The most recent studies that exist on weed and emphysema in American/European databases--you can see many of the abstracts in Storm Crow's signature above--relate almost universally to cannabinoid isolates and their effects on pulmonary health, not to whole smoked cannabis and its effects. The Tennant-Portnoy data from the 70s and the Tashkin-UCLA studies did indeed show a lot of particulate/carbon/benzene crap coming out of combustible weed and remain the basis for the postulation that weed smoke is dirtier than cigarette. The part that is hard for people to grasp is that, even with that dirty factor in place, because of the amazing anti-carcinogenic/anti-inflammatory effects of the THC and CBD active ingredients, it's still less toxic on the lungs--at least from a cancer standpoint. No one is able to say the same thing is true from an asthma/bronchitis/emphysema standpoint, however, because doctors who see patients who smoke lots of weed see more trouble with those conditions in people who're heavy smokers, no matter what the Tennant-Portnoy and Tashkin studies seemed to indicate in their comparatively small-scale studies.

Glad you're choosing to start the hard work of quitting cigarettes if you're on the edge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Everything I've heard anecdotally and learned about nicotine/cannabis/other drug receptors in the brain this year seems to indicate that for some people, Chantix can also dull the cannabinoid receptors. So be braced for that. Dr. Natural's suggestion that you vape or use tinctures is indeed your healthiest, best option. If you're trying to quit cigarettes, smoking something else is going to keep you locked into the physical behavior of drawing/inhaling, which is part of that habit you're working to break, right? And don't you want to give your poor lungs the full benefit of relief from both cigarette smoke and the particulate/by-products of cannabis combustion while you're at it? Seriously, emphysema is a ghastly thing. I'm watching my mom die of it right now. Do everything you can possibly do to help yourself let your lungs recover. Good luck to you!