"Cannabis produces more tar ( up to 50% more) than an equivalent weight of tobacco and is smoked in a way that increases the accumulation of tar.The carcinogen benzopyrene, for example, is 70% more abundant in marijuana than in tobacco smoke. When cannabis tar is applied to the skin of experimental animals, it causes precancerous lesions similar to those caused by tobacco tar.
An average marijuana cigarette contains 30 nanograms of this carcinogen compared to 21 nanograms in an average tobacco cigarette (Marijuana and Health, National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine report, 1982). This potent carcinogen suppresses a gene that controls growth of cells. When this gene is damaged the body becomes more susceptible to cancer. This gene, P53, is related to half of all human cancers and as many as 70% of lung cancers.
Some websites claim marijuana has up to 70% more benzopyrene than tobacco when in reality it is around 42%. Most people are not habitual users of marijuana and may only smoke 2-3 joints on a weekend. Some smokers can consume as many as 2 packs a day though I think the average is around a pack and a half or less. Even if a single marijuana cigarette has 42% more benzopyrene, the amount of cigarettes a person smokes in a day far outweighs the one to two joints a person may occasionally smoke.
Let's not forget how a person smokes marijuana verses how a person smokes a cigarette. Marijuana smokers inhale much more deeply and hold it in longer than someone smoking a cigarette. Plus cigarettes made from marijuana tend to be loosely packed and lack a filter.
Benzo[a]pyrene is found in
coal tar, in automobile exhaust fumes (especially from
diesel engines), in all smoke resulting from the combustion of organic material, and in
charbroiled food. Recent studies have revealed that levels of benzo[a]pyrene in burnt
toast are significantly higher than once thought,[
citation needed] although it is unproven whether burnt toast is itself carcinogenic. Cooked meat products, regular consumption of which has been epidemiologically associated with increased levels of colon cancer
[1] (although this in itself does not
prove carcinogenicity)
[2], have been shown to contain up to 4 ng/g of benzo[a]pyrene,
[3] and up to 5.5ng/g in fried chicken
[4] and 62.6ng/g in overcooked charcoal barbecued beef.
Wow! One marijuana cigarette has 30ng, one tobacco cigarette has 21ng, and overcooked charcoaled beef has 62.2ng
per gram. If an average serving size in 4 ounces, that is around 113 grams. Than means an overcooked 4 ounce hamburger patty has over 7000ng of benzopyrene! A 4 ounce serving of fried chicken has 620ng!
Special white blood cells in living lung tissue-alveolar macrophages-play a role in removing debris from the lungs. When exposed to smoke from cannabis, these cells are are less able to remove bacteria and other foreign debris.
Even so, mature individuals should be able to decide whether or not to partake.
Smoking only a few marijuana cigarettes a day up to 6 to 8 weeks can significantly impair pulmonary function. Heavy use causes cellular changes and that users have a higher incidence of laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, cough, dry throat. "
I would like to know how many people in the US actually smoke a few joints a day. Most people are probably weekend warriors.
Hmm...doesn't sound too healthy to me. Since when does putting 421 chemicals in your body healthy?
So if something is unhealthy then we should outlaw it? This may surprise you, but the number 1 epidemic in the US is not marijuana, it is obesity. Obesity is linked to many more cancers, diseases, and maladies than marijuana yet a double whopper with cheese, a double quarter pounder with cheese, or some other fat laced food is available on almost every street corner.
Excessive body weight is associated with various diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. As a result, obesity has been found to reduce life expectancy.
As obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide and with rates of adult and childhood obesity increasing, authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problem of the 21st century.
Cardiology
Dermatology
Endocrinology and
Reproductive medicine
Gastrointestinal
Neurology
Oncology
Psychiatry
Respirology
Rheumatology and
Orthopedics
Urology and
Nephrology
Mortality
Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. A BMI of over 32 has been associated with a doubled mortality rate among women over a 16 year period and obesity is estimated to cause an excess 111,909 to 365,000 death per year in the United States. Obesity on average reduces life expectancy by 67 years. A BMI of 30 - 35 reduces life expectancy by 24 years while severe obesity (BMI >40) reduces life expectancy by 20 years for men and 5 years for women.
In addition to its health impacts, obesity leads to many problems including disadvantages in employment and increased business costs. These effects are felt by all levels of society from individuals, to corporations, to governments.
The estimate range for annual expenditures on diet products is $40 billion to $100 billion in the US alone. In 1998, the medical costs attributable to obesity in the US were $78.5 billion USD, or 9.1% of all medical expenditures.
Obesity prevention programs have been found to reduce the cost of treating obesity-related disease. However, the longer people live the more medical costs they incur. Researchers therefore conclude that reducing obesity may improve the public's health, but it is unlikely to reduce overall health spending.
Obese patients can require special equipment, including wide chairs.
Obesity can lead to social stigmatization and disadvantages in employment. Obese workers, on average when compared to their normal weight conterparts, have higher rates absenteeism from work and take more disability leave, thus increasing costs for employers and decreasing productivity. A study examining Duke University employees found that people with a BMI over 40 filed twice as many workers' compensation claims as those whose BMI was 18.5-24.9. They also had more than 12 times as many lost work days. The most common injuries in this group were due to falls and lifting, thus affecting the lower extremities, wrists or hands, and backs. The US state of Alabama Employees' Insurance Board approved a controversial plan to charge obese workers $25 per month if they do not take measures to reduce their weight and improve their health. These measures are set to start January 2010 and apply to those with a BMI of greater than 35 kg/m2 who fail to make improvements in their health after one year.
Some research shows that obese people are less likely to be hired for a job and are less likely to be promoted. Obese people are also paid less than their non-obese counterparts for an equivalent job. Obese women on average make 6% less and obese men make 3% less.
Specific industries, such as the airline and food industries, have special concerns. Due to rising rates of obesity, airlines face higher fuel costs and pressures to increase seating width. In 2000, the extra weight of obese passengers cost airlines US$275 million. Costs for restaurants are increased by litigation accusing them of causing obesity. In 2005 the US Congress discussed legislation to prevent civil law suits against the food industry in relation to obesity; however it did not become law.
It seems smoking marijuana is better than a lot of the stuff we are allowed to do. If marijuana is illegal because it is bad for you then we should make all fatty foods illegal, especially since it seems they do more damage than marijuana could ever do.
Another thing I don't get is why does everyone focus on smoking marijuana? We have common sense, and inhaling any burning substance is bad for you. If you eat it you eliminate all dangers associated with combustion. I would also look at who funds the study on marijuana before you accept any of its conclusions. Studies funded by the federal government seem to find more "bad" than University funded studies (and those are few and far between). The most unbiased research on marijuana comes from Israel and Europe.
My mom is still very much addicted to nicotine and it is frustrating to watch. Wasting all that money to put toxins in your body and watching her health decline because of smoking is difficult.
