Are Marijuana and Tobacco Equally Harmful?

Both tobacco and marijuana smoke are considered carcinogens, in that smoking, as a delivery system for various kinds of organic compounds, has been observed to cause irritation to the lungs. Some studies have suggested that a habitual marijuana smoker will, in comparison to a cigarette smoker, be at increased risk of increasing cancer, while other studies have disputed the validity of these results. In general, however, any smoker is in an at-risk group.

What is the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute?

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is a part of the U.S. government’s medical establishment, in which regard it is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services agency of the National Institutes of Health. This institution is tasked with the allocation of $2.7 billion in taxpayer dollars for various research grants, including for testing of diseases and possible health solutions related to cigarette smoking.

What is Second Hand Smoke?

Second hand smoke is a secondary health risk associated with cigarette smoking, one which consists of the possible harm posed to those who spend significant amounts of time, whether at home or work, in transit, or otherwise, in smoke filled environments or around habitual cigarette smokers. Secondhand smoke carries with it reduced but still significant risk factors for developing various health problems and has prompted the passage of smoking bans.

What is the smoking ban?

The smoking ban is a tool through which government public health policy can be effected, in this case by greatly decreasing the legal acceptability and the overall visibility of smoking in the culture of an area, with a hoped effect of deterring a certain number of the young people who might have become smokers. Smoking bans have been passed most specifically, however, in connection with the established risk of secondhand smoke.

Why is the tobacco industry such a controversial topic?

The tobacco industry has become an unpopular area of industry in part because of its basic role in making people addicted to a dangerous substance, but also because investigations into the industry’s track record has shown a tendency to downplay the health effects of cigarette smoking. The tobacco industry was struck with onerous government regulation as well as the court imposed rewards for class action lawsuits based on records showing culpability.

Is there a tobacco tax?

The tobacco tax is one of the means through which the government has tried to cut down the number of people exposing themselves on a regular basis to this significant health risk. The imposition of increased tax rates on cigarettes are designed to add an immediate financial burden, in addition to the long term danger of a number of serious health conditions, on the person maintaining or starting a cigarette habit.

Why is tobacco advertising such a controversial topic?

The marketing of tobacco products is one of the areas in which the tobacco industry has aroused the most controversy. According to critics, and as a matter of general historical consensus, early tobacco ads minimized the dangers associated with tobacco products to a serious degree, giving no warning of the increased rate of heart and lung disease and other health problems likely to ensue. Tobacco advertising has thus been heavily regulated.

How are cigarettes bad for you?

Choosing to smoke cigarettes exposes the user to a wide array of health ill effects, which generally come from the tobacco plant, which can be used to make a variety of products and thus consumed in a number of ways, but which is particularly dangerous when allied to another ingredient in cigarettes, the physically addictive substance of nicotine. About 100 million preventable deaths in the 20th century are linked to cigarette smoking.

Cigarettes and pipes

Pipes are sometimes regarded as being healthy delivery mechanisms for the enjoyment of tobacco in comparison to the known and very serious health risks of cigarette smoking. While it is true that pipes are not as dangerous as cigarettes, pipe smoke does ultimately act in essentially the same way as cigarette smoke, directing irritants into the lungs. Smoking a pipe might best be regarded as a temporary alternative to smoking cigarettes.

How to quit smoking

For people who want to quit smoking, there are several different options which can be chosen to help them do this. For instance, a behavioral based strategy could be chosen, in which the cigarette smoker chooses to alter his or her behavior in terms of cigarette consumption, without the aid of outside medication. In this way, a person might choose not to smoke quite abruptly, in what is known as cold turkey.

How many people does smoking kill per year?

The smoking facts which have been compiled from the large portion of the United States population which has a long term habit of smoking cigarettes indicate that more than 440,000 people die each year from this health problem. Among the people whom smoking kills, lifespan is decreased, on average, by a period of 12 years. Smoking cigarettes is considered the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

Are filtered cigarettes less dangerous than unfiltered cigarettes?

Cigarettes filters were first developed in the 1950s as an alternative to what had previously been the sole form for these products to be presented in, that of unfiltered cigarettes, as a way to convince people not to quit smoking for good. While cigarettes filters are more healthy than unfiltered cigarettes, however, in the long term they will still pose a comparable health risk, particularly due to underlying nicotine dependencies.