TOKEpure

A big study in the US (read it here) found “that the association of these (lung) cancers with marijuana, even long-term or heavy use, is not strong and may be below practically detectable limits” and another study (read it here) found that “Smoking only marijuana was not associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms or COPD.” COPD is “chronic obstructive Pulmonary disease” – it’s not nice and is strongly connected with tobacco smoking. Another study demonstrated that cannabis and tobacco are not equally carcinogenic, with tobacco being far more dangerous than cannabis (read it here). Although cannabis smoke contains cancer causing chemicals, studies have found that one of the main ingredients of cannabis, THC, has anti cancer properties (Read it here).

So the truth seems to be that not only is cannabis smoked alone in fact far safer than tobacco in terms of what it does to your lungs but that that smoking the two together may be the worst of both worlds. This is serious stuff.

Now lets be honest here, we are not saying smoking cannabis is harmless. Breathing in any smoke is bad for you and the less you breath in the better; but mixing cannabis and tobacco is adding a level of harm cannabis by itself doesn’t seem to have, or at the very least is making any such risk massively greater. Lung cancer is a nasty illness that kills by a slow painful death, it really is something to be avoided.

Cannabis taken with a vaporiser carries none of the risks of smoking whatsoever.

But as if that isn’t enough, there’s more.

Tobacco is a more addictive drug than heroin, it really is very addictive. Breaking a tobacco habit can be a very agonizing and difficult experience which many people can never manage to do, even when they know the smoking is killing them.

Both cannabis and tobacco are psychologically addictive, which means you associate using them with doing things you enjoy and this can be hard to break, but in addition tobacco is strongly physically addictive. ‘Physically addictive’ means your brain needs a constant feed of the drug just to function normally and so for you to feel normal. There is much debate as to whether Cannabis is physically addictive at all, it may be for long term very heavy tokers, but certainly for the vast majority of consumers it isn’t.

Quitting a tobacco addiction involves real “cold turkey” just like heroin withdrawal (although it’s different of course) plus the problems of breaking the psychological addiction.

Some people think tobacco isn’t a drug because it doesn’t make you stoned or anything like that. Cannabis works on the bit of the brain you’re aware of, so when you get stoned you feel intoxicated. Tobacco works on a part of the brain that controls emotions, it makes you feel good about having taken it, which is why smoking tobacco is so enjoyable. It’s a real mugs drug.

Why do people smoke cannabis with tobacco?

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