With the growing legalization of marijuana products countrywide, more and more people are turning to cannabis to relax and benefit from.
However, despite the health warnings and price surges, plenty of people still opt to smoke tobacco cigarettes.
If you’re trying to quit smoking tobacco once and for all, we’re here for you and have some information you need to see. These are all the reasons why marijuana is a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
Less Nasty Chemicals
One of the worst aspects of cigarettes is that they’re loaded with damaging chemicals. It’s not just tobacco and nicotine neatly rolled in paper, unfortunately.
Here is a list of the most prolific chemicals in any and every brand’s cigarettes:
- Nicotine (the chemical that keeps you addicted to cigarettes)
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Formaldehyde
- Ammonia
- Hydrogen cyanide
- Radioactive elements
- Hydrocarbons
- Nitrosamines
- Benzene
Pretty gross, right?
And that’s not even half of it. Cigarettes comprise thousands of chemicals, at least 70 of which are carcinogens, chemicals known to cause cancer.
Of course, marijuana contains hundreds of chemicals itself. But these include cannabinoids as well as others like vitamins, proteins, terpenes, amino acids, and enzymes.
You Don’t Have to Smoke It
When you smoke a cigarette, you’re breathing in the chemicals above and inviting them to damage your lungs, mouth, throat, heart, and other vital regions.
But one of the greatest things about marijuana is its versatility. If you don’t want to smoke it, you simply don’t have to.
Whether you enjoy marijuana for its medical or psychoactive properties, you can consume it in various ways. You can munch on edibles, slap on a transdermal patch, rub on cannabis topicals, and add tinctures to your drinks.
… But Even If You Do, it’s Less Damaging to Lungs
Okay, so you prefer the idea of smoking marijuana. That’s fine since it’s still a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
According to a large-scale study, even though marijuana and cigarettes contain chemicals, tobacco smoke is much more damaging to the lungs.
So smoking marijuana is less harmful to the body by far. But there are other things to consider. Such as ensuring you’re using the right type of marijuana for your purpose.
For example, you can smoke hemp if you want to enjoy the health benefits of CBD (more on that ahead!)
Alternatively, you can smoke cannabis with a greater concentration of THC if you aim to get high.
Marijuana Offers Myriad Health Benefits
You will never hear the term “medical tobacco” ever. But you’re probably aware of the phrase “medical marijuana.” And for excellent reasons.
In human and animal studies, marijuana is proving to be a workhorse in terms of the health benefits it offers. This is mainly due to its CBD (cannabidiol) content, which touts tons of mind and body benefits.
These include:
- Sleeping better
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Managing chronic pain
- Improving digestive issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
- Boosting heart health
- Reducing seizures and tremors
Compare this to what tobacco does to the mind and body (which we’ll discuss next!), and it’s very clear why marijuana is a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
Tobacco is Whacko
Smoking tobacco cigarettes comes with a seemingly endless parade of risks.
For starters, smoking is the major cause of cardiovascular disease, which encompasses heart disease and strokes.
It can also cause cancer, lung disease, diabetes, eye diseases, immune system disorders, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
These are diseases that lead to a slow, painful death.
And at the starting stages of these cigarette smoking-induced diseases, you will not be able to do the things you always loved doing. You’ll have to undergo radiation, chemotherapy, heart surgery, drag an oxygen tank with you, etc.
It’s certainly not the type of life most people plan on leading the first time they smoke a cigarette.
It may seem that the more cigarettes you smoke, the worse off for your health, which is true in many cases.
But even just smoking one to five cigarettes a day is dangerous. One study found a clear and direct link to an increase of cardiovascular and coronary diseases from low cigarette consumption smokers.
Conclusion
We’re not suggesting that marijuana is a cure for anyone’s ailments. But if you have to choose one over the other, ditch cigarettes as quickly as possible, please!
As we discussed, marijuana is a healthier alternative to cigarettes, since:
- Marijuana has fewer dangerous chemicals than tobacco.
- It has more consumption methods than just smoking.
- It’s less damaging to your lungs when you do smoke it.
- Marijuana has lots of health benefits.
- Smoking cigarettes leads to a lot of deadly diseases and impaired quality of life.
In all likelihood, marijuana will help to improve your life. And it’s easy to see now how saying the complete opposite about cigarettes is no overstatement.
(Note: This article is solely the opinion, research and views of this author)
