5 ms·

Is there an active or other ingredient in tobacco that makes its smoke more harmful than cannabis? Or is it the method of ingestion?

by lainga 5y ago

jolux 5y ago
Nicotine is potentially harmful in a few ways but mostly it's the constituents of tobacco smoke, particularly nitrosamines: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20121116-can-we-ever-have-safe-cigarettes https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20121116-can-we-ever-have....
- nicoburns 5y ago
  > Nicotine is potentially harmful in a few ways Not least of which is it's incredibly addictive. Meaning that tobacco smokers often smoke a lot.
  - jolux 5y ago
    True, but of itself that's not necessarily a health problem. I was talking about the limited evidence that it can harden your arterial walls and such.
__blockcipher__ 5y ago
Yes. This is a common misconception. It’s not that inhaling any kind of smoke is inherently dangerous. It’s specifically the oxidative damage that tobacco causes that makes it so uniquely deleterious. Reactive oxygen species are no joke. By contrast cannabis is a natural anti-oxidant. Smoking cannabis might be correlated with more bronchitis but none of the cancer, heart disease, [insert every other tobacco harm]. BTW I seem to recall particle size is different between tobacco and cannabis smoke but I think the oxidative damage is the main reason
lacker 5y ago
They both put tar in your lungs. A tobacco smoker generally smokes far more cigarettes than a cannabis smoker. Per-breath, cannabis seems to put more tar in your lungs, since it's generally unfiltered. But a tobacco smoker takes many more breaths of smoke. Some information here: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-effects-lung-health https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/mari... As far as I can tell, vaping is far, far safer than inhaling smoke, for both tobacco and cannabis. The healthiest strategy is to avoid all of these things of course.
stefan_ 5y ago
Nicotine is a harmless nootropic on the level of caffeine, it's inhaling combustion products that is the big problem.

Is there an active or other ingredient in tobacco that makes its smoke more harmful than cannabis? Or is it the method of ingestion?

by lainga 5y ago

Is there an active or other ingredient in tobacco that makes its smoke more harmful than cannabis? Or is it the method of ingestion?

jolux 5y ago

Nicotine is potentially harmful in a few ways but mostly it's the constituents of tobacco smoke, particularly nitrosamines: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20121116-can-we-ever-have-safe-cigarettes https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20121116-can-we-ever-have....

nicoburns 5y ago
> Nicotine is potentially harmful in a few ways Not least of which is it's incredibly addictive. Meaning that tobacco smokers often smoke a lot.
- jolux 5y ago
  True, but of itself that's not necessarily a health problem. I was talking about the limited evidence that it can harden your arterial walls and such.

__blockcipher__ 5y ago

Yes. This is a common misconception. It’s not that inhaling any kind of smoke is inherently dangerous. It’s specifically the oxidative damage that tobacco causes that makes it so uniquely deleterious. Reactive oxygen species are no joke. By contrast cannabis is a natural anti-oxidant. Smoking cannabis might be correlated with more bronchitis but none of the cancer, heart disease, [insert every other tobacco harm]. BTW I seem to recall particle size is different between tobacco and cannabis smoke but I think the oxidative damage is the main reason

lacker 5y ago

They both put tar in your lungs. A tobacco smoker generally smokes far more cigarettes than a cannabis smoker. Per-breath, cannabis seems to put more tar in your lungs, since it's generally unfiltered. But a tobacco smoker takes many more breaths of smoke. Some information here: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-effects-lung-health https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/mari... As far as I can tell, vaping is far, far safer than inhaling smoke, for both tobacco and cannabis. The healthiest strategy is to avoid all of these things of course.

stefan_ 5y ago

Nicotine is a harmless nootropic on the level of caffeine, it's inhaling combustion products that is the big problem.