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Marijuana and Your Lungs
What is Marijuana?
• Marijuana is the most
widely used illegal
drug in North
America.
• It is a mixture of dry,
shredded flowers,
stems and leaves of
the cannabis plant
pictured here on the
right.
Marijuana and your lungs
• Although there are
several different ways
people use marijuana,
we are going to focus
on the effect of
smoking marijuana on
your lungs.
Tetrahydrocannabinol
• Tetrahydrocannabinol
or THC is the active
ingredient in
marijuana.
• It’s chemical formula
is C21H30O2
• The picture on the
right shows a
molecule of THC.
Effects of THC
• When smoked, THC passes from the lungs into
the bloodstream which transports it to the brain
and other organs.
• THC connects with a specific receptor site in the
brain and within minutes of being inhaled the
user will likely feel, along with intoxication, a dry
mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of
coordination and poor sense of balance, and
slower reaction time. Blood vessels in the eye
expand, so the user’s eyes look red.
Staying Power in the Body
• THC is absorbed by fatty tissue and for
less frequent users THC can be traced in
the body by a simple urine test for several
days
• For chronic or heavy smokers, THC can
be traced in the body for up to several
weeks
Effects on the Lungs
• The effect of marijuana on the lungs is
currently being investigated as the use of
medicinal marijuana increases.
• In the past, it has been reported that
smoking marijuana will have the same
effects as smoking tobacco.
• Current research has shown that it may
not be the case. Tobacco has more of an
effect on the lungs than marijuana.
That being said……
• When a person smokes any substance
they are exposing their lungs to chemicals
that irritate the lungs.
• Individuals who smoke marijuana can
have many of the same respiratory
problems as tobacco smokers, such as
daily cough and phlegm production, more
frequent acute chest illness, and a
heightened risk of lung infections.
Medicinal uses of Marijuana
• As an antiemetic to control nausea and
vomiting associated with cancer
chemotherapy.
• As an antiemetic to control nausea and
vomiting associated with the use of drugs
for controlling the spread of the AIDS
virus; without which patients could
regurgitate the nausea inducing drugs
before being properly absorbed by the
body.
• To retard or reverse the weight reduction
syndrome of AIDS.
Medicinal uses of Marijuana
• To control seizures in patients
suffering from epilepsy.
• To reduce pressure within the eyes
associated with glaucoma.
• To alleviate muscle spasms
associated with multiple sclerosis.
• To alleviate pain and muscle spasms
for paraplegics and quadriplegics.