According to health experts, smoking cannabis is more harmful for health than it is perceived by the general public.

A survey conducted by the British Lung Foundation of 1,000 adults found that a third believed wrongly that smoking cannabis did not cause any harm to the health. About 88 per cent of the respondents said that they believed that smoking tobacco cigarettes were more harmful than cannabis smoking. However, experts say that risk of lung cancer is actually 20 times higher from cannabis smoking.

The British Lung Foundation described the lack of awareness as alarming. According to estimates about 30 per cent of the people between 16 and 59 year have used cannabis. The BLF pointed out that there is a link between smoking cannabis and tuberculosis, acute bronchitis and lung cancer.

It is also believed that smoking cannabis may cause mental health problems such as schizophrenia.

The survey showed that younger people were particularly more unaware of the dangers of smoking cannabis.

BLF head, Dame Helena Shovelton, said, “It is alarming that, while new research continues to reveal the multiple health consequences of smoking cannabis, there is still a dangerous lack of public awareness of quite how harmful this drug can be. This is not a niche problem - cannabis is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the UK, with almost a third of the population having tried it.”