cannetix Inc
Well-Known Member
A message to those who think smoking Cannabis is “harmless”
Lately, I've noticed a lot of people, especially in these forums, making the claim that smoking Cannabis is “harmless”. The ideologies and theories behind these claims are interesting, and range from the theory that Nicotine “paralyzes” cilia in the lungs, preventing the “expectorant” effect, while cannabis does not, to the theory that additives alone are what makes tobacco so harmful, and not the tobacco smoke itself.
The fact is, smoking is harmful, and it does not matter what you're smoking. Yes, Cannabis contains Cannabinoids, which are known to have numerous pharmacological properties, however, most of the byproducts that form during the combustion of organic matter are identical. Both Tobacco & Cannabis are primarily Cellulose. Nicotine is actually one of the less harmful components of tobacco smoke, although it is the addictive component (combined with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibiting Harmala Alkaloids). Nicotine is an alkaloid that occurs in nightshade plants that has stimulating effects by acting as an agonist towards nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.Nicotine is not classified as a carcinogen and is not shown to paralyze cilia (an effect that tar is known to have). Cilia are small “hairs” in the respiratory tract that clear mucous and contaminants through a process known as ‘Mucociliary clearance’. Some drugs, known as “Expectorants” help stimulate mucociliary clearance, however, are widely recognized as relatively ineffective treatments and only used for minor respiratory conditions such as congestion due to respiratory infection. According to a study done in 2008, “Although drugs in this class are used in an enormous number of over-the-counter medications, a Food and Drug Administration advisory review panel found no well-controlled studies that documented the effectiveness of expectorants in managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”. If a simple expectorant effect, more actually known as a mucokinetic effect, were enough to prevent harm from smoking, cigarette smokers could clean out their lungs simply by taking mucokinetic drugs such as acetylcysteine. When it comes to additives, Tobacco in Canada, by law, has to be additive free, with the exception of Menthol in Menthol flavored cigarettes, and lung cancer from tobacco use is still rampant in the country. It is true that there has never been a case of cancer from Cannabis use, but that doesn't mean smoking Cannabis is “harmless”, as there have been plenty of recorded cases of things like Emphysema and COPD from long-term cannabis use. Of course, this has nothing to do with cannabis itself, but it is a universal effect of smoking. The combustion of organic matter creates toxic compounds including but not limited to; Hydrogen Cyanide, Carbon Monoxide, Formaldehyde, Ammonia, Nitrogen oxides, Sulphur oxides, Nitric acid, Sulphuric Acid, it doesn't matter if its tobacco, cannabis, or unicorn fur. Furthermore, the health risks associated with smoking go far beyond the chemical effects of the smoke. Repeatedly exposing cells to any form of damage or inflammation, which includes heat, is bad. Not only does this heat damage cells, it also physically damages cilia. Cannabis burns, depending on the method of smoking, between 300 and 900 degrees Celcius, and the smoke is about the same temperature. Waterpipes do cool smoke, but this cooling action is not substantial and the resulting smoke is still as high as 450 degrees Celcius. Long-term and repeated inflammation induce a ‘secretory hyperresponsiveness’ that leads to impaired mucociliary clearance.
People who spread this kind of pseudoscience and misinformation do nothing for the Cannabis community and give cannabis users a bad name in general. Exaggerated or just plain false claims made by people in this community discredit real facts. Be pro-cannabis and pro-legalization, but don't make excuses as to why a harmful activity (smoking) is “harmless” and don’t spread misinformation. Cannabis has numerous benefits, but an "expectorant" effect of its smoke is not one of them.
http://www.tpchd.org/files/library/fe99c9b6fa7d312b.pdf Tobacco Facts - Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/mucolytics.html Muciklytic Drugs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716329/ Phenolic Compounds in Particles of Mainstream Waterpipe Smoke
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3961124/ Clinical application of expectorant therapy in chronic inflammatory airway diseases (Review)
http://www.resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(14)00056-0/fulltext Hookah, is it really harmless?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/mucociliary-clearance Mucociliary clearance - an overview
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215592/ Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: An Emerging Health Crisis in the United States
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944372/ Combustion By-Products and their Health Effects - Combustion Engineering and Global Health in the 21st Century: Issues and Challenges
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53014/ How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/harmala-alkaloid Harmala alkaloid - an overview
