According to The studyA study found that 64% of marijuana smokers experience bronchial walls thickening. This is a significant increase in emphysema rates compared to 42% among tobacco smokers. A third of cannabis smokers also developed bronchiectasis compared to 6% of those who smoked tobacco. Similar to tobacco smokers (15%), cannabis users had 46 percent more mucoid impairment than those who smoked tobacco. Researchers found that 28 of 56 participants smoked an average of 1.85 grams of cannabis per day. Researchers also discovered that 50 cannabis smokers also smoked tobacco.
“Our findings suggest that smoking marijuana leads to chronic bronchitis in addition to the airway changes associated with smoking tobacco,” said the authors of the study. The authors stated that the results were “striking”The extensive smoking history of tobacco-only smokers (25 to 100 pack-years), and the younger cannabis smokers who were likely to have been exposed to less cigarettes in their lives, is not surprising. Although the authors acknowledged the limitations of their study due to the small sample size, variable measurement of cannabis usage, they stated that further research is needed. However, the authors acknowledge that their findings were limited by the small sample size and variable measurement cannabis use. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAccording to the CDC, cannabis can cause blood vessel damage and scarring regardless of how it is smoked.