Claims from the press: 1 cannabis joint = 20 Cigarettes

This is just a single shining example of how information can be regurgitated, twisted, printed, reprinted and fed to a nation.

To make the point clear this is not a pro or anti cannabis debate, but the debate itself is the launch pad for this post.

We all know that newspapers are the not the most democratic or the least biased in their articles and I guess this claim might very be true. I am no expert. I haven’t studied the topic and I am definitely no scientist. Despite there being potential positive and negative effects of smoking weed, why can safely assume that the claim,’one cannabis joint is as bad as smoking 20 cigarettes,’ is bollocks?

The answer? This tabloid claim was based a statement by the British Lung Foundation.

“It is difficult to ascertain whether or not the inhalation of cannabis causes damage to the lungs and airways independently of the tobacco smoke or not.”  This is a far cry from ” a joint a day is as bad as 20 cigarettes”

From Bellacaledonia

The full article gives a better understanding of claim and subsequent debate with Kaye Adams.

Give it a read and your opinion. Was this original quote “A joint a day is ‘as bad as 20 cigarettes” a reasonable claim?

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2012/06/06/cannabis-lung-cancer-and-the-wild-misleading-claims-of-the-british-lung-foundation-an-open-letter-to-kaye-adams/