Inhaling second-hand marijuana smoke for just one minute may damage blood vessels, new research out of the United States shows.
It also suggests that our bodies may take three times longer to recover than after breathing second-hand tobacco smoke, according to a paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco’s Division of Cardiology say their findings on rats will further dispel the “widespread belief” that cannabis is harmless, moreover.
Inhaling second-hand marijuana fumes on a regular basis could cause the arteries to harden, increasing the risks of heart attacks and strokes, they maintain.
The scientists examined blood vessels of rats before and after they were exposed to second-hand marijuana and tobacco smoke.
When the rats inhaled second-hand marijuana smoke for one minute, their arteries carried blood less efficiently for at least 90 minutes, whereas similar exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke caused blood vessel impairment that recovered within 30 minutes.
“While the effect is temporary for both cigarette and marijuana smoke, these temporary problems can turn into long-term problems if exposures occur often enough and may increase the chances of developing hardened and clogged arteries,” said senior study author Matthew Springer, PhD.
“Arteries of rats and humans are similar in how they respond to second-hand tobacco smoke, so the response of rat arteries to second-hand marijuana smoke is likely to reflect how human arteries might respond,” Springer said.
The scientists also found that just the burning of the plant material appears responsible for the impaired blood vessels, not chemicals like nicotine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
“There is widespread belief that, unlike tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke is benign,” Springer said. “We in public health have been telling the public to avoid second-hand tobacco smoke for years, but we don’t tell them to avoid second-hand marijuana smoke, because until now we haven’t had evidence that it can be harmful.
“The public’s perception of risk from marijuana second-hand smoke has thus been limited to a few publicized studies.
“Increasing legalization of marijuana makes it more important than ever to understand the consequences of exposure to second-hand marijuana smoke,” he noted.
Campaigners for the legalization of the drug claim this would cut crime, as the sale would be regulated, and believe there are numerous health benefits including pain relief and alleviation of cancer and Alzheimer’s symptoms.
A 20-year study into its effects published in 2014 nevertheless concluded that it was highly addictive, caused mental health problems and often resulted in the use of hard drugs.
Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/think-second-hand-tobacco-smoke-dangerous-study-says-marijuana-smoke-worse#ixzz4GHdLWys9
