Could
Snoop Dogg and
Harold & Kumar be onto something? Over the last year, I've looked at a
number of studies linking cannabis use to psychosis. But a
4 year old study demonstrated only a dose-related impairment of pulmonary function such that
occasional cannabis use was not harmful to the lungs. But as I've noted in the past, look for trends, not fads. So I was bit surprised to find a
longitudinal study published yesterday in JAMA concluding that occasional and low total use of marijuana had no long-term effect on lung function.
In truth, the 5,115 participants were actually from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study and followed for over 20 years. Surprisingly, at least to me, marijuana use was as common as tobacco use (I must be hanging with the wrong crowd!). Luckily, those who consumed only occasional marijuana at less than 2-3 times/month were not likely to see a negative impact on their pulmonary function (as measured by FEV1 & FVC), compared to those who smoked 10-20 joint-years (each joint-year being equivalent to 365 joints or filled pipe bowls).
However, it turns out that
heavy use did negatively impact lung function. Statistically speaking, there weren't enough heavy marijuana users to conclude definitely but the trend did not support chronic daily use of cannabis. So back to the original question - while I have no first-hand knowledge of their habits, given that both the rapper and the fictionalized characters advocate (moderate-to-heavy) marijuana use, they better not turn a blind eye on their lung function as they risk losing their minds.
Part 2
Part 1
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