Cannabis Information Page
Tobacco Information Page
Table 1,2,3 : Marijuana and Tobacco Reference
Cigarette Analysis of Mainstream Smoke (From: Institute of Medicine, Marijuana and Health, Washington,D.C.
National Academy Press, 1988 )
Strange Abbr: mcg: microgram C? : known
Carcinogen (X means yes)
|
A.Cigarettes |
|
||
|
|
Units |
Marijuana |
Tobacco |
|
|
|
(85mm) |
(85mm) |
|
Average Weight |
(mg) |
1115 |
1110 |
|
Mositure |
(%) |
10.3 |
11.1 |
|
Pressure Drop |
cm |
14.7 |
7.2 |
|
Static Burning rate |
mg/s |
0.88 |
0.80 |
|
Puff Number |
|
10.7 |
11.1 |
|
B.Mainstream Smoke |
|
||
|
I. Gas Phase |
Units |
Marijuana |
Tobacco |
|
Carbon Monoxide |
% |
3.99 |
4.58 |
|
|
mg |
17.6 |
20.2 |
|
Carbon Dioxide |
% |
8.27 |
9.38 |
|
|
mg |
57.3 |
65.0 |
|
Ammonia |
mcg |
228 |
199 |
|
HCN |
mcg |
532 |
498 |
|
Cyanogen (CN)2 |
mcg |
19 |
20 |
|
Isoprene |
mcg |
83 |
310 |
|
Acetaldehyde |
mcg |
1200 |
980 |
|
Acetone |
mcg |
443 |
578 |
|
Acrolein |
mcg |
92 |
85 |
|
Acetonitrilebenzene |
mcg |
132 |
123 |
|
Benzene |
mcg |
76 |
67 |
|
Toluene |
mcg |
112 |
108 |
|
Vinyl chloride |
ng |
5.4 |
12.4 |
|
Dimethylnitrosamine |
ng |
75 |
84 |
|
Methylethylnitrosamine |
ng |
27 |
30 |
|
pH, third puff |
|
6.56 |
6.14 |
|
fifth puff |
|
6.57 |
6.15 |
|
seventh puff |
|
6.58 |
6.14 |
|
ninth puff |
|
6.56 |
6.10 |
|
tenth puff |
|
6.58 |
6.02 |
|
II. Particulate phase |
Units |
Marijuana |
Tobacco |
|
Tl particulate - dry |
mg |
22.7 |
39.0 |
|
Phenol |
mcg |
76.8 |
138.5 |
|
o-Cresol |
mcg |
17.9 |
24 |
|
m- and p-Cresol |
mcg |
54.4 |
65 |
|
Dimethylphenol |
mcg |
6.8 |
14.4 |
|
Catechol |
mcg |
188 |
328 |
|
Cannbidiol |
mcg |
190 |
|
|
D9 THC |
mcg |
820 |
|
|
Cannabinol |
mcg |
400 |
|
|
Nicotine |
mcg |
|
2850 |
|
N-Nitrosonornicotine |
ng |
|
390 |
|
Naphthalene |
mcg |
3.0 |
1.2 |
|
1-Methylnaphthalene |
mcg |
6.1 |
3.65 |
|
2-Methylnaphthalese |
mcg |
3.6 |
1.4 |
|
Benz(a)anthracene |
ng |
75 |
43 |
|
Benzo(a)pyrene |
ng |
31 |
21.1 |
The possible negative health effects of cannabis use such as respiratory disporders can be totally bypassed by either a)Smoking the cannabis through a smokeless device such as a vaporizer that turns the active ingredient in cannabis (THC) to vapour, leaving the cannabis unburned, or b)Ingestion of the cannabis
With the current state of legality, cannabis cannot be prescribed by doctors for their patients as treatment. This means that should cannabis be desired for use as a medicine, then it would have to be illegally purchased through 'street dealers'. However, this leads to the 'gateway theory' that hypothesises that the use of cannabis will lead to the use of harder drugs. This debate remains open, despite the fact that the majority of people now realise that it is not the cannabis that leads people on to harder drugs, but the state of legality in which it resides. If it were true, then the same could be said about tobacco or alcohol leading to the use of other drugs. If cannabis were made legal, then it would be separated from the drug sub-culture, and therefore separated from the dealers which are also selling harder drugs.
As for the possibility that the use of cannabis could lead to addiction, the user is at alomst no risk. On a relative scale, cannabis is less addictive than chocolate or sugar, but more so than anchovies.
Overdose from the over use of cannabis is almost impossible. "In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly comsume. For example. eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to compume enough marijuana to induce death." US Drug Enforcement Administrator's Judge Francis (1988)
Considering all that has been presented to me, I believe cannabis should in the least be fully legalised as a medicine. As ruled by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights, it is a very serious crime against humanity to deny it's people of an effective medicine.