Is Smoking Cannabis Safer than Smoking Cigarettes?

How bad is weed smoke for you really? Is it just as bad as tobacco smoke, or is it worse? Is it better? What about secondhand pot smoke? These questions are crucial to ask yourself if you are considering cannabis delivery Los Angeles. The answers can be complex. Scientists have conducted far more research into cigarettes than pot, but the evidence so far indicates that they are not the same. Not at all.

Why the Brouhaha about Smoking?

People have been playing with fire for centuries. Science suggests that, during this time, humans have become genetically adaptable to smoke and more able to clear out its toxins. Back in 2016, the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution published a study that found only Homo sapiens with the ability to break smoke-based toxins down at a safe rate, not our Neanderthal or Denisovan ancestors. Nobody.

While this is a fantastic superpower to have, humans have somewhat taken advantage of it. There is a vastly large difference between being near a smoky fire and directly inhaling burning plant matter straight into the lungs. Breathing in toxins from smoke can compromise your immune system, cause infections of the respiratory tract, and even wreak havoc on the reproductive system.

Having said that, research does show that not all smoke is equal. Although most smoke contains dangerous chemicals, such as carcinogens that damage cell processes and lead to cancer, different plants and their molecular structures create different gasses when ignited. Some of them are more toxic than others are.

Pot Smoke vs. Cigarette Smoke?

Science indicates that, when it comes to the actual act of inhaling smoke, tobacco is notably more harmful than weed is for the lungs. This should please anyone needing marijuana delivery in Monterey, but as far as the actual effect of pot smoke on other areas of the body, researchers are still busy discovering. What we do know is that smoke, no matter the kind, has a nasty effect on aging.

All smoke, including weed smoke, exposes the skin to free radicals in the environment. Free radicals stimulate the formation of wrinkles and makes skin aging notably more visible. Hitting a vaporizer or bong decreases this effect of pot smoke on the skin, making one-hit alternatives, such as vapes, bongs, and chillums, a smarter choice when smoking cannabis.

Another study showed that smoking ganja over the long-term could increase your risk of periodontal disease, likely due to the irritating effect on the gums of hot smoke. However, it is difficult to be sure exactly if other lifestyle factors might also contribute to this risk. When it comes to more serious medical issues, this summary compares briefly the difference between tobacco and cannabis smoke:

Tobacco Smoke

Cigarette smoke is responsible for as many as 90 percent of all cases of lung cancer. Additionally, in the United States alone, tobacco smoke contributes to more than 400,000 deaths every year. To date, pot smoke has yet to have even one conclusive association to a single fatality. A study from 2005 suggested that cigarette and cannabis smoke do not contain the same carcinogens.

The smoke from cigarettes contains N-nitrosamines. This primary carcinogen causes tobacco-related cancers. There are no N-nitrosamines in pot smoke for those wondering about cannabis delivery in Los Angeles. You also find nicotine in tobacco smoke, yet cannabinoids in marijuana smoke. There is a direct link between nicotine and insulin resistance, Type II diabetes and thyroid issues.

On the other hand, the cannabinoids in marijuana are currently under scientific study as a potential treatment for both insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. While most everyone believed that the carcinogenic and tar compounds were causing cigarette-related cancers, it turns out that actually nicotine is what enhances the development of tumors.

The carcinogens in tobacco smoke not only contribute to the development of lung cancer, but they also cause rectal and colon cancers, as well. However, in total contrast, the cannabinoids in marijuana have protective, anti-tumor properties that can prevent lung, prostate, breast, skin, colon, and other forms of cancers too, as well as kill cancer cells outright in laboratory tests and stop them from spreading.

Cannabis Smoke

To date, scientists have not been able to find a single correlation between lung cancer and moderate pot smoking. No association with neck and head cancers either. In fact, one study conducted in 2015 found that inhaling the equivalent of just one joint a day for two decades did not even have any association with decreased function of the lungs.

However, researchers are still trying to figure out whether or not heavy pot consumption plays any role in increasing the risk of lung cancer. Before you order marijuana delivery Monterey, know that cannabis smoke is not entirely innocent. Evidence does exist showing that it can cause damage to large airways, which is not surprising after inhaling burning hot plant matter.

Fortunately, this damage does seem to be reversible once you stop smoking weed. Regular inhalation of cannabis smoke may also contribute to the onset of bronchitis and related symptoms. Once again, consider vaping or other one-hit wonders if you worry about the effects of smoking weed. A 2016 study suggests that just one minute of exposure to secondhand smoke can harm blood vessels.

This study, on rodents, showed specifically that blood vessels in mice took as much as three times longer to return to normal after being around secondhand weed smoke. Although people and rats share a similar blood vessel network, this study only had rodent participants. Since we know that humans are able to metabolize smoke better than anyone else is, how this occurs in people remains speculative.

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