I Shed a tear for these people

They're taking data points and acting as though they exist in a vacuum. Yes, inhaling hot smoke consistently can trigger lung issues... In people with pre-existing respiratory conditions. I was born prematurely, my lungs are trash, and if I don't take a few days off from smoking every few weeks, I start getting bronchitis symptoms. That said, a good friend of mine smokes more in a day than I do in a week and has for the past 20 years. Zero lung problems on his end.

Yes, breathing in hot combusted plant matter does damage your throat, however the anti-inflammatory properties of the cannabinoids combined with THC's anti-tumour effect has been shown to provide a net positive. A very minor net positive, but that's beside the point.

The "1 joint = 5 cigs" argument is very cleverly worded. Yes, 1 joint contains 5x as much tar as an equal sized cigarette. Yes, tar is carcinogenic. However, what they aren't admitting is that 1) your lungs do a damn good job of cleaning themselves out, 2) THC is an expectorant, meaning it makes your coughs better at removing gunk from your respiratory system, and 3) a joint doesn't contain any of the hundreds of other carcinogens (antifreeze, cyanide, etc) found in cigarettes, nor is it grown with radioactive fertilizer. The immune-suppressive thing is pure BS, there's not even a selectively interpreted data point behind that.

This is without even getting into the myriad other benefits of regular cannabinoid consumption, like for example neuro-protective properties (no alzheimers for us potheads) and mood regulation. Oh yeah, and it gets you high too. Almost forgot to mention that...

 

Antitumorigenic Effects of Cannabinoids beyond Apoptosis (abst - 2010)
Antitumorigenic Effects of Cannabinoids beyond Apoptosis