Grant: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

Cannabis is the 2nd most used recreational drug in Canada following alcohol, with 6% of Canadians reporting daily use. Despite the known dangers of cigarette smoking to the lungs which involves exposure to inhaled toxins, smoking is the main method of cannabis consumption. The lungs are protected by a cell barrier called the airway epithelium that is injured by cigarette smoking, with damage leading to lung disease. Whether damage occurs in cannabis smoking is unknown. In this study I will determine if cannabis smoking damages the airway epithelium and whether this damage can be reversed. Cannabis is legal in Canada, making it one of the only places in the world where the effects of cannabis smoking can be studied without legal implications. To understand if cannabis smoking is dangerous for our lungs, we recruited current and former cannabis smokers who have undergone lung function testing at our Centre, answered symptom surveys and donated their airway epithelial cells. I will grow and analyze these epithelial cells to identify any changes that indicate harm. Findings from cells can be related back to lung function and symptoms. I will test the theory that cannabis smoking is toxic to epithelial cells, and that it reduces the protective ability of the airway barrier, ultimately leading to worse lung outcomes. I will also see if this damage can be reversed by stopping cannabis smoking, which would restore epithelial cells back to health. Study findings will be presented at international conferences, published in leading journals and importantly, shared with students using in-school initiatives. This work will build on our understanding of how cannabis smoking affects the lungs and will provide crucial information that may change how people use cannabis.