STUDY: POT DOESN'T HARM LUNGS LIKE TOBACCO DOES

Smoking a joint from time to time won't damage the lungs, even after
years of drug use, according to a new study, which disproves one of
the major concerns about marijuana - that smoking it must be just as
risky as lighting up a cigarette.

SAN FRANCISCO - Smoking a joint from time to time won't damage the
lungs, even after years of drug use, according to a study led by
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers that
disproves one of the major concerns about marijuana - that smoking it
must be just as risky as lighting up a cigarette.

The study, results of which were published Tuesday in the Journal of
the American Medical Association, found the lung capacity of people
who smoked pot was not diminished by regular toking, even in those who
smoked once or twice a week.

Only heavy marijuana users - those who smoked 20 or more joints a
month - saw a negative impact on the pulmonary system, but that level
of marijuana use is unusual, researchers said.

In fact, they said, it may be that marijuana smoke doesn't affect lung
function the way tobacco does simply because people don't smoke as
many joints as they do cigarettes.

The results should reassure doctors and patients who are considering
using marijuana for medical care, primarily to ease pain and nausea,
said Dr. Mark Pletcher, a UCSF epidemiologist and lead author of the
study.