Unfortunately, the majority of cannabis users still prefer traditional methods of consumption, namely smoking. Joints, bongs, pipes, and other similar methods are harmful to health. In this article, we will attempt to answer the question: Does marijuana cause harm to overall health? However, we will focus exclusively on the method of consumption. Contrary to appearances, the same substance can have different effects depending on the consummation method.
Why won’t we discuss the benefits of smoking cannabis here? Simply because, apart from the “ritual” of smoking, there are none. There are no scientifically proven benefits of smoking that would place it above vaporization in any aspect.
What will you learn from this article?
👉 Can marijuana be harmful?
👉 Is smoking really bad for health?
👉 Is vaporization a safe alternative to smoking?
Table of contents:
- How does marijuana harm during smoking?
- How does marijuana harm the body during smoking? These are the effects of combustion, not the chosen herb
- Is smoking marijuana harmful to health and is that all? Unfortunately, there are more disadvantages to this method
- How does marijuana harm daily life if smoked instead of vaporized?
- Remember how marijuana harms the body during smoking and how many active substances are lost
- It is important to remember how marijuana harms health when smoked. Health is the most important
- Now you know if marijuana harms health when smoked. Is it worth choosing vaporization?
How does marijuana harm during smoking?
Smoking marijuana or any other herb has a negative impact on the user’s health. There are many risks associated with it. The reason lies in the process of combustion itself. Similar to cigarettes, a classic joint produces many tar substances that can potentially be carcinogenic. This factor alone should disqualify smoking when compared to vaporization.
Below, we describe the most important health consequences of regular and long-term marijuana smoking:
- Respiratory Irritations – the most common are mucosal irritations, bronchitis, or cough. Some ailments may become chronic problems;
- Reproductive System Disorders – similar to tobacco, marijuana can reduce fertility due to the tar substances produced during combustion;
- Lung Damage – tar substances can lead to bronchitis, pneumonia, and even cancer;
- Intestinal Damage – tar substances enter not only the respiratory system.
The above negative effects are only a part of what smoking cannabis can lead to. It is worth noting that all these ailments can ultimately develop into serious diseases like COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic rhinitis, cancers, hypertension, etc. Much more on this topic can be read in the sources provided at the end of the article.
How does marijuana harm the body during smoking? These are the effects of combustion, not the chosen herb
It is important to note that the above negative effects do not result from the active substances contained in cannabis. They are the consequences of the method of consuming the flowers. Smoke from burned herbs contains many elements that can be harmful to health.
A very popular method of smoking is also adding tobacco to the herb. This solution leads to additional complications. Tobacco also contains nicotine, which is addictive. This means that smoking marijuana mixed with such a substance can generate serious problems. It primarily leads to nicotine addiction. But that’s not all – the addictive potential of marijuana itself increases.
Is smoking marijuana harmful to health and is that all? Unfortunately, there are more disadvantages to this method
Burning herbs is harmful, but that’s not all. During smoking, we also lose a large part of the overall experience. Below, we present a simple table comparing vaporization and smoking in several aspects.
| Smoking | Vaporizing | |
| Flavour | Burnt flavor in the foreground. The terpenes from the dried herb affect the flavor to a fairly minor degree. It’s hard to talk about the full flavor of cannabis. | You can accurately sense the terpenes contained in the dry herb. The aroma of herbs – citrus, fruit, and cookie is easily recognizable. This is the only way to know the fullness of the cannabis flavor. |
| Action | We absorb only a small portion of the active substances from the herb, resulting in limited effects. After lighting up, we experience strong psychoactive effects due to the combined action of cannabis, the toxins in the smoke, and the hypoxia caused by inhaling it. | We absorb up to 80% of the active substances contained in the herb. Vaporization effectively captures the effects of specific cannabis strains. There is no “smoke haze” effect, the experience is much “cleaner” and allows for normal activities. |
| Flavor | Only a portion of the active substances from the herb is extracted during combustion – the rest is destroyed in the process, resulting in ash. | A vaporizer extracts most of the active substances from the herb. As a result, the effects and flavor are much fuller. The end product is ABV (Already Been Vaped), which still contains cannabinoids and can be used for baking. |
| Effectiveness | We cannot control the temperature during combustion. | The temperature can be adjusted freely, thus personalizing the experience. Additionally, different types of vaporizers operate in various ways. |
Smoking cannabis tastes worse, negatively impacts health, causes the loss of many active substances, and provides incomplete effects. Why is this method still considered the most popular? There are many reasons, the most important being tradition, convenience, and a lack of knowledge about alternative methods or a lack of belief in their effectiveness. Vaporization is a relatively new solution for consuming herbs. It has been around for about 30 years and is rapidly developing, but knowledge about it is still not adequately widespread.
How does marijuana harm daily life if smoked instead of vaporized?
Serious diseases like COPD, chronic bronchitis, etc., can be caused by consuming cannabis in this way. Smoking leads to significant exacerbations of symptoms in these conditions. This also applies to any other substances. Combustion will always be a harmful solution due to the significant amount of carcinogenic chemicals produced. So, the answer to the question “Does smoking marijuana harm health?” is quite clear.
In addition to health issues, smoking also has practical disadvantages that are very troublesome in daily life. Here are a few of them:
- Intense Odor: Smoking cannabis, CBD, or medical marijuana has a very strong and distinctive aroma. Some people like it, but ultimately it is hard to consider it pleasant. It is also hard to talk about discretion, as burning cannabis is very noticeable even from a distance and outdoors. Smoking indoors causes the smell to linger for a long time. It’s important to consider the legality of marijuana, but even medical cannabis should be used discreetly.
- Negative Impact on Teeth: This is often an overlooked disadvantage of smoking marijuana. Smoke causes yellowing of teeth and bad breath.
- Low Efficiency: During combustion, a significant portion of active substances is lost, as confirmed by studies.
- Impaired Flavor and Effect: During combustion, not only cannabinoids like THC, CBD, or CBG break down. Terpenes, which are responsible for the effects of specific strains, are also lost.
- Lack of Discretion: Burning cannabis is detectable even from a significant distance outdoors.
A thorough analysis of the arguments leads to the conclusion that smoking does not make logical sense. This method eliminates many of the benefits of inhaling CBD, CBG, or prescription cannabis.
Remember how marijuana harms the body during smoking and how many active substances are lost
During combustion, a significant part of the active compounds in the herb is simply lost. The smoker only absorbs a portion of the active substances contained in the cannabis flowers. The rest is lost due to the high temperature and cannot be recovered. This results in low efficiency when it comes to regular herb consumption.
Yes, smoked cannabis may subjectively feel stronger to some than vaporized. Objectively, however, vaporization allows for more cannabinoids to be absorbed, while the intoxicating potential of smoking is due to the toxins in the smoke, hypoxia from inhaling smoke, and the effects of tobacco if it is part of the mix. Even an entire marijuana plant, when smoked, will not offer as complete effects as a single session with a vaporizer.
Patients should focus on absorbing a specific amount of active substances therefore, smoking is not a good choice – a significant portion of THC, CBD, CBG, and other important compounds, especially terpenes, is wasted. This raises doubts about the medicinal value of consuming cannabis through smoking.
It’s also worth considering the financial aspect. If some active substances are lost during combustion, some of our money is also wasted. We pay for the herb, but it is only a carrier of active substances. If we waste the substances contained in it, we are effectively throwing away part of the money spent on the herb. The losses are not severe for a single joint. However, consider a monthly treatment for a medical marijuana patient.
The amount of herb varies – let’s assume 1 gram per day for simplicity. The patient absorbs up to 80% of the active substances from the herb during vaporization (depending on the equipment used). The equivalent of 6 grams of medicine in the form of cannabinoids remains in the ABV, not absorbed by the body.
How does this value come about? 6 grams is 20% of 30 grams, the monthly dose for a medical marijuana patient. During vaporization, we do not use all the active substances. Those that remain in the herb can be estimated to be about 6 grams of medicine in terms of cannabinoids. It is important to know that vaporized herbs can still be used to prepare edibles, i.e., cannabis-containing food products.
When it comes to smoking marijuana, we absorb much fewer active substances but the exact percentage values are hard to estimate. A 1990 report titled “Marijuana Smoking: Factors That Influence the Bioavailability of Tetrahydrocannabinol” indicates that we absorb between 50% and about 60% of the active substances from the herb during smoking. According to these data, even 15 grams of our medicine may be lost in a month. How? Simply, we do not absorb the remaining active substances because they are destroyed during combustion. In vaporization, what cannot be extracted from the herb remains in the ABV, which can be reused.
It’s also worth paying attention to newer, more detailed materials. Mario Perez-Reyes from the University of California, Riverside, who has been involved in publishing scientific materials for years, has prepared an extensive collection of information on lost cannabinoids during combustion. The results are, therefore, as accurate as possible. The publication “Pharmacology of Orally Administered Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol” focuses on detailed and specialized data related to the consumption of primarily smoked medical marijuana.
The aforementioned study indicates that smoke produced during combustion can be harmful to our health. It confirms the potential risks described in this material, such as respiratory diseases or intestinal damage. Additionally, Perez-Reyes emphasizes that we potentially absorb even fewer active substances during cannabis combustion than older studies indicated – he mentions as little as 30% of cannabinoids absorbed. This is an average derived from a series of studies where the method of consumption varied. The trend here is quite clear.
It is important to remember how marijuana harms health when smoked. Health is the most important
This should be the main takeaway from this article – the answer to the question “Is smoking marijuana harmful?”. Smoking is harmful in many ways. The negative effects of tar substances cannot be avoided even with the best filters. Unfortunately, during the combustion of cannabis, compounds similar to those found in tobacco smoke are produced. These substances can be dangerous, and vaporization is the best way to eliminate them.
We would also like to draw attention to the commonly used paper filters. The purpose of a filter is to remove as many harmful substances as possible during combustion. A paper filter does not fulfill this task. Only carbon filters are a viable alternative, but they still allow a significant amount of harmful substances to pass through. Remember, a paper filter provides NO protective effect.
Now you know if marijuana harms health when smoked. Is it worth choosing vaporization?
Here the choice is quite clear. Vaporization is a much healthier and more pleasant alternative when it comes to consuming cannabis, but not only that. Vaporizers can be used for almost any herb. The device safely extracts the active substances that we can absorb. There is no smoke involved, which eliminates many health risks.
It is important to know that for patients, vaporization is the recommended method of consuming medical marijuana. Other solutions include, for example, oil extracts prepared in pharmacies. However, such options are available in a very limited number of facilities. Nevertheless, no doctor will recommend traditional smoking. If you are wondering if marijuana is harmful – the answer in this case is no. Here, it specifically concerns the method of consumption, that is, combustion versus vaporization.
Bibliography:
- Sohn E.: “Weighing the dangers of cannabis”, 2019 r., magazine Nature
- Rahman Archie S., Cucullo L.: “Harmful Effects of Smoking Cannabis: A Cerebrovascular and Neurological Perspective”, 2019 r.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): “NIDA review summarizes research on marijuana’s negative health effects”, 2014 r., National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Kaplan A.G.:“Cannabis and Lung Health: Does the Bad Outweigh the Good”, 2021 r., National Library of Medicine USA, National Center for Biotechnology Information
- Hancox R.J., Sears M.R.: “The impact of marihuana smoking on lung function”, 2019 r., European Respiratory Journal, Flagship Scientific Journal of ERS
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): “What are marijuana’s effects on lung health?”, 2020 r., NIDA, National Institutes of Health
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