CT scans don't lie—cigarettes are harder on the lungs than marijuana

Marijuana may cause less lung damage than cigarettes

67-year-old female with history of cigarette smoking. (A) Axial and (B) coronal sections of CT chest show upper lobe predominant centrilobular emphysema (arrowheads), centrilobular ground glass (solid arrows) and mild diffuse bronchial wall thickening (dashed arrows). Photo and caption courtesy of CPID.

Many have touted smoking marijuana as a safer alternative to cigarettes. New imaging data offer clarity on whether this notion is actually true.