Originally Posted by Daradon
Don't listen to the blind advocates. I'm an advocate too, it's just a little more complicated than a simple no to answer your question and there a ton of factors.
Pot smoke is generally unfiltered, especially in delivery systems like papers and pipes. So the actual smoke may contain more of certain carcinogens than a filtered cigarette. The same way standing over a campfire, even if it's burning nothing but wood is bad for you. The same way smoking a hooka pipe is bad for you. Smoke is bad for your lungs and contains carcinogens. It makes sense that the more, or the heavier smoke you are breathing in, the worse it is for you.
Now of course, there are many other chemicals in your standard ciggy compared to a joint that are harmful for you. Many MANY deadly chemicals that up the carcinogen rate. Most if not all of these are not included in your average marijuana smoke. So that comes into factor too.
Also, there are other delivery systems for pot. Bongs, especially properly maintained ones, will cut down on a lot of the smoke. Vaporizers nearly negate it. So it also depends on HOW you are smoking it. Same way if you ate the pot in a cookie or something, you wouldn't be affecting your lungs, but you'd still get high.
Lastly, most people who smoke cigarettes smoke many many a day. 5-10-20 maybe more. Most pot smokers, unless they are major stoners, smoke less marijuana than that. So the volume also comes into play.
I'd be comfortable in saying, the average pot smoker probably gets less carcinogens than the average cigarette smoker, but it really depends on a lot of factors. It's a little bit of a fools errand to ask about the average joint vs the average ciggy, because joints are not regulated and cigarettes are very regulated.
Before I get jumped all over on by the pot smokers here let me just say, I am all for full legalization. There are crime/security reasons, personal liberty reasons, and even monetary reasons why I feel it should be legalized.
I just get a little tired of the miracle drug (or it's not a drug) slant of some (SOME NOT ALL) of the pro pot crowd. It is a drug, and it can have bad effects. It's not nearly as benign as Aspirin and even that can hurt you if you abuse it. There is a lot of bad or exaggerated information out there by parts of the pro crowd. Maybe that's only fair since there is usually a lot more on the other side, but it is not harmless, and there are health risks.
They are finding out more and more that it affects people with schizophrenia and other personality disorders pretty hard, even if they've never shown symptoms before. I guess you could say that about any drug that affects the mind though. Part of this is because of how the plant has been bred in recent years.
Anyway, I hope that gives people a little more to think about, and I hope I haven't stuck my head too far out there. But I probably have.
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