The Effects Of Tobacco Smoking

Most college students cease to believe that smoking marijuana is just as harmful as tobacco or other illicit drugs. In actuality, marijuana has a high level of carcinogens, as well as carbon monoxide, which makes the heart work harder to deliver oxygen to deprived tissues. The same health issues that arise from smoking tobacco such as, emphysema, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems can also be brought on by smoking marijuana.

Studies have proven that marijuana is no more harmful to a person’s health than alcohol or tobacco. Every year, tobacco kills roughly 390,000 people, alcohol contributes to 80,000 deaths in America and marijuana contributed to 0; no deaths from marijuana have ever been recorded in US history (Abovetheinfluence.org). When smoking tobacco, the user inhales tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, and 200 other known poisons into the lungs (Abovetheinfluence.org). All forms of tobacco, including cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco, contain the addictive drug nicotine, and can also cause cancer. Alcohol alters a person's perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing. Alcohol plays a role in at least 50 percent of traffic deaths, about half of murders, and about 25 percent of suicides (Abovetheinfluence.org). Marijuana side effects include delusions, impaired memory, hallucinations and disorientation, which are no different from the side effects of alcohol alone.

Although it remains a large portion of the U.S’ economy, tobacco smoking can lead to a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the user. The effects of smoking tobacco not only affect the user but surrounding people as well: permanently destroying their lungs and children, increasing the chances of diseases and of cancer.

Smoking marijuana, in some ways, is like smoking cigarettes. Marijuana can produce airway injury, coughing and wheezing, some of the symptoms of cigarette smoking (Marijuana). But the downfall to smoking marijuana is it contains almost 50% more benzopyrene (the cancer-causing chemical in tobacco) than a cigarette (Fact Sheet). Marijuana contains cancer causing agents and toxic particles that can lead to bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer (What to Teach Kids 3). People do not realize how much more serious the risks of smoking one joint are compared to smoking one cigarette. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day (Marijuana). The affects of smoking marijuana are much severe than smoking cigarettes.

Marijuana smoke is a complex mixture that has many chemical components and biological effects similar to tobacco smoke. However, it also contains some different ingredients. This suggests the strong possibility that marijuana, like tobacco, could lead to lung cancer, or create respiratory distress. ?Smoking marijuana also causes changes in the heart and circulation that are characteristic of stress? states Morgan (5). Current evidence has shown marijuana also causes some chemical changes in the brain. After exposure to this drug, there have been reports of effects on brain electrical activity in human beings and in animals. Marijuana also has been found to produce an acute brain syndrome. ?This is a more severe mental problem consisting of confusion and loss of contact with reality? stated Berger (8). The main reason that the United States Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't want marijuana use to be legalized is because there is no evidence to date that proves that marijuana is an effective drug when used for medicinal purposes. Scientists have researched this drug for twenty years and have yet to produce reliable scientific proof that marijuana has medical value. New findings show that marijuana is acutely harmful to AIDS and cancer patients because the active ingredient in marijuana acutely reduces the white blood cells that fight off infection. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency agrees with police departments that if marijuana use is legalized, crime could

Many could argue that marijuana is destructive physically as well as mentally. “The National Institute on Drug Abuse says marijuana can cause heart irregularities, lung problems, and addiction” (Welch). “One joint can be just as damaging to [the lungs] as smoking at least

But only 9 percent of marijuana users develop a dependence” (Boffey). Even still, of those 9 percent that develop a dependence, marijuana addiction is dissimilar to that of heroin, alcohol, or nicotine, from which withdrawal is often an extremely painful, physical experience. In addition, the long-held belief that marijuana is a gateway drug has been debunked, and even quietly removed from D.A.R.E’s list of gateway drugs. As far as medical research is concerned, the clear consensus is that marijuana use is less harmful to human health than most other banned drugs. While tobacco causes cancer, and alcohol abuse can lead to cirrhosis, there is no clear causal connection between marijuana use and any deadly diseases. Furthermore, it is less dangerous than highly addictive but legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana use cannot, in and of itself, lead to fatal overdoses, and there is little evidence that it causes cancer. Like tobacco and alcohol, public policy concerns support the notion that it should be kept out of the hands of minors. The downsides to marijuana use are less compelling as reasons to foist criminal penalties on its possession, especially not in a society that allows nicotine use and celebrates

On the patients for medical marijuana website I found the next article very interesting. It states that scientists have shown that smoking any plant is bad for your lungs, because it increases the number of lesions in your small airways. This usually does not threaten your life, but there is a chance it will lead to infections. Marijuana users who are worried about this can find less harmful ways of taking marijuana like eating or vaporizing. It is there opinion that marijuana smokers generally don’t chain smoke, and so they smoke less. They also believe that marijuana is not physically addictive like tobacco. The more potent marijuana is, the less a smoker will use at a time. While other articles state otherwise, this one says that tobacco contains nicotine, and marijuana doesn’t. Nicotine hardens the arteries and may be responsible for much of the heart disease caused by tobacco. It also reminds us that research has found that tobacco use may also cause a lot of cancers. This is because it breaks down into a cancer causing chemical called `N Nitrosamine’ when it is burned (and maybe even while it is inside the body as well.) There are currently no cases of lung cancer resulting from marijuana use alone according to this article. They believe the more legal marijuana gets, the safer it is. This article added that researchers were

Adolescents who inject marijuana via inhalation are more likely to report symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and have increased rates of respiratory infections and pneumonia (Tarter et al., 2014). It has also been associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and transient ischemic attacks during marijuana intoxication (Tarter et al., 2014). There have been numerous studies to suggest that marijuana increases your chances of developing lung cancer, but many of these studies have been disapproved because it had included people who smoke marijuana along with tobacco products. Regardless, there have been numerous, reliable studies that suggest that the inhalation of marijuana is associated with inflammation of the large airways, increased airway resistance, and lung hyperinflation (Tarter et al., 2014).

In American Marijuana is becoming a popular drug with over 100 million people using it . Marijuana is known for being “safe” and “harmless” to a person's health. Upon looking closer at the fact you’ll find this is not true. In fact Marijuana has severe short term and long term effects. According to www.drugabuse.gov some of the short term affects are altered senses, mood changes, impaired movement, difficulty thinking, and impaired memory. In addition to this long term effects are Breathing problems, increased heart rate, and problems with child development during and after pregnancy. To go into more detail Marijuana can affect breathing because the smoke irritates the lung which causes coughing better known as a smokers

“Smoking pot is much worse for your lungs than smoking cigarettes” is a myth (Poindexter). Some may argue that because, generally, no filter is needed while smoking cannabis, the lungs are not protected. This is found to be false. In 2012 a group of students held a study of the cannabis effects and what the smoke can do to your lungs and came up with this conclusion: “Occasional and low cumulative marijuana use was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function (Poindexter).” However, cannabis smokers do not usually smoke more than a few joints to a few bowls a day, while with cigarette smokers it is not particularly uncommon for them to smoke a whole pack a day. In conclusion of this study, cannabis smokers seem to end up with healthier lungs than cigarette smokers. To make matters even better for cannabis lovers, it can be ingested without any smoke. A few simple ways to ingest cannabis are to eat it, drink it, inhale it as a vapor, take it in tablet form, or even rub it on your skin as a lotion or oil

Studies have shown that marijuana produces as many, if not more carcinogens than cigarettes do and also deposits four times as much tar into the body. Marijuana smoke is full of toxic gases and particles which can irritate the bronchial passages and lungs causing damage to the respiratory system. Regular marijuana smokers are more likely

However, from another perspective, legalizing marijuana is unfavorable and unacceptable. Studies have proved that there is intimate relationship between the occurrence of some diseases and the use of marijuana. Tashkin (2005,p.93) has pointed out that Marijuana use is associated with the respiratory and mental illness and is harmful to the cognitive and immune system. Additionally, using marijuana increases the risk of lung cancer (Hashibe et al., 2006, p.1830). Researches have manifested that the number of marijuana smokers suffering from the tortures of cough and sputum is larger than those of non-smokers for the reason that marijuana users usually smoke the mixture of marijuana and some hard drugs harmful to people’s lungs. It has been estimated that the consumption of marijuana will increase about

Despite claims from opponents Marijuana is as safe as tobacco or safer, and can provide health benefits. Recent research done by mark pletcher has found smoking marijuana on a casual level doesn’t harm your lungs. In fact Marijuana on low doses for a long period of time can strengthen and open lung capacity. (Pletcher) Casual smoking of natural marijuana doesn’t harm your lungs compared to tobacco which has added chemicals. Over 4000 chemical compounds are created by burning a cigarette, 69 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer. Cristina Sanchez a biologist at Complutense University in Madrid was screening brain cancer cells

Tobacco; one of the most profitable products in history, an addictive substance, and a deadly killer. Smoking tobacco used to be a thing that was endorsed in American society. Now, with the new medical advances and knowledge, society has seen the side effects of smoking and how fatal it actually is. Teenagers have been one of the largest age groups that have been affected by smoking. After analyzing all possible reasons as to why teenagers would smoke while knowing it can affect their health, three possible reasons stuck out the most. Teenagers smoke despite knowing the health problems that originate from smoking because of peer pressure, an “invincibility” mentality, and seeing a role model or family member smoke.