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A new study, by researchers at the Yale University, has found that smoking marijuana is associated with increased risk of many of the same symptoms as smoking cigarettes i.e. chronic bronchitis, coughing on most days, phlegm production, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

The study, which was published in the "Journal of General Internal Medicine," said that marijuana smoking may increase risk of respiratory exposure by infectious organisms, such as fungi and molds, since cannabis plants are contaminated with a range of fungal spores.

The study found that a large number of current marijuana use was defined as self-reported lifetime use and use at least one day in the prior month. Seventy seven percent of marijuana smokers also smoked tobacco.

The analysis statistically controlled for the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Individuals who smoked both marijuana and tobacco had increased rates of respiratory symptoms compared to those who smoked tobacco only.