The thing is, I am largely opposed to tobacco use. However, I see no reason as to why we should BAN tobacco altogether. Remember alcoholic prohibition? That didn't go well.
I always go under this thought:
Do whatever you want in the privacy of your own home. If it involves other people, than it is OK as long as they offer consent, and are capable of doing so.
Smoking is interesting, due to the effects of secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke contains
70 carcinogens, which has caused 2.5 million deaths of nonsmokers since 1964, acc. to the CDC. That's ~50,000 deaths of nonsmokers per year due to secondhand smoke.
This poses a problem- outside air is a right to everyone, but secondhand smoke is a prevalent factor. Therefore, nonsmoking areas are designated. It seems to be a happy medium imo. My college, imo has gone too far, and has
banned smoking throughout all campuses. This is too much. I'm perfectly fine with smoking areas; I'll simply avoid them.
Next, cancer rates. In the US,
13% of lung cancer cases were associated with tobacco use.
Also,
In 2011, 82 percent of those living with lung cancer were 60 years of age or older
Next,
obacco smoking caused an estimated 101,000 deaths in the UK in 2010 - almost a fifth (18%) of all deaths from all causes.
...
It caused an estimated 43,000 cancer deaths in the UK in 2010 - more than a quarter (27%) of all cancer deaths.
The UK appears to be a little worse off. I question why?
I don't think tobacco is quite as bad as people paint the picture.
Most people with lung cancer are old, and this comes off to me as long-term, regular smokers getting cancer "eventually."
This is contrary to someone who smokes like 2 cigars a month.
Obviously, nicotine is an addictive property, regardless, and needs to be treated with care.
Also, most of these people had smoked a lot more than a couple of cigarettes in a month's time.
Also, most tobacco cancer instances have been linked to the phosphate-based fertilizers.
Seriously:
Where do the radionuclides in tobacco come from? The fertilizer that farmers use to increase the size of their tobacco crops contains the naturally occurring radionuclide, radium. Radium radioactively decays to release radon, which rises from the soil around the plants. The radon and its decay products cling to the sticky hairs (trichomes) on the bottom of tobacco leaves as the plant grows. The decay products include radioactive elements lead-210 and polonium-210. Rain does not wash them away.
...
Smokers exposed to radon are more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.
As for marijuana, I don't need to outline the
myriad of health benefits.
I will address cancer rates.
First off, our brain has
CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are proof that we are biologically engineered for marijuana.
As for marijuana cancer rates,
this study states that:
...cannabis typically down-regulates immunologically-generated free radical production by promoting a Th2 immune cytokine profile. Furthermore, THC inhibits the enzyme necessary to activate some of the carcinogens found in smoke. In contrast, tobacco smoke increases the likelihood of carcinogenesis by overcoming normal cellular checkpoint protective mechanisms through the activity of respiratory epithelial cell nicotine receptors
Also:
Lewis lung adenocarcinoma growth was [slowed] by the oral administration of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC), delta8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta8-THC), and cannabinol (CBN), but not cannabidiol (CBD).
Finally, the marijuana + psychosis correlation is difficult to determine.
This source shows multiple studies that try to link specific genetic predispositions that may cause psychosis when exposed to marijuana, but the same can go for alcohol too.
In summation, tobacco is hampered by nicotine and radiation. Marijuana is hampered by propoganda.
Don't smoke near me, and all is good. Again, I don't see what the big deal is.
