Is marijuana safer than tobacco

cigarettes?Kaia Boatner

    

WHAT IS…

Marijuana? Marijuana is a mixture of the dried and

shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. The mixture can be green, brown, or gray.

Marijuana has a chemical in it called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC.

THC is the main psychoactive (i.e., mind altering) ingredient. Marijuana’s strength or potency is related to the amount of THC it contains.

Schedule I substance: having no medical uses and high risk for abuse

Tobacco Cigarettes? Tobacco is an agricultural crop, most

commonly used to make cigarettes.

The psychoactive ingredient is nicotine, a stimulant, but more than 4,000 other chemicals (2,000 of which are known to be poisonous) are present in cigarettes.

Common chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes include: butane, cadmium, methanol, stearic acid, ammonia, etc.

There are about 70 known carcinogens in tobacco cigarettes including benzene, vinyl chloride, isoprene, etc.

Known Chemicals in Tobacco Cigarettes

Acetone: found in nail polish remover

Acetic Acid: an ingredient in hair dye

Ammonia: a common household cleaner

Arsenic: used in rat poison

Benzene: found in rubber cement

Butane: used in lighter fluid

Cadmium: active component in battery acid

Toluene: used to manufacture paint

Carbon monoxide: released in car exhaust fumes

Formaldehyde: embalming fluid

Hexamine: found in barbecue lighter fluid

Lead: used in batteries

Naphthalene: an ingredient in moth balls

Methanol: a main component in rocket fuel

Tar: material for paving roads

Street Names of…

Marijuana Ganja

Pot

Reefer

Weed

Mary Jane

Chronic

Dope

Blunt

Herb

Roach

Tobacco Cigarettes Smokes

Cigs

Butts

Dosage Conditions of….

Marijuana

4 puff, 1.75% THC=57 (ng/ml) 0.000057 mg

10 puff 1.75% THC or 4 puff 3.55% THC=90 to 99 (ng/ml) 0.00009 to 0.000099 mg

5 puff 1.75% THC or 10 puff 3.55% THC=172 (ng/ml) 0.000172 mg

25 puff 3.55% THC=268 (ng/ml)

0.000268 mg

Tobacco

1 cigarette yields 1 mg of absorbed nicotine

Health Benefits of…

Marijuana

Cancer: inhibits tumor growth in lab animals and kills cancer cells

Seizures: a muscle relaxant and has antispasmodic qualities proven to be effective in treatment

Alzheimer’s disease: slows formation of amyloid plaque, which is what kills the brain cells by blocking the enzyme in the brain that creates the plaque.

Tobacco Reduces psychiatric, cognitive,

sensory, and physical effects of Schizophrenia

Risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease is higher in nonsmokers

Side Effects of …

Marijuana Tobacco Cigarettes

Health Effects of….

MarijuanaAcute

Loss of coordination

Reddening of the eyes

Increased appetite

Relaxed muscles

Sleepiness

Chronic

Psychotic symptoms

Coughing and Wheezing

Reduction in ability to fight illnesses and infections

Tobacco

Acute

Green Tobacco Sickness

Paralysis of respiratory muscles

Central respiratory failure

Chronic

Coronary and peripheral vascular disease

Chronic obstructive lung disease

Peptic ulcer and reproductive disturbances (prematurity)

Mechanism of Action of Marijuana

THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, exerts its effect by binding to cannabinoid CB1 receptors on pre-synaptic nerve terminals in the brain.

THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, binds to and activates specific receptors, known as cannabinoid receptors. There are many of these receptors in parts of the brain that control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth perception, and coordinated movement. By activating these receptors, THC interferes with their normal functioning.

Mechanism of Action of Tobacco

Nicotine, the primary alkaloid in tobacco products binds stereo-selectively to nicotinic-cholinergic receptors on autonomic ganglia, the adrenal medulla, neuromuscular junctions and in the brain. Nicotine exerts two effects, a stimulant effect exerted at the locus ceruleus and a reward effect in the limbic system. Intravenous administration of nicotine causes release of acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, vasopressin, etc.

http://youtu.be/yd46Hs7pTow?t=52s

Toxicokinetics of Marijuana

Inhalation of smoke containing THC results in the onset of psychoactive effects within minutes. From 10% to 35% of available THC is absorbed during smoking and peak serum THC concentrations occur an average of 8 (range: 3–10) minutes after the onset of smoking marijuana.

THC has a steady-state volume of distribution of approximately 2.5 to 3.5 L/kg. Cannabinoids are lipid soluble and accumulate in fatty tissue. Initially, THC is distributed to highly vascularized tissues such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and muscle. Following smoking or intravenous administration, the distribution half-life is less than 10 minutes.

THC is nearly completely metabolized by hepatic microsomal hydroxylation and oxidation by the cytochrome P450 system (primarily CYP2C9 and CYP3A4.

THC and its metabolites are excreted in the urine and the feces. In the 72 hours following ingestion, approximately 15% of a THC dose is excreted in the urine and roughly 50% is excreted in the feces.

Inhalation is expected to produce results similar to intravenous administration. In 5 days, 80% to 90% of a THC dose is excreted from the body.

Toxicokinetics of Tobacco Cigarettes

Nicotine is a water and lipid soluble drug which, in the free base form, is readily absorbed via respiratory tissues, skin, and the gastrointestinal tract. Nicotine may pass through skin or mucous membranes when in alkaline solution.

The effect of nicotine declines as it is distributed to other tissues. The distribution half-life, which describes the movement of nicotine from the blood and other rapidly perfused tissues, such as the brain, to other body tissues, is about 9 min.

Nicotine undergoes a large first pass effect during which the liver metabolizes 80% to 90%; to a smaller extent, the lung also is able to metabolize nicotine. The major metabolite of nicotine is cotinine.

Nicotine and its metabolites (cotinine and nicotine 1-N-oxide) are excreted in the urine.

Interesting Facts about Marijuana and Tobacco Cigarette Smoking

Marijuana smokers generally don’t chain smoke, and so they smoke less.

Tobacco contains nicotine and marijuana doesn’t.

Nicotine can cause cancer in tobacco smokers and people who live or work where tobacco is smoked. This is because it breaks down into a cancer causing chemical called “N Nitrosamine” when it is burned.

Marijuana contains THC. THC is a bronchial dilator.

It works like a cough drop and open up the lungs which can aid clearance of smoke and dirt.

Nicotine does the opposite; it makes it harder to cough anything up.

THC helps reduce the growth of cancerous tumors. THC selectively targets and destroy tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed.

Cannabis is used to kill numerous cancer cell types that are caused by tobacco smoking such as:• lung cancer cells• breast cancer cells

References

Fda.gov

Lung.org

Pamf.org

Ncbi.nlm.nih. gov

Eddieeinbinder.com

Drugabuse.gov

Bjp.rcpsych.org

Patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com

Sott.net

Philly.com

Drugfreeworld.org

Drugscience.org

Abcnews.go.com