New Study Finds Cannabis Smoking Not Linked to COPD Progression

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles brings encouraging news for cannabis smokers: the study reveals that one of the primary risks associated with tobacco smoking is not connected to marijuana, reports KTLA News.

The study, titled “Impact of Marijuana Smoking on COPD Progression in a Cohort of Middle-Aged and Older Persons,” was published this month in the journal “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases.”

To conduct the research, the scientists analyzed different groups of individuals who currently use marijuana, used to use it in the past, or have never used it. The study incorporated a longitudinal approach, observing the participants for over four years.

According to the study, “Neither former nor current marijuana smoking of any lifetime amount was associated with evidence of COPD progression or its development.”

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) says that these findings align with previous studies that concluded cannabis inhalation, even over the long term, is not positively linked to COPD, lung cancer, or irreversible airway damage.

The results should be “reassuring to cannabis consumers and to health professionals alike, and they should help to guide future policies with respect to the crafting of evidence-based public health messages,” said NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano.