease is not only indefinite but significantly required. With legalization, more people consume cannabis without knowing how it may affect their lung health.