Did Marijuana smoking & other addictions contribute to pneumonia?

If an adult female in her early 40's who weighs 90lbs is using a mixture of adderal, xanax, alcohol, and Marijuana everyday how likely is it that these drugs and alcohol had an impact on her overall health and immune system if she ultimately developed double pneumonia (bacterial and viral) and ended up in the ICU?

@dad261601 We're not doctors here on Connect, but the evidence is clear that both smoking and vaping can compromise lungs. It is particularly bad to introduce foreign substances or irritants that are already fighting against virus or bacteria or are already damaged by previous exposure.

I'm guessing from your screen name that you are a concerned Dad? Isn't it tough to watch your adult children make poor choices? Do you think there is a substance abuse issue as well?

I think it’s very likely that smoking or vaping marijuana can contribute to getting pneumonia, some people believe that cannabis is safer than tobacco, not true. If she wants to use cannabis there are other options like edibles that don’t affect her lungs, many cancer patients use cannabis to help with side effects from treatment but they usually ingest it to avoid exposure to the lungs, it’s not a perfect situation but at least it won’t contribute to further damage to the lungs. Another mistake was getting people to vape instead of smoking, they really believed it was a safer option but sadly it turned into another problem and their lungs were badly damaged by this choice, they developed a condition called “popcorn lungs “ which was due to all these bumps covering the inside lining of their lungs, unfortunately it was a permanent problem and not much treatment available at this time.

@dad261601

Welcome to Mayo connect. Most of us are not medical professionals, but can offer support and advice.

Any unhealthy habit can impact overall health. The best person to advise her is the provider who is caring for her in hospital or her primary care provider. But, to be helpful, she needs to be totally honest with providers on what drugs and / or substance she is using.

Is this a relative or friend you're asking about? How is she doing?