“Smoking marijuana is not harmless, at least not to the respiratory system,” the expert said.
Respiratory symptoms such as bronchitis, cough, mucous membrane inflammation, and other acute conditions occur in 30% of cannabis users.
The rate was “slightly lower” than those who also smoked, although “significantly higher” than those who did not use other drugs, the Observer reported.
Pulmonologists, chemists, epidemiologists and physicians at the University of the Republic conducted the study after consulting at several international conferences on the effects of cannabis smoking on respiratory function in countries where cannabis has been legalized.
Last December, Uruguay legalized the consumption, distribution and production of marijuana for adult use for a decade and, within the regulations, allowed the installation of marijuana clubs (which doctors and scientists have focused on research).
The aim was to extend the study time and examine whether people who smoked “yerba” developed chronic respiratory disease or lung cancer.
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