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Effects of Marijuana on the Lung and Immune Defenses

  • Chapter
Marijuana and the Cannabinoids

Part of the book series: Forensic Science And Medicine ((FSM))

Abstract

Cannabis has been used as a drug for thousands of years, but marijuana smoking has become prevalent in Western society only during the last 40 years (1,2). An annual survey conducted in the United States from 1975 to 2002 documented that marijuana is now the second most commonly smoked substance after tobacco (1,2). Marijuana smoke, like tobacco smoke, is generated by the pyrolysis of dried plant leaves. As a result, it shares thousands of chemical features in common with tobacco smoke, including qualitatively similar amounts of carbon monoxide, cyanide, acrolein, benzene, vinyl chlorides, aldehydes, phenols, nitrosamines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and a variety of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (3,4). The primary distinction between marijuana and tobacco is the presence of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids in Cannabis vs the presence of nicotine in tobacco (3,4). Although the hazardous effects of tobacco smoking have been extensively documented and include emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and risk for developing several different types of cancer, studies on the health effects of marijuana smoking are less abundant. The common perception is that marijuana smoke is less toxic and that smoking a few marijuana joints per day has far fewer consequences than smoking a pack of tobacco cigarettes (5). However, the lack of filtering and differences in the smoking technique associated with marijuana use result in an approximately fourfold greater deposition of tar particulates in the lung than occurs from smoking similar amounts of tobacco (6). In addition, the concentration of pro-carcinogens such as benz-[α]-anthracene and benzo-[α]-pyrene are up to twofold higher in marijuana tar (3,7). The presence of irritants and pro-carcinogens in marijuana smoke and the enhanced deposition of these in the lung during smoking suggest that habitual smoking of marijuana might result in a spectrum of respiratory consequences similar to those described for tobacco smoking. Moreover, THC has recently been shown to exert potent biological effects on lung epithelial cells and on the immune system (8-10). Consequently, it is possible that regular exposure to marijuana smoke, a large proportion of which is THC, might predispose to lung injury, pulmonary infections, and/or tumor growth. This chapter reviews the current knowledge concerning the pulmonary and immune consequences of marijuana smoking and THC, as briefly outlined in Figure 1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

    Donald P. Tashkin MD & Michael D. Roth MD

Authors
  1. Donald P. Tashkin MD
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  2. Michael D. Roth MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi; ElSohly Laboratories Inc., Oxford, MS

    Mahmoud A. ElSohly PhD

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© 2007 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, New Jersey

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Tashkin, D.P., Roth, M.D. (2007). Effects of Marijuana on the Lung and Immune Defenses. In: ElSohly, M.A. (eds) Marijuana and the Cannabinoids. Forensic Science And Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_11

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-456-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-947-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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