Let’s Talk About Weed

So last Saturday, I was enjoying my night out with friends. Then suddenly, some stranger started smoking weed.

How do people even bear that smell? It was so pungent that I got dizzy and had to leave.

With the recent legislation of weed and the visible puff of smoke around The Nest the other day, it seems we aren’t getting rid of the smell anytime soon. However, how safe is it to inhale smoke from marijuana?

Was my dizziness because of my frustration towards strongly unpleasant smells? Or is there a scientific basis to it? In other words, is being a secondhand smoker of marijuana harmful?

Vancouver Global Marijuana March 2015 – by Danny Kresnyak. Cannabis Culture on Flickr

In 2016, Dr. Wang and her team, supported by NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse, investigated the effects of secondhand Marijuana smoke on rats. The study concluded that exposure to smoke of weed is quite harmful for our cardiovascular health.

Let me explain. There is a system called FMD in our bodies that dilate our blood vessels when blood flow increases. Smoke decreases this activity. As a result, some substances within the blood accumulate in our vessels. Ultimately, this can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.

Are you worried yet?

The study reports that the effects of inhaling marijuana smoke on our cardiovascular health resemble that of tobacco. However, the effects from marijuana smoke last longer.

Average effect of  tobacco and cannabis smoke on FMD levels compared to air. Data at 0 minutes show levels before exposure. Figure by Ceren Gulhan, data from Dr. Wang et. al., Journal of the American Heart Association

Okay, so there are health implications. But, just what are we inhaling?
Another study conducted by Dr. Moir and his team in 2008 concluded that smoke from tobacco and marijuana have the same compounds. This means that many carcinogenic compounds in tobacco everyone is warning against are also present in marijuana smoke. In fact, compounds like ammonia and NOx that damage the lungs are more concentrated in marijuana smoke.

Despite how harmful secondhand smoke seems to be, there are currently no studies on how it affects our cardiovascular health.

So, what do we do? Should we ban cannabis again?

No. Frankly, even a year ago when I walked down the street at night I could clearly smell weed. Banning was never effective. We live in a time where people go by “you do you” as a lifestyle. If somebody wants to smoke, that’s their decision to make. Then some people also use cannabis for medical purposes.

We should take some actions, however.

Firstly, we must research the effects of secondhand smoke on people. Secondly, we need to know if smoking in open spaces remedies these effects. Judging by my nose, the diffusion of smoke into open air is not fast enough. Finally, we should support smoke-free environments for cannabis, just like we do for cigarettes.

Or, you can all try edibles instead. I am just saying…