The Effect of Marijuana on the Voice: A Pilot Study

Marijuana is derived from the cannabis sativa plant originating in central and southeast Asia. In recent years, there was increasing popularity and use of marijuana in addition to the legalization of its recreational use in eleven states. However, the effect of marijuana on the voice is still unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived impacts marijuana has on voice by surveying patients from a voice center. The inquiry included smoking, vaping, edible marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD) oil.

Methods and materials: An anonymous, web-based questionnaire was sent to adult voice center patients. The survey was distributed using The Research Electronic Data Capture (RED-Cap) tool, hosted by Drexel University. The survey was designed to collect relevant demographic data, past laryngeal history, marijuana use history, and beliefs about effects of marijuana on voice.

Results: The survey was sent to 434 voice patients, 42 patients responded to the survey (response rate 9.68%). The average age of respondents was 45.7 (13 were male, 27 were female, and 2 were transgender). Of all, 88.10% reported having never used tobacco, 9.52% were former tobacco users, and 2.38% were current tobacco users. Of all, 75.61% of the respondents reported having tried some form of marijuana during their lifetime (16.13% reported medical use, 45.16% reported recreational use). Out of all, 21.43% were frequent (monthly) users, and 39.29% were infrequent (yearly) marijuana smokers. They reported symptoms that they attributed to marijuana use, including hoarseness, breathiness, and weakness.

Conclusion: Marijuana may have negative effects on the voice.

Keywords: Immediate effects; Long-term effects; Marijuana; Route of administration; Voice effects.