Can smoking marijuana over a prolonged period of time cause a rash?

Question

I have had this rash now for about 5 years and the dermatologists dont know what it is, i have seen three over the years and been to grand rounds several times but know one seems to know what it is, i was wondering if maybe its the chronic marijuana use?

Thank you all for your answeres, Well i did not think it was caused by smoking i have been smoking for about 17 years i am thirty like i said it all started about 5 years ago, i got some ink work done in prison at this same time and when i was paroled, Of course i was going to smoke right when i got out and that is about the time it started??? oh and no i am not stressed or paranoid I live in california, the smoke it if you got it state.. :-)

Answer 1

I've never heard of such a thing. My friends and I are all habitual smokers and they've never heard of that happening before either. Are you toking up somewhere that might make you break out? I just got a visual of you sitting in the woods smoking in a patch of poison ivy.

Answer 2

Well some folks have allergies to Ragweed and other plants so I suppose you could be allergic to pot.Try giving it up for a month or so and see what happens.Sometimes pot can get a mould when it is dried improperly and it could even be that I suppose.You could even have a rash from the stress of pot being illegal and all the pressure and paranoia that goes with it.

Answer 3

It is entire possible that your rash is caused by marijuana. Have it checked out by a dermatologist, and quit the weed. Contrary to what the guru pot heads claim, marijuana isn't good for your weing being.

Answer 4

did the rash start at the same time you started smoking? If so I guess you could be allergic to that just like anything else. But I doubt it...... probably something else

Answer 5

Maybe you need to go to a different dermatologist for a second opinion. And I'm guessing if you've had it for 5 years it's probably not going to go away.

Answer 6

if it does cause a rash than you have to smoke it more than 37 years as I have.

Answer 7

been smoking for years.no rashes

Answer 8

yes

Answer 9

I don't think so. I have never heard of this.

Answer 10

No, it is not caused by Marijuana (paranoid are we)!

"Common causes of rashes include:

allergies, for example to foods, dyes, medicines, insect stings; such rashes are often called hives Some people are sensitive to metals such as zinc or nickel
skin contact with an irritant
infection or reaction to a vaccine
skin diseases such as eczema or acne
autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis
cancer or other disease
pregnancy
exposure to sun or heat i.e sun burns
lead poisoning
irritation such as (in some cases) clothing or denim is rubbed upon the skin."

"List of effects
Cannabis has a broad spectrum of possible cognitive, behavioral, and physiological effects, the occurrence of which vary from user to user. Some of these are the intended effect desired by users, some may be considered desirable depending on the situation, and others are generally considered undesirable. Users of cannabis report that these kinds of effects are more often produced by the sativa species of Cannabis.

Cannabis also has effects that are predominantly physical or sensory, widely believed to be more common with the indica species.

[edit]
Cognitive effects
Varying amounts of paranoia and anxiety in some users[17]
Loss of coordination and distorted sense of time [18]
Impairment of short-term memory in some users
Auditory or visual hallucinations at high doses in some users
Induced sense of novelty
Increased awareness of sensation, including visual stimulation, music, taste, and sexual pleasure
Increased mental activity, like metacognition and introspective or meditative states of mind
Relaxation or stress reduction
Mild entheogenesis (e.g. per Rastafarian users, more "Jah-Vibrations")
[edit]
Behavioral effects
Paramnesia, repetitiveness and ambiguation
Initial wakefulness followed by drowsiness and lassitude ("burnt out")
Gain or loss of some inhibitions
Varying degree of euphoria, ranging from feelings of general well-being to lengthy pointless laughter
[edit]
Physiological effects
Anti-emetic properties (in moderate doses) [19]
Enhancement of many other drug effects (including those of alcohol, MDMA (Ecstasy), tobacco, heroin, cocaine)[19]
Lowered intraocular pressure, beneficial to glaucoma patients and sufferers of headaches, cramps, and eye pain.
Dilation of blood vessels (vasodilation),[20] resulting in:
Increased blood flow and heart rate (tachycardia)
Reddening or drying of eyes
Lower blood pressure while standing. Higher blood pressure while sitting (note that this can lead to instances of orthostatic hypotension a.k.a. head rush).
Increased appetite (often referred to as "the munchies"), an effect of stimulation of the endocannabinoid system, which affects body weight, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia.[21]
Mild, temporary dry mouth (sometimes referred to as cottonmouth, pasties, or the drys (NZ))
Dilation of alveoli (air sacs) in lungs, resulting in deeper respiration and increased coughing
Induces drowsiness (beneficial to sufferers of insomnia and sleep deprivation).
[edit]
Lethal dose
It is generally considered to be impossible to achieve a lethal overdose by smoking cannabis. According to the Merck Index, 12th edition, the LD50, the lethal dose for 50% of rats tested by inhalation, is 42 mg/kg of body weight. That is equivalent of a 165 lb (75 kg) man ingesting all of the THC in 21 one-gram cigarettes of high-potency (15% THC) cannabis buds at once, assuming no THC was lost through burning or exhalation. For oral consumption, the LD50 for rats is 1270 mg/kg and 730 mg/kg for males and females, respectively, equivalent to the THC in about a pound of 15% THC cannabis. Only with intravenous administration — an unheard-of method of use — may such a level be even theoretically possible.[22]

There has only ever been one recorded verdict of fatal overdose due to cannabis. In January 2004, Lee Maisey of Pembrokeshire, Wales was found dead. The coroner's report stated "Death due to probable cannabis toxicity". It had been reported that Maisey smoked about six joints a day. Mr. Maisey's blood contained 130 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) of the THC metabolite THC-COOH. However, the validity of the finding did not stand up well under review. As reported on 2004-01-28 in the Neue Züricher Zeitung, the Federal Health Ministry of Switzerland asked Dr. Rudolf Brenneisen, a professor at the department for clinical research at the University of Bern, to review the data of this case. Dr. Brenneisen said that the data of the toxicological analysis and collected by autopsy were "scanty and not conclusive" and that the conclusion "death by cannabis intoxication" was "not legitimate."[23] Additionally, Dr. Franjo Grotenhermen of the Nova-Institute in Cologne, Germany said: "A concentration of 130 ng/ml THC-COOH in blood is a moderate concentration, which may be observed some hours after the use of one or two joints. Heavy regular use of cannabis easily results in THC-COOH concentrations of above 500 ng/ml. Many people use much more cannabis than Mr. Maisey did, without any negative consequences."

4 ounces of cannabis[edit]
Health issues and the effects of cannabis
Main article: Health issues and the effects of cannabis
There is little conclusive scientific evidence about the long-term effects of human cannabis consumption.[24] The findings of many earlier studies purporting to demonstrate the effects of the drug are unreliable and generally regarded as junk science, as the studies were flawed, with strong bias and poor methodology. The most significant confounding factor is the use of other drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, by test subjects in conjunction with cannabis. When subjects using only cannabis were combined in the same sample with subjects using other drugs as well, researchers could not reach a conclusion as to whether their findings were caused by cannabis, other drugs or the interaction between them. In addition, research using cannabis is heavily restricted in many countries, making it difficult to get new studies funded or approved. Since there are so many different compounds in cannabis, it is difficult to predict or accurately measure its effects.

Some conclusions established with some degree of certainty, however, are that cannabis is less likely to cause emphysema or cancer than tobacco[25]; that sustained early-adolescent cannabis use among certain genetically predisposed individuals has an elevated correlation with certain mental illness outcomes, ranging from momentary minor psychotic episodes to clinical schizophrenia [26][27]; that cannabis use is generally higher among schizophrenics, but causality has not been established[28][29]; that it temporarily impairs motor skills; that it is unlikely to cause birth defects or developmental delays in the children of users,[30][31] and in a study done by the University of California Los Angeles in 2006, that even heavy marijuana smokers do not increase their risk for lung cancer.[32]"