BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Believe it or not, recent research indicates that tobacco use may do more damage to your lungs than occasional use of marijuana.

More than 5,000 men and women of ages 18 to 30 from Oakland, Chicago, Minneapolis and Birmingham were studied for pulmonary function, height, and smoking behavior over a 20-year period in the study. Lung function was tested with a spirometer.

Scientists from Birmingham and San Francisco determined that the lungs of the marijuana smokers had been damaged considerably less than the lungs of those who smoked cigarettes. ABC News reported that information came from a national database designed to measure risks of heart disease, Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults.

Dr. Mark J. Pletcher from the University of California explained to CNN, “People who smoke marijuana inhale very deeply, which may strengthen the muscles used for inhalation – making them good at the test. It probably doesn’t have any physiologic meaning in terms of function.”