According to a randomized controlled trial published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, marijuana seems to have no effect on breathlessness during exercise in patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Sara J. Abdallah, a PhD candidate in exercise physiology at McGill University, who co-authors the report entitled, “Effect of Vaporized Cannabis on Exertional Breathlessness and Exercise Endurance in Advanced COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” found no difference between vaporized cannabis and a placebo on lung volumes or heart rate at rest or during exercise.
The study also did not find marijuana to affect cognitive function, mood or psycho-activity.
“We first became aware of the therapeutic potential of cannabis in managing COPD symptoms from patients themselves,” explained Ms. Abdallah. “We decided to pursue this study because patients were reporting symptomatic relief of their COPD symptoms after cannabis use.”
In the study, breathlessness during exercise improved in 4 of the 16 patients after inhaling vaporized cannabis. In the remaining 12 patients, breathlessness during exercise did not change, or worsened.
The researchers did find variability in responsiveness to the cannabis.
Senior study author Dennis Jensen, PhD, said, “Future clinical trials are warranted and should evaluate the therapeutic potential of various doses of vaporized and oral cannabis, including oils and pills, administered over longer periods of time in patients with mild to moderate COPD.”
