Smoking Cannabis With Tobacco Pros & Cons
Tobacco and cannabis have been used together for centuries all over the world.
In fact, it is estimated that up to 70% of marijuana smokers also smoke cigarettes and even in the US and Canada, many users add tobacco to their flower.
A lot of people report that tobacco strengthens the effect, and it is especially true those who do not regularly smoke cigarettes. Although tobacco may have a completely opposite effect on some people, where it helps to level out and mellow the high.
The body, and especially the brain, has cannabinoid, as well as nicotinic and opioid receptors, each of which receives "signals" from the different substances, and the names are pretty self-explanatory. Their interactions are still poorly understood, but let's take a look at the effects of cannabis and tobacco and draw conclusions later.
Smoking Cannabis With Tobacco Pros & Cons
Let us take a closer look and compare these two plants.
Mortality
According to the World Health Organization, smoking causes 7 million death per year, with almost 500,000 in the United States alone.
There have never been a reported death from cannabis. Ever.
Illnesses
Tobacco smoke contains N-nitrosamines, which cause various irreversible changes in the lungs. Cannabis does not contain N-nitrosamines, and therefore smoking it has far less effect on the respiratory tract and organs.
Smoking causes an array of ailments, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, emphysema, increased risk of tuberculosis, erectile dysfunction and that is only what the CDC website mentions.
On the other hand, cannabis is known to help with decreasing cancer tumors, relieving pain, helping with various mental conditions https://silverstemcannabis.com/news-articles/top-5-mental-conditions-treated-with-marijuana, gastric disorders, and so much more. And with the new studies coming out everyone month, the list is definitely incomplete.
Addiction
Tobacco, like most psychoactive substances, can cause both psychological as well as physical dependence. As a result you get withdrawal symptoms, mood swings, psychosis, loss of working capacity and other side effects when you try to quit tobacco. In the case of cannabis, its addiction level is lower than that of sugar, coffee or chocolate. We can say that smoking cannabis can at most lead to a desire to experience these emotions again.
Economics
The economic cost of smoking for the U.S. constitutes $300 billion a year, about half for medical care, and another half for loss of productivity.
Meanwhile, the size of the cannabis market was over $13 billion in 2019 and is expected to be up to $18 billion in 2020 bringing jobs, taxes, with no medical bills attached.
So, to Mix or Not to Mix?
If the comparison seemed one-sided, remember that we are only looking at facts.
The choice is always yours. Even if tobacco may elevate and enhance your high, it is hardly worth delving into the practice considering what we have covered. And if you are not a fan of smoking or even vaping anything, the current marijuana industry offers a lot of alternatives to smoking, like gummies, chocolates, tinctures, and even patches and bath bombs.
Enjoy and remember to consume safely.