<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>miesl</b></i>
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16729923&query_hl=18&itool=pubmed_docsum">Pulmonary consequences of marijuana smoking</a>
Pfeifer AK, Lange P.
H:S Hvidovre Hospital, Hjerte-Lungemedicinsk Afdeling, Hvidovre.
Based on previously published studies, this review describes the pulmonary consequences of marijuana smoking. Smoking of marijuana is significantly associated with chronic bronchitis (cough and phlegm), but it has not been firmly established whether it also leads to a reduction in lung function. Both epidemiological studies and case reports suggest that regular smokers of marijuana have a higher risk of developing malignancies in both the upper and lower airways. Smoking of marijuana contaminated with fungus spores has been reported to lead to pulmonary aspergillus infections in immunocompromised patients, and sharing of marijuana water pipes has been associated with transmission of tuberculosis.
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=11911432&query_hl=18&itool=pubmed_docsum">Early invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a leukemia patient linked to aspergillus contaminated marijuana smoking</a>
Szyper-Kravitz M, Lang R, Manor Y, Lahav M.
Department of Medicine E, Sapir Medical Center-Meir Hospital, Kfar Saba, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
46-year-old patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) whose disease manifested as fever, chills and dry cough is reported here. Despite broad antibiotic coverage he remained acutely ill with spiking fever, shaking chills, and hypoxemia. His initial chest radiograph was normal but chest computed tomography (CT) scan disclosed bilateral focal infiltrates. Hypoxemia and severe thrombocytopenia precluded invasive diagnostic procedures. A thorough epidemiological investigation revealed that before becoming acutely ill the patient smoked daily tobacco mixed with marijuana from a "hookah bottle". While waiting for tobacco and "hookah water" cultures, we started antifungal therapy. Resolution of fever and hypoxemia ensued after 72 hours. Tobacco cultures yielded heavy growth of Aspergillus species. We suggest that habitual smoking of Aspergillus-infested tobacco and marijuana caused airway colonization with Aspergillus. Leukemia rendered the patient immunocompromised, and allowed Aspergillus to infest the lung parenchyma with early occurrence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Physicians should be aware of this potentially lethal complication of "hookah" and marijuana smoking in immunocompromised hosts.</end quote></div>
OK, look i tried not to bite, i really did, i even sat on my hands......but something like a magnetic force just dragged my hands back to the keyboard, what can I say, i have degree in playing devil's advocate. And small minded, opinion based arguments about MJ are my topic du jour.
Now then, smoking mj causeed cough and phlem....oh *****, not 'cough and phlem'...please no!! How could a CF'er EVER be expected to tolerate a cough AND phlem....come on, like we don't already have that???!!! Irrelevant to me and probably many other CFers.
Next scientifically proved fact - smoking through a bong and/or hoookah pipe = bad. Sweet, i smoke it rolled or through a dry pipe as do most people. So again, irrelevant.
Fact number three - the TOBACCO culture tested positive for greeblies (technically known as aspergillus).....NOT specifically the MJ, it could have been from the MJ part of the mix, it could have been the tobacco. Meh, moot point as we really don't know. However I've smoked off and on for 20+ years, old weed, fresh weed, mouldy weed, week soaked in bourbon.....not once have i cultured one spec of aspergillus. Also, non MJ smokers with CF often culture Aspergillus. So hate to say it.....irrelevant.
AND finally fact number 4 - people with AML who smoke MJ are predisposed to apergillosis. That sucks for them, but I'm a lucky lucky girl and I have CYSTIC FIBROSIS not AML.
We could compare these results IF we with CF had suppressed or compromised immune systems, but we don't, we have OVERACTIVE immune responses.....so here we go again.....completely irrelevant.
Now, yes I can say aspergillosis, I think I can even spell it.
But quite a few people responding in this topic seem to have a condition known as CMEL - or Chronic Miscomprehension of the English Language. Can anybody understand that i wonder????
My point is, and always has been THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC DATA ABOUT CYSTIC FIBROSIS SUFFERERS AND THE EFFECT OF REGULAR MARIJUANA SMOKING ON THEIR LUNGS. The 'scientific data' you quoted even says 'they were unable to deterrmine if it had a negative effect on lung function'. And at the end of the day, that's really all that matters. Most of us will always cough up phlem....but that aint what kills us. What kills us is declining lung function, so when somebody can find some scientific proof that regular marijuana smoking reduces lung function at an excellerated rate in people with CF.......I'll shut up.
Until then, I will keep arguing with everybody who either misses the point constantly or continues to spout unmitigated opinions and deem them fact.
I gave up to a) improve my energy levels b) improve my appetite c) it's damned expensive and d) i SUSPECT it does damage to my lungs which I will never be able to get back.
But a suspicion is all I have and it's also all any of you have. Call it an 'educated guess' if it makes you sleep better at night.