Honoring Fred Mayer on Great American Smokeout Day!

Sharing a Tribute honoring the late Fred Mayer, who hosted Marin's first Great American Smoke-out out of his pharmacy in Sausalito back in the day! Fred as a pharmacist knew the risks of tobacco, vapes and cannabis and worked hard to help both teens and adults avoid addiction.

Today is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout Day, which was conceived of and started by Marin's very own Fred Mayer – a truly amazing force of nature and local tobacco control champion. For 35 years, Fred owned the Sausalito Pharmacy, and he was one of the first pharmacists in the country, if not the world, to take a strong anti-tobacco stance.

Notably, in the late 1960s Fred was probably the first pharmacist who decided to stop selling cigarettes, and he took all of the cigarettes out of his pharmacy and burnt them in a bonfire in town to show everyone how important it was to quit. He went on to lead the national effort to make pharmacies tobacco-free.

https://www.jweekly.com/2007/1...

https://rxsafemarin.org/rememb...

https://www.marinij.com/2019/1...

"One of Mr. Mayer’s last campaigns was to educate medical cannabis users about the potential for interactions with other medications they’re taking. 'I’m pleading with those already taking other drugs (of any kind) to get good medical advice about potential drug interactions so risks are known, understood and avoided,” Mr. Mayer wrote on the Independent Journal’s editorial page a year ago.’"

In honor of Fred, regarding quitting smoking and vaping cannabis starting today, here’s something to share with teens, young adults, parents and the elderly in Marin and beyond:

American Lung Association: Marijuana and Lung Health
https://www.lung.org/quit-smok...

"Smoke is harmful to lung health. Whether from burning wood, tobacco or marijuana, toxins and carcinogens are released from the combustion of materials. Smoke from marijuana combustion has been shown to contain many of the same toxins, irritants and carcinogens as tobacco smoke.4-7

Beyond just what's in the smoke alone, marijuana is typically smoked differently than tobacco. Marijuana smokers tend to inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers, which leads to a greater exposure per breath to tar.8

Secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same toxins and carcinogens found in directly-inhaled marijuana smoke, in similar amounts if not more.5 While there is no data on the health consequences of breathing secondhand marijuana smoke, there is concern that it could cause harmful health effects, especially among vulnerable children in the home. Additional research on the health effects of secondhand marijuana smoke is needed.

Smoking marijuana can harm more than just the lungs and respiratory system—it can also affect the immune system and the body's ability to fight disease, especially for those whose immune systems are already weakened from immunosuppressive drugs or diseases, such as HIV infection.4,9

Smoking marijuana hurts the lungs' first line of defense against infection by killing cells that help remove dust and germs as well as causing more mucus to be formed. In addition, it also suppresses the immune system. These effects could lead to an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections among marijuana smokers, although there is no clear evidence of such actual infections being more common among marijuana smokers.4,9 However, frequent marijuana-only smokers have more healthcare visits for respiratory conditions compared to nonsmokers.10

Use of "vape-pens" to inhale cannabis concentrates or liquids may have similar respiratory health effects as e-cigarette use."

For more information, visit www.smokefreemarin.com