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Real life doctor here. Your question sounds simple, but the answer is complex. The heart disease risk from smoking probably stems from damage to blood vessels c

Real life doctor here. Your question sounds simple, but the answer is complex. The heart disease risk from smoking probably stems from damage to blood vessels caused by toxins generated in the tobacco burning. "Toxins" is really the best word here, even though it's so general. I use it to encompass thousands of different chemicals like free radicals, known carcinogens, etc. Current thinking is the body repairs that damage with clots and cholesterol. But, these repairs accumulate over time to occlude a blood vessel (atherosclerosis). If red blood cells can't get through, oxygen can't either, and heart cells downstream to the occlusion will die in minutes to hours. Marijuana most likely generates a significant amount of toxins as well. However, marijuana smokers generally smoke less than cigarette smokers. Given that heart disease and cancer risk increases with the amount smoked, it would be reasonable to assume marijuana smokers are much less at risk (though the risk is nonzero). But, we don't have a clear conversion between marijuana and cigarette smoke yet. You may also consider that marijuana may be contaminated with other plants or chemicals. Electronic cigarettes are possibly more safe than non-e cigarettes in terms of cancer risk (this is theoretical as no significant study has been done yet). However, some in vitro (cellular) research suggests nicotine may play a role in atherosclerosis discussed above. Also, nicotine can precipitate a heart attack if a heart is already diseased.

markdown 12y ago
> free radicals Are these are thing again? I was under the impression that it was 80's nonsense that's been debunked.
- hbhakhra 12y ago
  Free radicals are parts of a chemical structure that are unpaired and therefore super reactive. The reason they are linked to cancer is they can easily form bonds with molecules that they shouldn't be bonding with and cause crazy things to happen. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_(chemistry) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_(chemistry) for more detail
beachstartup 12y ago
> Current thinking is the body repairs that damage with clots and cholesterol does this imply that if there's very little damage (due to inflammation or substance abuse) elevated cholesterol doesn't really matter?
- doctorCoder 12y ago
  Damage accumulates with normal wear and tear, giving more chances for atherosclerosis to form. Cholesterol matters in otherwise healthy patients particularly as they age.
nucleardog 12y ago
Just want to point out that a cursory search says marijuana deposits about 4x the amount of tar in the lungs as tobacco. Unless it contributes to increased addiction, the manufacturers generally try and reduce the unhealthy components of the cigarettes - making them more palatable and keeping the addicts alive for longer so they can make more money off of them. There's really no such effort with marijuana as it stands today. I'm totally unqualified to make this statement, but I'd venture a guess that most of the 'toxins' that are natural byproducts of combustion - not just the tar - are present in significantly higher amounts in marijuana. Sticking to the 4:1 ratio, someone who smokes 5 joints a day is basically a pack a day smoker.

markdown 12y ago

> free radicals Are these are thing again? I was under the impression that it was 80's nonsense that's been debunked.

hbhakhra 12y ago
Free radicals are parts of a chemical structure that are unpaired and therefore super reactive. The reason they are linked to cancer is they can easily form bonds with molecules that they shouldn't be bonding with and cause crazy things to happen. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_(chemistry) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_(chemistry) for more detail

beachstartup 12y ago

> Current thinking is the body repairs that damage with clots and cholesterol does this imply that if there's very little damage (due to inflammation or substance abuse) elevated cholesterol doesn't really matter?

doctorCoder 12y ago
Damage accumulates with normal wear and tear, giving more chances for atherosclerosis to form. Cholesterol matters in otherwise healthy patients particularly as they age.

nucleardog 12y ago

Just want to point out that a cursory search says marijuana deposits about 4x the amount of tar in the lungs as tobacco. Unless it contributes to increased addiction, the manufacturers generally try and reduce the unhealthy components of the cigarettes - making them more palatable and keeping the addicts alive for longer so they can make more money off of them. There's really no such effort with marijuana as it stands today. I'm totally unqualified to make this statement, but I'd venture a guess that most of the 'toxins' that are natural byproducts of combustion - not just the tar - are present in significantly higher amounts in marijuana. Sticking to the 4:1 ratio, someone who smokes 5 joints a day is basically a pack a day smoker.