Marijuana smoke inhaled from a nearby joint smoker could be as damaging to your blood vessels and heart as secondhand cigarette smoke, according to preliminary research unveiled by CBS News.
Laboratory rats used in the study lost 70 percent of blood vessel function after inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke for 30 minutes. These results are similar to what has been found with cigarette smoke, according to the University of California.
This can lead to an increased chance of developing hardened arteries, which causes heart attacks.
"Smoke is smoke. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly," said study senior author Matthew Springer, a cardiovascular researcher and associate professor of medicine in the university's cardiology division. "People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules."
As more states legalize the plant, the safety of smoking marijuana has become a hot topic among public health officials. Washington D.C and 23 other states has legalized medicinal cannabis. Alaska, Oregon, Washington and the District of Colombia voters have approved the legal sale and possession of the drug for recreational use.
Secondhand smoke from cigarettes is said to lead to roughly 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States, CBS Local reported.
Even those who support cannabis legalization admit that secondhand smoke could have negative health consequences. Mitch Earleywine, a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Albany and chairman of NORML, a non-profit that works to legalize marijuana, said he and other supporters regularly encourage smokers to use vaporizers to preserve their health and the health of those around them.
"The amount of second-hand smoke used in this experiment is probably well beyond what most people would endure in a casual setting. But repeated exposures are likely to take a toll," he said.
In previous tobacco studies, it took 30 minutes for lab rats to regain full blood vessel functions, but in the marijuana test, it took them 40 minutes from exposure to regain full function.
"Tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke both contain thousands of chemicals, many of which are toxic," Springer said.
