Is The Chest Pain After Smoking Cannabis Normal?

Cannabis has been well-publicized over the recent years and after its legalization, especially for its medical benefits. And since it is used as a medicine very often by most of people, it is considered relatively a safe drug, in comparison to other drugs like opioids. However one needs to get 420 evaluations done for using medical cannabis. 


Because of the few side effects and the nontoxic status, cannabis is considered as the safest and healthy alternative to many pharmaceutical medicines. At the same time, cannabis has a wide array of consumers when it comes to recreational use. However, like any other drug and despite the growing popularity as a healthy drug, there are some adverse effects that one should not ignore. 


The most unusual but possibly serious side effect is chest pain or the tightening of the chest. Though millions of people who are cannabis users across the globe pay less attention to respiratory health concerns because of the benefits cannabis has in it. 


Then why do on a physiological level, chest pain after smoking cannabis is felt by some people? And is that pain normal or a sign of any warning? Let’s have a look. 

The Anatomy of Chest 

If you are not familiar with the anatomy of the chest, it would be difficult for you to understand the cause of chest pain. Then why not have a little refresher then? 


Both the heart and the lungs are the most crucial organs of the chest. Both the organs are covered by the rib cage, which protects them from trauma and external damage. Small muscles scatter in between the ribs, known as intercostal muscles. When a person breathes, these muscles allow the ribcage to move in and out. 


The lungs are attached to the mouth and the nose by a tube known as the trachea. The trachea divides into two small tubes at its base known as the bronchi. The bronchi in the lungs further divide into smaller tubes known as bronchioles and there is a tiny air sac at the end of each one, called an alveolus. Though too small, but being so many in number, alveolus cover a vast surface area i.e. about 70 square meters. 

Chest Pain From Cannabis Smoking – is it Real? 

Smoking is injurious to health is a well-known fact in terms of tobacco. But surprisingly even cannabis smoking can have adverse effects on your lungs. Cannabis gets contaminated by bacteria, pesticides, and mold. And when cannabis is inhaled, aspergillus mold, the very common contamination, causes severe lung infections. Chest pain is caused due to these infections and if left untreated can lead to pneumonia and even death. 


Secondly, cannabis smoking is injurious because of the method by which it is smoked. People generally inhale 33% deeper and 66% longer in comparison to tobacco. And due to this, a single joint approximately causes damage equal to 2.5 to 5 cigarettes. Also, cannabis smoking can cause inflammation and irritation in the airways, thus increasing the chances of bronchitis. Chest pain because of cannabis is because of the coughing fits, that strain the intercostal muscles, present in between the ribcage.


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