Marijuana vs Tobacco Essay Example

neurotransmitter processes. It also raises heart rate and blood pressure, constricts blood vessels, irritates lung tissue, and impairs the sense of taste and smell (Health).
Contrary to common belief, smoking marijuana is not equally harmful compared to smoking tobacco. Those who associate marijuana with tobacco are misinformed. In the 1970s, biased government studies aimed to compare marijuana smoking with tobacco smoking or even depict it as worse due to federal agencies' efforts to discourage marijuana use.

The Berkeley tar studies conducted in the late 1970's concluded that "marijuana is one-and-a-half times as carcinogenic as tobacco." However, this conclusion was solely based on comparing the tar content of cannabis leaves and tobacco, without considering radioactivity. It should be noted that cannabis tars do not contain radioactive materials. Furthermore, several factors were not taken into account:

1. The majority of marijuana smokers consume the bud rather than the leaf, which contains only 33% of the tar found in tobacco.
2. Marijuana smokers do not consume as much as tobacco smokers due to the psychoactive effects of cannabis.
3. No cases of lung cancer have ever been successfully linked to marijuana use.
4. Unlike tobacco, cannabis does not narrow the small air passageways in the lungs (Howard).

In fact, marijuana has been found to act as an expectorant and actually widens the air channels it comes into contact with.

Asthma patients often seek relief from marijuana, as doctors suggest it may be more effective than prescription drugs (Howard). Research shows that marijuana can

help remove smog, pollutants, and cigarette smoke from the lungs, which could potentially reduce the chances of developing emphysema, bronchitis, and lung cancer. In some regions, cannabis users have been found to live up to two years longer than non-smokers. Furthermore, individuals who heavily smoke tobacco while also using marijuana might extend their lifespan by seven to ten years.

Cannabis is different from tobacco because it does not contain nicotine and is not addictive. Studies have questioned the idea that THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, causes brain and genetic damage. It is worth mentioning that the Administrative Law Judge of the DEA stated that "marijuana in its natural form is safer than many common foods" (Young). Heavy marijuana users experience fewer lung injuries compared to heavy tobacco users, possibly due to cannabinoids' protective effects against conditions like emphysema. A pulmonologist and UCLA professor of medicine conducted a study at the University of California, Los Angeles which revealed this finding (Young). The professor also pointed out that while smoking marijuana may not lead to emphysema, other respiratory conditions such as carcinoma are still possible.

Gagnon conducted a study to investigate the impact of regular marijuana use on lung health. The study involved nine tobacco smokers, ten marijuana smokers, ten nonsmokers, and four individuals who smoked both marijuana and tobacco. Gagnon presented quantitative and qualitative explanations for his findings. According to Gagnon, the THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) found in marijuana could have varying effects on inflammatory cells that contribute to lung damage. On average, participants who used marijuana consumed three or four joints per day for 15 years, while tobacco smokers consumed 25 cigarettes daily for 20 years. Gagnon pointed

out that "there is a seven-fold difference in the amount of smoke to which marijuana and tobacco smokers are exposed." This difference in smoke exposure may explain variations observed in lung damage assessed through physiological measures.

Moreover, the phagocytes obtained from the lungs of marijuana smokers are distinct from those gathered from tobacco smokers. According to the researcher, these phagocytes, which were acquired through lung rinse-out, seem to be inactive. They do not release as many harmful oxygen species as tobacco macrophages do, both in regular situations and when provoked. Surprisingly, it seems that marijuana users even display a diminished baseline secretion of superoxide.

Dr. Tashkin states that the rate at which the molecule DTPA is cleared from the lung, considered a better indicator of lung injury compared to measuring diffusing capacity, is accelerated in cases of tobacco smoke-related lung injury. If DTPA clearance happens faster, it suggests increased permeability and damage to the alveolar epithelial membrane.

Initially, the chronic effects of marijuana smoke were compared to those of tobacco smoke. The clearance of DTPA was measured approximately 12 hours after smoking either a marijuana or tobacco cigarette. To determine the acute effects, Dr. Tashkin conducted a follow-up study a week or two later, in which participants were given a single joint of marijuana, a single tobacco cigarette, or both. DTPA clearance was then measured 15 minutes later. According to Dr. Tashkin, the clearance of DTPA was unusually fast in tobacco smokers – about twice the rate of non-smokers – while marijuana smokers showed a tendency towards slower clearance.

The text demonstrates that the immediate effects of consuming tobacco or marijuana are not apparent. Additionally, it states that cleaning

the lungs of marijuana smokers leads to an equivalent rise in alveolar macrophages as observed in tobacco smokers. However, unlike tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke does not stimulate these macrophages and induce the release of detrimental substances. This difference is thought to be due to the regulation of cytokines. The text also mentions a September 22, 2003 editorial by Dr. Dean Edell which highlights two comprehensive studies suggesting no increase in mortality associated with cannabis use.

Long-term cannabis use is not expected to have a substantial effect on public health. Unlike tobacco and alcohol users, the majority of people who experiment with cannabis generally cease using it at an early stage in adulthood. Although cannabis users may inhale more smoke per puff than tobacco smokers, their overall exposure to smoke is less. Presently, research does not provide evidence for a correlation between cannabis use and heart disease, which is the primary cause of mortality in numerous Western nations. Additionally, unlike tobacco, cannabis lacks nicotine - an addictive substance that heightens the risk of heart disease.

Dr. Edell highlights two key points regarding the available data on cannabis use. First, there has been no long-term tracking of cannabis smokers into adulthood, suggesting that it is too early to determine any increased risk of chronic illnesses associated with marijuana consumption. Second, the low frequency and high rate of quitting among young adults may be due to the illegal nature of marijuana use and societal disapproval.

This means that if cannabis were to be decriminalized or legalized, it cannot be assumed that smoking it would still have a minimal impact on mortality. The author argues that our current understanding does not

support the idea that cannabis has a negative effect on death rates. Both the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Bureau of Mortality Statistics confirm that marijuana does not cause severe health problems like addiction, cancer, heart issues, birth defects, emphysema, and liver damage, similar to tobacco or alcohol. Therefore, it is not more dangerous.

According to Dean Edell in his article "Comparing cannabis with tobacco" (22 September 2003), smoked tobacco is the most addictive of all drugs, with a 90% addiction rate. In contrast, marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Cigarettes cause over 400,000 deaths annually, whereas there has never been a reported death from smoking marijuana. To achieve an overdose from marijuana, one would need to consume 40,000 times the amount needed to get stoned. This information was also mentioned in the BMJ Volume 327 (pp 635-6). Geese Howard further explores the comparison between cigarettes and marijuana on healthcentral.com in his article titled "Cigarettes vs Marijuana".

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According to an article titled "Marijuana less harmful to lungs than Cigarettes" published in the Medical Post on 6 September 1994, a website called "uncletaz.com/marijuana/potcig" provides further information.

html; What is Tobacco? Health Promotion Services, Vaden Health Center, Stanford University. February 2004. ;

Morgan, in August 1997, conducted a review of scientific evidence regarding marijuana myths and marijuana facts. The review can be found at http://www.medicalmarihuana.ca/books.

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