The link between tobacco smoke and lung cancer is well-known. Studies show that marijuana smoke has many of the same harmful substances as tobacco, and often more of them. Among the hazards are:
- Benzo(a)pyrene
- Benz(a)anthracene
- Phenols
- Vinyl chlorides
- Nitrosamines
- Reactive oxygen species
People also smoke marijuana in a different way than tobacco, possibly posing greater danger to the lungs:
- You usually inhale marijuana smoke deeply and hold it in, which gives the toxins more contact with your lung tissue and more chance to stick there.
- You generally a smoke a joint all the way to the end. Tar, the sticky stuff left after burning, has high levels of harmful substances, and it’s concentrated at the end of a joint.
When scientists looked at lung tissue of some people who smoked weed regularly, they found changes that are known to signal the future growth of cancer. For complete article go to Does Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer? (webmd.com)
For more evidence based science on harms of Cannabis to lungs