Secondary cannabis smoking: Hi,this may... - British Heart Fou...

British Heart Foundation

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Secondary cannabis smoking

Padalak6 profile image
21 Replies

Hi,this may be a silly question, ive got heart disease and angina and as of yesterday i have had new neighbours two doors down, not sure if they are just decorators or actually moving in, in the evening they have been smoking cannabis in the communal garden (4-5 people). Apart from the obvious is it more harmful to me with my medical heart conditions?

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Padalak6 profile image
Padalak6
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21 Replies
Rob1112222 profile image
Rob1112222

I doubt very much that you'll be getting enough of the smoke to cause any impact at all. Cannabis is no more toxic than other air contaminants, like exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, etc. I'd rather take cannabis second hand than other pollutants.

MichaelJH profile image
MichaelJHHeart Star

Secondhand smoke is harmful! Someone I know is undergoing ongoing tests for an irritating cough that never totally clears. They worked in a smokey atmosphere for 25 years until the law changed. So far they have been identified with a reduced lung function. The smoke from cannabis is more carciogenic than tobacco smoke.

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to MichaelJH

I agree, I recently lost a close friend to lung cancer & he'd never a smoked a cigarette. But he'd worked in a smoky atmosphere for years, you could even smoke on planes at one point!!

willsie01 profile image
willsie01 in reply to Lezzers

...like the words of the song: “planes and boats and trains”.

The smoking compartments of trains smelt disgusting.

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to willsie01

Well I posted a lovely long reply to this & it's disappeared!! It may turn up on another post... Oops!!

MichaelJH profile image
MichaelJHHeart Star in reply to Lezzers

Wonder if there was a glitch. I thought my original response to WPF diet got lost as I then found the thread locked. But then I was logged out as well!

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to MichaelJH

It was probably me! I've been to a music festival at the weekend so I'm beyond tired!! I may re-post when I'm less comatosed!

panda22 profile image
panda22 in reply to Lezzers

I can remember when you could smoke in your hospital bed

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to panda22

That's true, didnt you also get a bottle of Guinness or something if you were low on iron?

MichaelJH profile image
MichaelJHHeart Star in reply to Lezzers

About forty years ago I was in hospital and got a daily Guinness to build me up! The iron content is actually approximately nil but people believed it back then!

panda22 profile image
panda22 in reply to Lezzers

My mother had tb and was on the isolation ward for a year. Whatever the weather, even snow the beds were pushed outside for the fresh air and, yes they were give 3 bottles of stout per day to build them up.

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to panda22

Cricky, that's sounds more like kill than cure to me!

SpiritoftheFloyd profile image
SpiritoftheFloyd in reply to MichaelJH

Even as a fairly new ex-smoker, I'm still amazed when I look back at where you could smoke - basically everywhere!

I didn't really object to the smoking ban in pubs, even as a smoker, the next day my clothes stank of smoke, so going outside wasn't a big issue. What everyone did notice that the smoke did disguise a lot of other smells in pubs - let's just say the management had to make more of an effort to clean the toilets after the smoking ban came in!

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd

We're so used to being anti smoking here I always forget how smoking is so much more tolerated in mainland Europe. When I was in Vienna a couple of years ago pretty much every bar & restaurant was smog filled! In one restaurant we asked for non smoking and was led through the smog into a glass room stuck slap bang in the middle, felt like we were exhibits in a zoo! Thank god there were no signs saying "don't feed the animals!

SpiritoftheFloyd profile image
SpiritoftheFloyd in reply to Lezzers

I go to Greece a lot (sadly curtailed this year) and it's exactly the same. Went into a bar a few years ago in Skiathos at the height of the summer, air-con turned off as everyone smoking and the few windows that the place had were open to let the smoke out, as it was 30 degrees plus that night, it was also letting the heat in -managed a single beer and sought somewhere that was either outside, or if inside had air-con on.

Greece has passed laws about smoking in enclosed spaces, but Greece being Greece they ignore it. The number of Greeks that smoke has reduced a lot in recent years (as a result of the economy tanking and mass unemployment, rather than them becoming health conscious ), encouraged by this decline the National Healthcare Service is trying to restart the initiative to enforce the laws about smoking in enclosed spaces - I won't hold my breath!

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd

Holding your breath may be your only option with all that smoke!! ☺ I was in either Lille or Bruge (can't remember which) and not only was the lady on the next tabke smoking while she was eating her omlette but she was also feeding the dog on her lap...one bite for her, one for the dog!! I love dogs but nobody not even the dog shares my omlette, I bite!! 🐶

Lezzers profile image
Lezzers in reply to Lezzers

Oops, lots of spelling mistakes in that post, but far to tired to correct them! 😴

SpiritoftheFloyd profile image
SpiritoftheFloyd in reply to Lezzers

It's going to be interesting the next time I go to Greece - as an ex-smoker, it will be a whole new experience

SpiritoftheFloyd profile image
SpiritoftheFloyd

There are a number of reports that have come to the conclusion that the smoke from cannabis is more harmful that tobacco. I'd be inclined to avoid it whenever possible

Heather1957 profile image
Heather1957

Not that I have personal knowledge of smoking cannabis but my understanding is the cannabis is mixed with tobacco so any secondary smoking is harmful.

At my local hospital I would have to walk through the smokers to get to my cardiac appointment.

The no smoking in hospital grounds was not policed and complaints were ignored. It still happens today.

rbtbrsrd profile image
rbtbrsrd

Buy them a vaporizer.

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