Phillip S. Gardiner, Dr. P. H. It’s Still Smoke! Phillip S. Gardiner, Dr. P. H. UCSF Behavioral Sciences Department; UC Smoke and Tobacco Free Fellowships Program Officer and Co-Chair African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) Health Effects of Marijuana, Legislative Briefing Sacramento, California January 25, 2018
similar chemicals in varied proportions Dried plant smoke: similar chemicals in varied proportions Sample comparisons of components of tobacco and marijuana secondhand smoke Inhaling a whole chemistry lab...
Cannabis Smoke is Still Smoke One minute of marijuana SHS exposure impairs blood vessel function for at least 90 minutes; (Wang X et al., 2016) Proposition 65 list of substances known to cause cancer; ( 27 CCR § 25603.3.) Cannabis smoking was associated with worse respiratory symptoms and more frequent chronic bronchitis episodes, as well as moderate evidence of other respiratory effects. (National Academy of Sciences, 2017)
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)(ANR,2017)
Regulate Cannabis Smoke Like Tobacco Smoke “inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, including hookahs and marijuana, whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or in any form.” Americans For Non-Smokers Rights, 2017; https://nonsmokersrights.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/Protecting-Nonsmokers-from-Secondhand-Marijuana-Smoke_0.pdf
Packaging Restrictions Kids are Attracted to Bright Candy Colors
Restrict Menthol and other Flavor Additives Kids Love Candy Flavors
The Ultimate Candy Flavoring; Menthol Helps The Poison Go Down Easier Chief Constituent of Peppermint Oil; Minty-Candy Taste; Masks the Harshness of Smoking Cooling Sensation; activates taste buds; cold receptors; increases throat grab Anesthetic effects; Mimics Bronchial Dilatation; easier to inhale; deeper inhalation; more nicotine taken in. Independent Sensory Activation Neurotransmitters Increases Salivary Flow; Transbuccal Drug absorption Greater Cell Permeability (Ferris, 2004; Benowitz, 2004)
Menthol and Inhalation Menthol reduces irritation, thus increasing the amount of smoke that is inhaled and allowing the smoker to inhale deeper and longer (Ton et al., 2015) Inhaling more smoke means greater nicotine intake, making menthol flavored tobacco products more addictive and harder to quit (Levy, 2011)
The Marijuana Industry Too? Over 80% of Kids start smoking with flavored tobacco products (Ambrose et al, 2015) Nearly 60% of Middle Schoolers start smoking with menthol cigarettes (Hersey et al., 2006) The tobacco industry uses the same chemical flavorings that are found in LifeSavers, Ranchers and Kool-Aid; (Brown et al., 2014)
The Marijuana Industry Too? Cigar sales increased from 6.1 billion cigars in 2000 to 12.3 billion cigars in 2015, at the same time cigarette sales has been on the decline (U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Tobacco Statistics; December 2000, 2014, 2015) This increase principally driven by increased consumption of flavored little cigars and cigarillos
What’s at Stake?
Thank You! phillip.gardiner@ucop.edu