Marijuana vs. Tobacco

{text:bookmark-start} Marijuana vs. Tobacco {text:bookmark-end} Though many people feel differently, statistics show that marijuana has more harmful effects than tobacco. Most of the time, people are misinformed about the effects relating to tobacco and marijuana smoke. Cannabis smoke has a more substantial amount of harmful chemicals than tobacco and the way people smoke them makes a big difference when it comes to long and short-term effects. The nineteenth century, also known as the age of the cigar, was a turning point for tobacco. People learned how to manufacture cigarettes that were sold individually and in rolls. Then they began using many different types of tobacco in cigarettes like Turkish and Mexican tobacco which is darker and richer. Manufacturing tobacco boomed and the companies that became of it were household names all over the world. By the twentieth century, there were approximately 300,000 cigar brands on the market. As well as the incline of tobacco brands, this time period also contained many anti-cigarette laws and controversy dealing directly with health issues caused by smoking. In this time period, tobacco was often advertised in the entertainment business to make it seem “cool” to boost sales. {draw:frame} The next most popular type of plant that can be smoked is marijuana. Marijuana is the most used illegal drug in the United States and nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried it at least once. Cannabis, like tobacco, was discovered around 6000 BC in the form of a plant called hemp. China was the first country to start using the plant, they cultivated it for food, fiber, and to weave it into fine cloth and rope during 1500 BC. Marijuana completely spread through Europe by 100 BC and to Egypt, Iraq, and Persia in the twelfth century. By this time, it was being used as an inebriant for people to get a “high” feeling often in the form of hashish. Hashish is a purified resin that is prepared from the flowering tops

References: {text:bookmark-start} Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007). Smoking & Tobacco Use. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/index.htm {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Drug Policy Alliance Network (n.d.). Marijuana: the facts. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/ {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Georgiades, K., & Boyle, M. H. (2007). Adolescent tobacco and cannabis use: young adult outcomes from the Ontario Child Health Study. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 48(724), 31. {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} National Cancer Institute (n.d.). Quitting Smoking: Why To Quit and How To Get Help. Retrieved January 16, 2009, from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cessation {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Palmer, J. (2007, 12/22/2007). Cannabis smoke beats tobacco for toxic chemicals.. New Scientist, 196(2638/2636), 9-9. {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-start} Pomranz, K. (2008). New pot dangers. Good Housekeeping, 246(3), 105-105. {text:bookmark-end}