Smoking cannabis may be more harmful to the lungs than tobacco, according to a Canadian study conducted on a small sample and published on Tuesday in the journal Radiology, reports the AFP agency, cited by Agerpres.

Researchers from the University and Hospital in Ottawa examined X-rays of the lungs of 56 marijuana smokers, 57 non-smokers and 33 people who smoked only tobacco between 2005 and 2020.

The results showed higher rates of airway inflammation and emphysema (lung disease) in cannabis smokers compared to tobacco smokers and non-smokers.

“Marijuana use is increasing and there is a perception that it is as safe or safer than cigarettes,” Giselle Reva, a radiologist at the Ottawa hospital where the study was conducted, told AFP.

“However, this study raises the possibility that this may be wrong,” she added.

The danger lies in how marijuana is smoked

According to this expert, the higher level of inflammation and disease in cannabis smokers compared to tobacco smokers may be related to different ways of consuming the drug.

“Marijuana is smoked without a filter, and tobacco is usually smoked,” she explained. “When you smoke unfiltered marijuana, more particles get into the airways, settle there and irritate them,” Reva explained.

In addition, she said, “people typically inhale more marijuana smoke and hold the smoke in their lungs longer, which can lead to more trauma to those airspaces.”

However, the study authors note that some of the cannabis smokers also smoked tobacco. Some X-rays of the lungs were also inconclusive, meaning further research is needed.