The following is a summary of “Do tobacco and cannabis use and co-use predict lung function: A longitudinal study,” published in the MARCH 2023 issue of Pulmonology by Najman, et al.

Cannabis and cigarette use are popular, and both have been linked to lung function. However, the effects of tobacco and cannabis usage and how they affect early adolescent lung development were less well understood. For a study, researchers sought to investigate the relationship between pulmonary function in a population sample of young adults and cigarette smoking, cannabis usage, and co-use.

Data on cannabis use, cigarette smoking, and co-use at ages 21 and 30 were from a prospective cohort study, as are lung function measurements (FVC, FEV₁, and FEV₁/FVC) at that age. Utilizing global lung function formulae, lung function results are transformed. Pregnant women’s children included in the cohort study between 1981 and 2003 were the subjects. At the ages of 21 and 30, respondents underwent a spirometry examination. At follow-ups 21 and 30 years later, these respondents answered a questionnaire about smoking and cannabis use.

Smoking cigarettes (with or without cannabis use) was linked to decreased airflow. Cannabis use and measurements of lung function did not always correlate. Cannabis and tobacco use did not appear to significantly harm lung health beyond those brought on by tobacco use alone.

Even in young adults, prolonged tobacco use was linked to decreased airflow. However, even after years of use, cannabis did not seem to impact lung health.

Reference: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00012-4/fulltext