Is Smoking Weed, Marijuana Worse than Cigarettes?

Smoking weed and cigarettes both are harmful to health. Of course, differences of opinion are there with regard to the degree of ill-effects of marijuana on health as compared to cigarette smoking Pot smokers always justified their smoking marijuana and feel that it is “harmless”. Nevertheless, it does have some negative impact on health.

Similar to marijuana, cigarette smoking also has negative impact on one’s health. It causes many serious illnesses and diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases etc.

Thus both marijuana and smoking are injurious to health. Some claim that marijuana is not as bad for health as smoking cigarettes. Let us observe this viewpoint as well as what others claim that marijuana is equally bad as smoking.

How do marijuana and smoking cigarettes affect health?

• Pot as well as smoking cigarettes, both, affect the lungs. A study indicates that pot can cause damage to the lungs quite similar to that caused by cigarettes smoking up to 5 cigarettes. At the same time, researchers from New Zealand’s Medical Research Institute have reported that those who use marijuana for a longer period of time are less likely as compared to cigarettes smokers to develop emphysema. Marijuana smokers are prone to bullous lung disease about 24 years earlier than those who smoke tobacco.
• Some feel that that the only difference between marijuana and cigarette smoking is that the former is illegal while the later is legal.
• One opinion held is that marijuana is less addictive as compared to cigarettes. Also it causes less harm to health.
• It is also felt that cigarettes contain more harmful chemicals as compared to marijuana.
• Many feel that to avoid both of them is the best way out to keep good health.
• Some hold the view that both have deleterious effect.
• A recent study highlights the fact that smoking one “joint” of marijuana is equivalent to 20 cigarettes in a pack. People who did so were equally at risk of developing lung cancer similar to those who smoked cigarettes a bit too many. Team leader Richard Beasley claims that cannabis smokers have five times more of carbon monoxide in their bloodstream as compared to tobacco smokers.
• Cigarette smoking is a serious risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whereas the risk appears to be less in the case of pot smoking.
• Marijuana sensitizes the airways making them more vulnerable to diseases caused by tobacco smoking, including COPD.
• Recent research shows that cigarette smokers were 50% more likely than non smokers to suffer from respiratory problems. On the other hand, those who smoked marijuana and tobacco were twice at risk when compared to non-smokers in developing frequent respiratory problems.
• Marijuana does affect lung functioning, but structural damage to the lungs is caused by tobacco smoking.
• Exposure to smoke is much higher in the case of tobacco smoking as compared to pot smoking. This implies that the risk of developing tobacco smoking related illnesses was higher.
• Chronic use of marijuana can cause psychotic illnesses.
• There is increased risk of developing psychotic illness in the case of marijuana smoking.
• Memory can be impaired due to marijuana smoking.

Smoking cigarettes is harmful to health, but marijuana can cause lot of psychological health problems. In some respects, marijuana smoking may not be that harmful as compared to cigarette smoking, but nevertheless both are not advisable to be used if one wanted to keep good health.