Most harmful to the chest/throat: tobacco, weed or crack?

[Cane2theLeft]

Marijuana smoke MAY be more harmful than tobacco smoke 1:1 but heavy marijuana users do not ingest the quantities of burnt plant material that heavy cigarette smokers do. There is about 1 oz of tobacco in 1 pack of cigarettes and some people smoke 2-3 packs a day. I would think someone smoking 1 oz a day of cannabis is exceedingly rare, let alone 2 or 3. I suspect that cooling the smoke in bongs, bubblers and other devices would also lessen the harm associated with it but that is mostly speculation.

I do remember reading a study in the last year where they expected people who smoke both cigarettes and marijuana to be at higher risk for lung cancer than people who only smoke cigarettes but they actually found the reverse: people who smoked cannabis alongside their cigarettes acquired lung cancer less frequently.

 

[burn out]

Marijuana smoke MAY be more harmful than tobacco smoke 1:1 but heavy marijuana users do not ingest the quantities of burnt plant material that heavy cigarette smokers do. There is about 1 oz of tobacco in 1 pack of cigarettes and some people smoke 2-3 packs a day. I would think someone smoking 1 oz a day of cannabis is exceedingly rare, let alone 2 or 3. I suspect that cooling the smoke in bongs, bubblers and other devices would also lessen the harm associated with it but that is mostly speculation.

but marijuana smokers inhale the smoke much more deeply and retain it in their lungs for longer. so you can "ingest" a lot more "burnt plant material" smoking the same weight of plant material depending on how you smoke it. a lot more side stream smoke is wasted when smoking tobacco as well. when i used to smoke marijuana, i would cover the bowl with my lighter after taking a hit to prevent any smoke from escaping. see how difficult it is to compare the two when they are typically smoked in completely different ways?

even two people both smoking an ounce of the same substance might "ingest" vastly different amounts of smoke simply depending on how deeply they tend to inhale.

 

[OpInation]

I have actually researched this a bit before...I couldn't really remember the EXACT figures for your question burnout. What I know is it does matter how long you initially hold the smoke in. When you hold it in for so long sayyyy....15 seconds, the percent increase of THC that is metabolized only goes up by like 2% But the damage that is done by this extra 12 seconds or so makes the extra 2% obsolete. Holding your smoke in so long that you pass out is completely not necessary by any means. Hope that was a little helpful at least. Someone may be able to elaborate

 

[skoat]

1- Crack
2- Tobacco
3- Mary Jane

MJ doesn't cause mouth, throat or lung cancer according to the NIH (National institutes of health).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729_pf.html

Take a look at the link. Whoever crushes up pills and mixes them with their blunts is an idiot, no question. We all look for data that confirms our beliefs, so this argument can go back and forth.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

but marijuana smokers inhale the smoke much more deeply and retain it in their lungs for longer. so you can "ingest" a lot more "burnt plant material" smoking the same weight of plant material depending on how you smoke it. a lot more side stream smoke is wasted when smoking tobacco as well. when i used to smoke marijuana, i would cover the bowl with my lighter after taking a hit to prevent any smoke from escaping. see how difficult it is to compare the two when they are typically smoked in completely different ways?

even two people both smoking an ounce of the same substance might "ingest" vastly different amounts of smoke simply depending on how deeply they tend to inhale.

I definitely see what you are saying... you can't compare the two like I attempted to do. The sad part is that I've been smoking both for years and should've thought of that.

 

[phr]

A little off topic... But out of those three, I enjoy the "taste" of crack more than the others. Not sure why, since it's a unique chemical taste. I guess I just associate it with the high.

 

[noahd1]

That would be crack.

 

[plutoniumboss]

Crack rocks!

SRSly though, my personal experience with both tobacco and cannabis would lead me to firmly believe that tobacco is worse for your lungs. Trust me, it just is. I've never felt like I was choking from cannabis.

As for crack, I think the fact that it's mixed with baking soda and it's smoked from a hunk of copper/steel is a big part of the negative pulmonary effects of crack smoking. I just find it difficult to believe that a pure vaporized chemical that's not fundamentally dangerous could be able to cause more damage than burning plants. I've been wrong before though.

 

[burn out]

Crack rocks!

SRSly though, my personal experience with both tobacco and cannabis would lead me to firmly believe that tobacco is worse for your lungs. Trust me, it just is. I've never felt like I was choking from cannabis.

and i've never felt like someone just kicked me in the chest as hard as they could from smoking a cigarette. i have felt that way from hitting a gravity bong though.

As for crack, I think the fact that it's mixed with baking soda and it's smoked from a hunk of copper/steel is a big part of the negative pulmonary effects of crack smoking. I just find it difficult to believe that a pure vaporized chemical that's not fundamentally dangerous could be able to cause more damage than burning plants. I've been wrong before though.

why do you find that hard to believe? part of the reason smoking tobacco and cannabis is bad for you is due to the chemicals the smoke contains. some of these chemicals trigger events which lead to pathological changes in the lungs. it doesn't take much stretch of the imagination to suspect that certain other drugs could do the same or worse when smoked/vaporzied.

 

[Stp04]

and i've never felt like someone just kicked me in the chest as hard as they could from smoking a cigarette. i have felt that way from hitting a gravity bong though.

Agreed. Virtually every large hit i have taken of cannabis has been followed by chest pain and a sensation of choking. I have taken equally large hits of tobacco through hookahs and even a bong once (don't ask) and i have never had that effect.

 

[Mr Blonde]

I just find it difficult to believe that a pure vaporized chemical that's not fundamentally dangerous could be able to cause more damage than burning plants. I've been wrong before though.

You don't think cocaine is fundamentally dangerous?

Also, it has vasoconstrictive properties that may also cause damage to your lung tissue as it's absorbed into the bloodstream. Even if smoking pure cocaine freebase, if you use too high a temperature and burn some then it's gonna be not good as well.