Marijuana smoke could harm health 0:38
(CNN) -
Teens are nearly twice as likely to report chest "wheezing" after vaping marijuana than after smoking cigarettes or using e-cigarettes, a new study found.
"This surprised us, we thought we would find more negative respiratory symptoms in both cigarette and e-cigarette users," said study author Carol Boyd, co-director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
“Without a doubt, cigarettes and e-cigarettes are neither healthy nor good for the lungs.
However, vaping marijuana seems even worse, "he said.
"Since many teens who vape nicotine also vape cannabis, I advise parents to treat all vaping as risky behavior (such as using alcohol or drugs)," Boyd said by email.
Vaping weed linked to deadly new lung disease
Vaping marijuana is associated with a recently identified dangerous lung disease called EVALI, short for lung injury associated with vaping or e-cigarette use.
The disease was first identified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in August 2019. At that time, otherwise healthy young people began to be hospitalized for infections. severe, sometimes fatal, lung diseases throughout the country.
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A link was soon found between the deadly new condition and vaping.
In these cases, vitamin E acetate, a sticky oily substance that is often added to vaping products to thicken or thin the oil in cartridges, played an important role.
That was especially common in vaping products containing THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.
"According to the CDC, 84% of EVALI cases were associated with cannabis-containing products," Boyd said.
As of February 2020, 68 EVALI deaths have been confirmed in 29 states and the District of Columbia.
Five respiratory symptoms
The new study, published Wednesday in the
Journal of Adolescent Health
, analyzed data collected over a two-year period by the
Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health
(PATH) study.
This is a longitudinal national study of the health impact of tobacco use conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
READ: Teens have unprotected sex, drunk driving and vaping, among other risky behaviors, says CDC
A fourth phase of the PATH study asked nearly 15,000 teens ages 12 to 17 to describe their cigarette and marijuana use and e-cigarette use in the past 30 days.
Also the total time they had spent vaping marijuana during their "life."
Each adolescent was also asked if they had had any of these five symptoms in the past year: wheezing or wheezing in the chest, disturbed sleep due to wheezing, limited speech due to wheezing, wheezing during or after exercise, and dry cough. at night that is not due to a cold or chest infection.
After analyzing the data, Boyd and his team found that "lifelong cannabis vaping by adolescents" was associated with all five negative respiratory symptoms.
"This was not true for cigarette or e-cigarette use," Boyd said.
A warning for parents and teens
The study was limited by the original questions asked in the PATH study.
This prevented researchers from being able to fully explore cannabis vaping over time.
The longitudinal study, which is a household survey, also excluded adolescents residing in institutions that "may have higher rates of cannabis use," Boyd said.
Despite these limitations, “the current study had a large national sample and we found a strong association between lifetime cannabis use with ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) and respiratory symptoms during a critical stage of life. development among young people, ”said Boyd.
Would these health concerns also apply to adults who vape marijuana?
The study was not designed to prove that, Boyd said.
The expert explained that "vaping THC / CBD is a relatively new behavior and therefore not many people over the age of 25 were vaping cannabis in adolescence."
"We have too little data to make an assessment," he explained.
That doesn't mean vaping is safe behavior, Boyd emphasized.
“I am often approached by parents and teens who believe that vaping cannabis is 'okay' and better than smoking (a joint, a joint, a bluntobie, etc.).
And then they ask me, 'Vaping is safe, right?' "He said.
"My reaction: 'You are fooling yourself.
We know that inhaling hot tobacco / cannabis smoke into the lungs is unhealthy and can cause life-threatening bronchitis or respiratory problems, ”he explained.
And yet you seem to believe that heating chemicals (including carcinogens) in steam and inhaling them is healthy. My answer is: 'No, it is not a healthy behavior,' "remarked the author.
