Weed might seem relatively harmless compared to many other drugs, but one heart surgeon has revealed the gruesome truth regarding what it's doing to your body, as you could be putting yourself at risk of a major health complication in the future.
Cannabis is becoming increasingly popular across the world following efforts from certain countries and states to legalize the drug, as its detrimental effects are considered to be on the lower end when placed next to some of its fellow illegal substances.
It can even have a significant benefit for people in certain medical situations, as videos have shown the transformative effect marijuana has for patients with Parkinson's, and it can also prove to be helpful for people experiencing extreme pain.
However, it does appear to have a number of unexpected side effects that continue to emerge from new studies, including one recently branded 'scromiting', which links excessive vomiting to smoking weed, lasting sometimes for up to 48 hours.
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As reported by UNILAD, there could even be a more dangerous side effect in the long term for weed smokers, as heart surgeon Dr Jeremy London has revealed that the connotation that cannabis is 'safe' is far from the truth.
"Let's all agree on one thing, that lungs have one simple function and that's to bring air into and out of your lungs," Dr London explained on his popular TikTok page. "Anything else is potentially harmful."
He also adds that "smoking marijuana increases your risk of coronary disease and acute heart attack by 1.3 to 2 times [compared[ to those that don't smoke marijuana regularly," noting that there's a similar increased risk for high blood pressure and increased cholesterol.
While it might not posses the same tar that makes cigarettes so dangerous, lighting up a joint is still something that will invariably damage your lungs over time, causing your body to change for the worse as you age.
"I have operated on multiple patients over the years that smoke marijuana regularly and I can tell you their lugs are totally black, and it looks like they've worked in a coal mine," Dr London recalls.
"They've got such severe blockages that I have to do bypass surgery. These are folks that have never smoked a cigarette in their lives."
It might make you think twice next time you roll up some weed, as it could be far more detrimental to the inside of your body than you might expect.
Plenty of people in the comments underneath Dr London's video seemingly refuse to believe or accept what he's saying, stating either a wide variety of other things that harm you like sugar, processed food, or even the Sun, or simply continuing on with the habit, fully aware of its negative side effects.
"Y'all, the point of the video is just for you to know the risk, not to tell you to stop smoking," writes on comment, but many have seen Dr London's advice as an attack on their favorite habit.