Lung Health
Cannabis smoke, like all types of inhaled smoke, may have both short- and long-term effects on the user's lung health. Smoking cannabis can lead to respiratory irritation, including pain or inflammation in the lungs, throat and mouth. Long-term use of cannabis may make these problems more severe, and in some cases irreversible. Regular cannabis smokers exhibit the same lung damage seen in regular cigarette smokers. Additionally, long-term exposure to cannabis smoke may increase the individual's susceptibility to lung cancer. Because cannabis smokers tend to hold the smoke in their lungs for prolonged periods before exhaling, the lungs receive a greater exposure to carcinogens per inhalation, compared with cigarette smokers.