A forward about smoking YAMBAA and its attendant problems.
 
Soffie 

NOK <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 

	'My lungs are damaged beyond repair'
	 
	By Zoe Smeaton 
	BBC News
	Sunday, 3 June 2007
	
Cannabis<http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42796000/gif/_42796845_ca
nnabisbody.gif> 
	Smoking cannabis can cause severe lung damage
	 
	The holes in Samantha Wilson's lungs are getting bigger. 
	There is no cure for her illness and if it continues to get
worse it will eventually kill her. 
	Samantha is 37 and has emphysema, a progressive condition
normally associated with older people who have smoked tobacco regularly
throughout their lives. 
	Samantha's doctor, Dr Onn Min Kon, a consultant physician of
respiratory medicine at St Mary's Hospital in London, believes her
cannabis smoking may be to blame for her condition. 
	Dr Kon said he had several other young patients who smoke
cannabis and have lung diseases normally seen only in older tobacco
smokers. 
	He said: "I've got a collection of young people who have lungs
that look like they're 65-year-olds." 
	Such case studies have prompted Dr Kon to plan a study comparing
the lungs of patients who smoke cannabis with those who smoke only
tobacco. 
	When Samantha, of Maida Vale, London, was diagnosed with
emphysema at the age of 34 she had been smoking cannabis for 20 years. 
	She had begun by smoking two joints a day, but was eventually
smoking up to 10 a day. 
	According to the latest figures from charity Action on Smoking
and Health, the average tobacco smoker smokes between 13 and 14
cigarettes every day. 
	Samantha believes she is living proof of the effects cannabis
can have on lungs. 
	She said: "If I don't stop smoking I won't be around much longer
- there is no cure for emphysema, the holes in my lungs are getting
bigger. 
	"There should be adverts showing people like me." 
 
Lungs<http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42796000/gif/_42796851_lungs
body.gif> 
Dr Kon uses images of his patients' lungs to assess damage
	When smoked, cannabis produces many of the same chemicals as a
tobacco cigarette, but may damage the airways to a greater extent. 
	In a 2002 report, the British Lung Foundation estimated that
three to four cannabis cigarettes a day were associated with the same
amount of damage to the lungs as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day. 
	So far though, it has been difficult to separate the effects of
cannabis smoking from those of tobacco smoking in patients, as many
users smoke both. 
	In his study, Dr Kon will use lung function tests and CT scan
pictures to look for lung damage. 
	Such a study using CT scans has not been done before and Dr Kon
said even people with apparently normal lung function could have
problems, such as holes in their lungs, which would show up on these
scans. 
	He said these people may have no symptoms but could still have
respiratory diseases. 
 <http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif> 	EMPHYSEMA 
Emphysema is a normal feature of ageing
The alveoli, or small lung cells, become damaged
The condition develops progressively, causing "holes" in the lungs
The lungs lose their elasticity and breathing is difficult
Smoking accelerates the ageing process in lungs
In some people the damage becomes noticeable in their lifetime
	Previously the link between emphysema and cannabis smoking has
been difficult to prove, and the risks are often overlooked by people,
who are generally concerned only about lung cancer. 
	Samantha said: "I'd never even heard of emphysema when I was
diagnosed, and I don't think people know there is a risk of getting it."

	The British Lung Foundation also called for more awareness of
the issue. 
	A spokesperson said: "Research carried out by the British Lung
Foundation found that smoking cannabis alone can cause severe lung
damage. 
	"It is vital that people are fully aware of the dangers so they
can make an educated choice and know the risks fully." 
	
	
	 
	 
	 
	http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6551327.stm
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6551327.stm> 
	 
	 
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