But I never inhaled officer

Scientists at the University of Calgary (UofC) have found that a person can be affected by marijuana smoke without smoking marijuana.

According to a Canadian Television report, a non-smoker can be affected by marijuana smoke just by being in the same room as a pot smoker.

Researchers at the UofC’s Cumming School of Medicine were said to have conducted a four-month study into second-hand marijuana smoke and discovered that, in just a ‘short time’, non-smokers begin to absorb THC [tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary active ingredient in marijuana] while in ‘close proximity’ to a marijuana smoker.

Exposures to second-hand marijuana smoke lasting for as little at 15 minutes could lead to THC being found in a person’s blood and urine at levels that would see her fail regular blood tests, said Fiona Clement, who worked on the study, though this would depend on the THC concentration of the marijuana, the number of joints being smoked and passed around, and the ventilation of the area being used.

Clement said that people needed to be aware of the impacts of second-hand marijuana smoke as the imposition of legalization drew nearer.

The findings of the study have been published in the Canadian Medical Association’s journal.