According to a study, in states where the cannabis it is legal decreases the risk of lung damage from contaminated vaping products.
During an epidemic of lung damage linked to contaminated products, access to legal and regulated marijuana markets took a hit. "protective" purpose for the people who have vaped cannabis.
Lo study, published in the magazine Plos One, and conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins, of New York University and of theAmerican Heart Association, reached this conclusion after analyzing rates of marijuana vaping, cases of e-cigarette-associated lung injury (EVALI), and cannabis laws in 13 states.
Although the number of people who reported smoking marijuana is higher in states that have legalized its medical and recreational use, this prevalence it didn't translate in a higher percentage of EVALI cases than in states where cannabis is not legal
The analysis, which examined data from four prohibition states, seven states where medical cannabis is legal, and two states that have legalized marijuana for adult use, stated that “the prevalence of cannabis vaping at the state level she was not associated to the EVALI case history, even after taking into account state policies on cannabis".
Indeed, it was detected "an inverse association between the prevalence of cannabis vaping and the number of EVALI cases." That is, states that had higher levels of marijuana vaping, which tend to be states that have some form of legal access, recorded lower lung injury rates.
From the research we can read: “Even if cannabis vaping rates were lower in states where cannabis is prohibited, individuals in these states, by obtaining cannabis from illegal sources, increase the risk of consuming contaminated products and therefore have a greater chance of developing lung lesions from EVALI."
According to the authors of the work, in states where cannabis is legal for medical or recreational use, however, it is "likely that people obtain cannabis from legal sources, reducing the risk of contamination".
However, the researchers conclude by emphasizing that "continued surveillance of cannabis vaping is warranted" and "efforts to discourage black market sales of contaminated products should be pursued to prevent future epidemics".
