Joint 'as bad as five cigarettes' - News in brief - Evening Standard
       

Joint 'as bad as five cigarettes'

A single cannabis joint damages the lungs as much as smoking up to five cigarettes in one go, experts have claimed.

The drug forces the lungs to work harder by obstructing air flow and causes chest tightness and wheezing, a study found.

The news comes after research published last week showed that cannabis could more than double the risk of psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Experts found that any use of cannabis - even taking the drug just once - was associated with a 41% greater risk.

People who smoke the most cannabis are the most likely to suffer a psychotic breakdown marked by delusions, hallucinations or disordered thoughts.

Campaigners renewed their calls for the Government to reverse its decision to downgrade cannabis to a class C drug.

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