Most Americans believe that inhaling marijuana smoke is safer compared to cigarettes. This detail was revealed by a new study conducted by health experts at the University of California. 

Is Marijuana Smoke Safer Than Cigarettes? 

(Photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Cesar, 36, smokes marijuana for recreational use on March 13, 2021, in Mexico City, Mexico. Mexican Lower House approved a bill to legalize recreational use of cannabis and the project will be reviewed in the senate. This would make Mexico of the biggest regulated markets of cannabis in the world.

According to CBS News' latest report, the new UC study was led by Dr. Beth Cohen, a professor of medicine at the university. 

Dr. Cohen, who is also the USCF's program in residency investigation methods and epidemiology co-director, explained why marijuana smoke is not safer than tobacco. 

"When you burn something, whether it is tobacco or cannabis, it creates toxic compounds, carcinogens, and particulate matter that are harmful to health," she said. 

The study's lead author added that the issue with inhaling marijuana smoke is the combustion, saying that thinking cannabis is safer because it is naturally burning is just wrong. 

Carol Boyd, the founding director of the UC's Center for Study Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health, said that cannabis smoke contains plenty of toxins and tar that can negatively affect the lungs.

"All smoke is an irritant to the respiratory tract and at a time in human history when humans breathe polluted air, NO added smoke is good," he said. 

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Most Americans Think So 

(Photo: THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images) A man smokes a joint during a demonstration for the decriminalization of cannabis in France, in Paris on May 12, 2018. - Some 1,300 people, according to the police, marched today in Paris for the decriminalization of cannabis in France, which "remains blocked" while, for the organizers, "the other countries have never advanced so far" on this issue.

The new study, which was published in the JAMA Network Open Journal, asked 5,000 Americans who are mostly 50 years old. 

The survey was conducted in 2017, 2020, and 2021. Based on its findings, around 44% of Americans think that cannabis smoke is safer than tobacco. 

This is definitely higher compared to the 25.5% who believe that cigarette smoke is safer to inhale. 

Since inhaling marijuana smoke is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes, Everyday Health said that the scientific community needs to do a better job of educating people about the risks of smoking cannabis. 

Remember, smoking marijuana also damages the lungs. Cannabis has been linked to chronic bronchitis. Aside from this, health experts at the American Lung Association also warned that marijuana smoke can damage the immune system as well.  

You can click this link to learn more about the dangers of inhaling marijuana smoke. 

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