Whenever my mom lectures me about drugs and alcohol, she likes to say that smoking weed is just as bad for your lungs as smoking cigarettes.  I never really believed her, but how am I supposed to know?  So, I decided to do some research on this subject.  According to the American Lung Association, all smoke is bad for lung health, and it does not matter what the smoke is from.  When anything or any substance is lit on fire, toxins and carcinogens are released.  Marijuana smokers tend to inhale deeper and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers.  This leads to a greater exposure of tar to the lungs.  Marijuana can cause chronic bronchitis.  Marijuana usage can also have a negative affect on the immune system, especially if you already have a condition that causes you to have a weak immune system.  Additionally, smoking marijuana can kill the lungs’ cells which help to remove dust and germs, which is often referred to as the lungs’ “first line of defense”.  Although some of these affects may seem threatening, smoking marijuana is not nearly as threatening to your health as cigarettes.  Overall, while smoking marijuana has been proven to cause some health issues, it is not nearly as bad for you as smoking cigarettes.  Many of the problems that marijuana seems to cause are very unlikely unless the smoker is already predisposed to having said condition and excessively smoke marijuana.  Researchers measured marijuana smokers’ forced expiratory volume (the amount of air that can be pushed out in one second) compared to non-smokers.  They found that there was little to no difference between the two.  This seems to make it pretty unlikely that there is any correlation between having lung problems and smoking marijuana.  Similarly, researchers at Emory University attributed sore throats and coughs reported by smokers to be more correlated to the rolling paper than the actual marijuana smoke itself.  This seems especially plausible because people who smoke marijuana through vaporizers reported these symptoms less often.  Essentially, it has not yet been proven that marijuana causes long term health problems on your lungs or any other part of you body.  Of course, inhaling anything besides oxygen is not the best thing for you, but of all things to smoke, marijuana is the best option.

http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/marijuana-lung-health.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/01/22/3614459/new-pot-research/