We break down the limited research and offer tips. New to cannabis? A seasoned consumer and cannabis journalist shares her expert tips for making the most of your first time. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm. What is a blunt, anyway? What about spliffs?
Where do joints fit in? Is one better for you than the other? Are there other options? The bottom line. Read this next. Demystifying the Bong, One Myth at a Time. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.
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One expert thinks this study is the first to really explain the risks to the lungs posed by marijuana. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer at the American Lung Association.
There are still many unanswered questions about marijuana smoking, Edelman said. For more about marijuana, visit the U. National Institute on Drug Abuse. We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Comments 0. Brian Fairman, an epidemiologist with the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues reported that five blunts equate to one cigarette in terms of nicotine concentration. Sometimes, they might smoke cannabis, a cigarette, or a cigar.
They might even throw a little tobacco-cannabis mixture into a rolling paper and smoke that, too. Since it is difficult to collect data on consumers who only smoke blunts and nothing else, it is difficult to determine the rates at which blunt smoking might cause cancer.
It is also difficult to determine whether or not some of the active compounds in cannabis, like psychoactive THC, may have protective effects against cancer development, as some people theorize. Regardless of the unknowns, blunts still contain tobacco. At this point in history, the research is clear. The more tobacco you smoke, the more likely you are to develop cancer later in life.
Yet, every individual has their own unique risk of developing cancer. So, even if switching to blunts means that you consume less tobacco overall, there is no way to tell just how much tobacco might be too much for your body to handle. A study of cigarette smokers published in found that smoking just one to four cigarettes per day significantly increased the risk of dying heart disease and dying from all causes in general.
Women who were light smokers exhibited an increased risk of dying from lung cancer. Though the estimate is flawed, if you assume that one blunt is equivalent to one-half of a cigarette, that means that smoking merely two blunts a day might still increase your risk of developing heart disease and cancer later down the line. There is a common perception among tobacco smokers that you have to consume large quantities of tobacco for a long period of time to develop cancer.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Whether or not you develop cancer will depend on your unique physiology. For some people, the threshold for processing toxins like nicotine and other carcinogens is lower than others. Ultimately, the choice between blunts and cigarettes is somewhat of a wash. Blunts may be slightly preferable since they reduce the total amount of tobacco consumed and they are not consumed as often as cigarettes. Inhaling large quantities of smoke, of any kind, stresses the delicate tissues that allow vital oxygen to absorb into the bloodstream.
That being said, science suggests that cannabis is safer than tobacco. Not only is the herb less addictive—a whopping Light to moderate cannabis consumption has not been associated with lung cancer thus far , but smoking the herb can cause symptoms of chronic bronchitis and may potentially contribute to poor lung health over time.
The bottom line? In early research, vaporizers successfully reduced the overall carcinogens inhaled by consumers. A vaporizer is the only way to avoid combusting plant material, which is what causes harmful tars and toxins to be released in the first place. Still not biting? Pipe with a screen. Pure cannabis joints and blunts come in last in terms of the safest ways to get lifted. Trying out Lume's solventless Gold Label.
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