For over 50 years it has been public knowledge that smoking has serious health risks. Most of the studies conducted on the health risks of smoking have centered around tobacco use. However, with smokeable hemp flower, and marijuana now legal in multiple states, more people are smoking alternatives to tobacco. The intent for most cannabis smokers is to enhance physical & mental well-being. But studies show that no matter what you’re putting in your pre-roll, bong, or pipe, smoking is bad m’kay.
The Smoking Stereotype
The cannabis plant has existed on planet earth for approximately 28 million years. It has been a source of oil, clothing, and food for at least the last 4000 years. It is believed that cannabis was first smoked for its psychotropic effects in China approximately 2500 years ago. During this time wooden braziers were fashioned so that the vapors of the cannabis plant could be inhaled. Since that time cannabis smoking vessels have dramatically evolved.
Ironically the act of smoking cannabis has been celebrated & condemned in pop culture and the media since the 1960s when smoking marijuana moved to more mainstream popularity despite its illegal status. Popularized by music, film, and a dramatic push for counterculture movement spawned by the war in Vietnam, smoking marijuana was considered an inconsequential activity until the infamous War on Drugs in the 1980s. Regardless, the concept that smoking is cool never really went away. Additionally, sharing marijuana socially by passing a smoking device in “smoke circles” has been an ever-present pass time in the marijuana smoking community.
Modern Day Marijuana Use
A significant amount of changes have occurred involving marijuana use in the US over the last two decades. Impartial studies exploring the benefits of marijuana have been and continue to be conducted. Cannabidiol (CBD) is federally legal and several states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use. In fact, at the time of this post, Marijuana is legal in some fashion in 40% of the states. With these changes, methods of consumption have also evolved. A variety of edibles, tinctures, capsules, and vapes have risen in popularity.
Why Smoking Is Bad M’kay.
These “new” methods of consuming cannabinoids deliver a much more precise dosage and reduce or eliminate the carcinogens associated with smoking. Whether cannabis smoking is as unhealthy as tobacco smoking (putting aside the addictive quality of tobacco) remains a debate, there is no question that marijuana smoke and contains carcinogens known to increase the risk of lung cancer. Sharing a smoking device increases the risk of spreading communicable diseases, including Covid 19.
There is no mistaking the smell of burning marijuana. Whether you love it or hate it, the smell can raise tensions between smokers and nonsmokers as well as eliminate any hopes of discretion. This can also create unwanted attention from law enforcement.
Smoking cannabis or hemp has been the main way and traditional way of consumption. However, things change. We now know more about the health risks associated with smoking as well as more about the benefits cannabinoids can offer. Does the instant gratification and tradition of smoking outweigh the health risks? The choice is ultimately yours however experiencing the benefits of the cannabis plant without the risks associated with smoking is worth a try.
