Where there is smoke…is there asthma?
This is a concern among some experts after a recent study from the City University of New York (CUNY) identified a link between marijuana legalization and asthma in children and teens.
The study, published in the February 2024 issue of the journal Preventive Medicine, found that states where marijuana is legal have slightly higher rates of teenagers with asthma than states where marijuana remains illegal. There was found.
Currently, recreational use of marijuana is legal in 24 states.
In this study, a research team from the New York State School of Public Health (SPH) analyzed data extracted from the National Survey of Child Health from 2011 to 2019. The data is said to consist of a “representative sample of the U.S. minor child population.” This is a press release from the university.
The sample consisted of 227,451 U.S. children aged 17 and younger, with a mean age of 8.56 years.
“The first nationally representative study of cannabis use and asthma in the United States found a consistent positive linear relationship (dose response) between frequency of cannabis use and asthma prevalence in both youth and adults.” said Renee Goodwin, a professor at SPH at the State University of New York. the study’s lead author told Fox News Digital.
“This relationship cannot be explained by confounding smoking, and we found an even stronger relationship between the frequency of blunt smoking and asthma,” he added. (A blunt is a hollowed-out cigar filled with cannabis.)
Exposure to second-hand smoke has historically been an important factor in childhood asthma, the researchers noted.
According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, approximately 4.5 million children under the age of 18 currently live with asthma in the United States.
As Goodwin pointed out, “there is very little information available” about the potential respiratory health risks associated with cannabis use.
“It has taken decades for the public to receive information about the effects of smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke on respiratory and lung health,” he noted.
Goodwin recommends considering that smoking marijuana may have health risks similar to cigarettes, especially for people with asthma.
Goodwin cautioned that a “lack of public health education” about the potential health risks of cannabis use does not mean it doesn’t exist.
“The commercialization and promotion of cannabis use by cannabis companies, and the promotion of cannabis use for all adults by state and local governments, is the only information the public is receiving that tells people that cannabis has no risks. “They may have been led to believe that,” he said.
“It’s not based on science or data on long-term outcomes.”
Researchers also noted that cannabis today may pose greater risks than in past decades.
“Vape and other forms of cannabis administration commonly sold products have THC concentrations of over 90%, whereas a few decades ago, a ‘joint’ had a THC concentration of about 2.5%,” Good said. Mr. Wynn said.
Cannabis oil and wax are also chemically produced substances that carry their own risks, experts warned.
“The potential short- and long-term effects of exposure to this level of THC on the human brain, respiratory system, and other aspects of physical health have never been studied before,” he said.
“Consumers need to know that information about dosage, potency, health and safety risks, as well as safety and purity, is available at any retail cannabis store, and that state governments will enforce the laws each state passes. Goodwin continued. .
Dr. Eric Heffelfinger, a staff physician at Caron Treatment Center, an addiction center in Pennsylvania, was not involved in the study but commented on the results.
“This study is important not only for its size, but also for its finding that people who smoke marijuana, especially blunts more than 20 days a month, have a significantly increased risk of asthma,” he told FOX News Digital. Told.
This is not surprising, the doctors noted, as previous studies have shown that nicotine is associated with asthma risk.
“We expected this to be true for marijuana as well, and now we have the data to prove it,” said Roberts, who specialized in pulmonology and critical care for more than 25 years before switching to addiction medicine. Professor Heffinger said.
The actual increase in asthma risk could be even higher than the study suggests, as the data was collected in 2020 and likely underestimates current asthma risk, he said. pointed out.
“The availability of marijuana and other cannabis products has increased exponentially over the past three years,” he said. “The number of people suffering from asthma due to marijuana use is also expected to increase significantly.”
This applies not only to people who use marijuana directly, but also to those who have increased exposure to marijuana secondarily, Heffinger added.
“The known health effects of marijuana and cannabis products, including increases in asthma, psychiatric symptoms, psychosis, and cannabis use disorders, are just the tip of the iceberg,” he warned.
“There’s a lot we don’t know because these are genetically and chemically enhanced products with delivery methods such as smoking and vaping that cause lung damage,” he continued.
“Because these products are so easily available, there are concerns about long-term health effects, and the frequency and severity of occurrence may increase across the spectrum.”
When asked for comment by Fox News Digital, the National Cannabis Industry Association responded that it is a commercial organization and does not have medical experts readily available to discuss the new report.
