Intro:
If you spend much time around people who smoke marijuana, then you may be concerned about secondhand smoke.
- Is it dangerous?
- Can you get high from it?
- Could you fail a drug test because of it?
- Is it safe?
These are all valid and relevant questions to ask when you’re not interested in smoking marijuana, but you’re spending time around people who are.
So in this blog post, we’re going to dive deep into the science to explore 5 side effects of secondhand smoke that could actually affect your life—given the proper circumstances.
Now, don’t get it twisted.
There are quite a few health benefits associated with marijuana.
So this isn’t an anti-cannabis blog post.
We’re not trying to fearmonger and create paranoia around the topic of cannabis.
But it’s also important for you to know the facts and the risks.
So let’s dive in and talk about the 5 most important side effect risks that you really need to know about when it comes to secondhand marijuana smoke.
1. You Can Get Unintentionally High
‘Hotboxing’ is a thing that weed smokers do for a very specific reason.
Because it works.
Now, the fact of the matter is that you need to inhale quite a bit of secondhand smoke to actually get high.
If you’re in a well-ventilated area and someone is smoking marijuana in the same room, the odds are good that it’s not going to have a huge effect on you in terms of altering your state of mind.
With that being said, it is possible.
So this is just something to be aware of.
2. You Can Get Anxious
If you do get a little bit high from secondhand marijuana smoke, then you may be the type of person who develops a bit of anxiety as a result of your impairment.
For some people, this can develop into full-blown paranoia.
Have you ever smoked cannabis and gotten really paranoid or anxious?
If so, then you know exactly how unpleasant this can be.
If not—well, rest assured that it can be very unpleasant.
3. You Could Develop Cardiovascular Problems
Nowadays, the general consensus that people seem to believe is that marijuana smoke is mostly less destructive for your body than cigarette smoke.
But the truth of the matter is that even when exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke, you can experience some unwanted cardiovascular health risks.
For example, people who are exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke may experience some dilation of the blood vessels and decreased blood pressure.
Therefore—blocked arteries, heart attack risk, and stroke risk could all be a concern.
4. You Could Fail A Drug Test
This part is hotly debated among people who do and don’t smoke cannabis on a regular basis.
Some people are really afraid of secondhand smoke causing failed drug tests at work.
And as it turns out, this is a somewhat valid concern.
Sure, it’s not likely to happen. But it could happen.
So as a general rule, it’s always better to avoid even secondhand marijuana smoke if you’re worried about failing a drug test.
As Veriheal advises in their blog post on the subject:
“The best way to prepare for a drug test is to stay away from drugs entirely.”
5. Your Cancer Risk Could Increase
We often think about marijuana as an anti-cancer agent.
And in all honesty, there’s a lot of science that shows that marijuana could be a useful tool for fighting cancer.
However, there is also a bit of evidence to show that marijuana smoke can act as a carcinogen in some instances as well.
Secondhand marijuana smoke has been shown to contain at least some of the same chemicals that show up in secondhand cigarette smoke.
And scientists have been linking secondhand cigarette smoke to lung cancer for a long time.
Is marijuana smoke just as bad for you as cigarette smoke?
That’s not what we’re saying.
We’re just saying there’s at least a bit of risk when you link all of these things together.
Conclusion
There you have it.
The 5 side effects of secondhand marijuana smoke that everyone should know about.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should think about marijuana as being a terrible poison for your body.
It just means that, as with anything in life, cannabis comes with a few risks of its own.
So know the risks, and make a responsible decision for yourself.
You’ve got this!
