#1 - Weed Could Kill You

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Researchers and scientists have had a difficult time finding a direct correlation between smoking weed and lung cancer. The reason being they have a hard time finding people who have smoked marijuana and marijuana only. Generally, weed smokers also tend to indulge in tobacco which is proven to be a leading cause of lung cancer. What scientists have been able to nail down is the similarities in tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke, and the results are surprising.

A 2007 study by the American Chemical Society compared the chemical make up of tobacco smoke to marijuana smoke and revealed they share similarities in their make up including the existence of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and nitric oxide. The startling difference was that marijuana smoke contained 20 times the levels of ammonia, and three to five times the levels of hydrogen cyanide and nitric oxide to that of tobacco smoke.

A slightly more recent study in 2009 showed that since marijuana users typically tend to take longer drags and hold the smoke in for an extended period of time before exhaling, smoking 3-4 joints a day is equal to "the same degree of damage to bronchial mucus membranes as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day." Yikes!

Regardless of which side of the fence your on when it comes to the legalization of marijuana, I hope the information I've provided, at the very least, gives you enough education from both sides to come to an informed opinion.

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