Professor Paul Auerbach<\/strong>, of Stanford University\u2019s School of Medicine, similarly finds that marijuana can have many acute and chronic effects on diver-users. The substance can influence a diver\u2019s mental state, judgment, physical reflexes and neurological physiologies. Auerbach believes that, unless it provides benefits that supersede the negative effects, marijuana should be forbidden from use by divers since its effects can be detrimental.<\/p>\n Virtually no research has been carried out to test the effects of marijuana use or exposure in divers. There are certain technical difficulties, according to Neuman, in establishing a relationship between laboratory testing and impaired performance in a real-life setting like diving.<\/p>\n It is extremely challenging to find an adequate control group for this kind of research, and the number of diving accidents against which the effects of marijuana in divers can be tested is relatively small. Moreover, the active agent in marijuana is usually not detectable in the bloodstream after two hours from the time of inhalation. Thus, by the time a person arrives at a hyperbaric chamber, the likelihood that useful information could be obtained by any currently available blood test is extremely small.<\/p>\n This has led to important questions about marijuana and diving being left unanswered. What we know for sure, according to American surgeon Ernest Campbell<\/strong>, is that marijuana can have adverse effects on divers\u2019 lungs. Apart from THC and cannabinoids, its smoke contains 50% more tar, foreign bodies and harmful carcinogens than tobacco smoke.<\/p>\n Campbell confirms that marijuana can enlarge the terminal bronchi, increase coughing, inflame the lungs, and contribute to the loss of ciliated bronchial cells, which can fight against infections. This process increases the risk of mucus plugs, air trapping and gas embolism. Heavy marijuana smoking can also lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.<\/p>\n A diver\u2019s cardiovascular system is not immune to harm either. Mere episodic smoking of marijuana can increase one\u2019s heart rate by 30 to 50 beats per minute, increase blood pressure and elevate heart attack risk.<\/p>\n Although smoking marijuana before diving, according to numerous medical experts, can be dangerous in many ways, there is still a lack of conclusive proof. Before any definite statements can be made, the effect of the substance on divers needs to be investigated in further detail.<\/p>\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/imgimport\/901\/medico-marjuana.jpg\")
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