oracle
11-10-2002, 11:20 PM
Tobacco warning for cannabis smokers (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2419713.stm)
Smoking pure cannabis is just as harmful to lungs as tobacco, a health charity is warning.
A study by the British Lung Foundation found that just three cannabis joints a day cause the same damage as 20 cigarettes.
And when cannabis and tobacco are smoked together, the effects are dramatically worse.
Evidence shows that tar from cannabis cigarettes contains 50% more cancer causing carcinogens than tobacco.
Dr Mark Britton, chairman of the British Lung Foundation, said: "These statistics will come as a surprise to many people, especially those who choose to smoke cannabis rather than tobacco in the belief it is safer for them.
"It is vital that people are fully aware of the dangers so they can make an educated decision and know the damage they may be causing."
Dr Britton emphasised that the British Lung Foundation report - called A Smoking Gun? - was "not about the moral rights and wrongs of cannabis".
But, he said, they simply wanted to make sure people were completely clear about the respiratory health risks involved.
...
Click here to read more (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2419713.stm)
Smoking pure cannabis is just as harmful to lungs as tobacco, a health charity is warning.
A study by the British Lung Foundation found that just three cannabis joints a day cause the same damage as 20 cigarettes.
And when cannabis and tobacco are smoked together, the effects are dramatically worse.
Evidence shows that tar from cannabis cigarettes contains 50% more cancer causing carcinogens than tobacco.
Dr Mark Britton, chairman of the British Lung Foundation, said: "These statistics will come as a surprise to many people, especially those who choose to smoke cannabis rather than tobacco in the belief it is safer for them.
"It is vital that people are fully aware of the dangers so they can make an educated decision and know the damage they may be causing."
Dr Britton emphasised that the British Lung Foundation report - called A Smoking Gun? - was "not about the moral rights and wrongs of cannabis".
But, he said, they simply wanted to make sure people were completely clear about the respiratory health risks involved.
...
Click here to read more (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2419713.stm)