Reverting to Old Habits?
From a very young age we were being told how dangerous and awful cigarettes were for our bodies. I can remember sitting in my elementary school auditorium staring at a disgusting black spotted pig lung and listening to a man explain that this is what a human lung looks like after it is exposed to cigarette smoke for so many years.
By the time I was of age to legally purchase cigarettes they were pretty much out of fashion. It weird to think that smoking was ever a trend but it was as much of a trend in the U.S. as UGGs or scrunchies were. The difference, however, is that cigarettes ended up being a deadly trend.
Not only was being a cigarette smoker proven to be deadly, but so was being around cigarette smokers. While the effects of secondhand smoke are not as direct or speedy, they can still result in all of the same consequences of smoking like cancer, and even death.
Trends fade in and out and are usually replaced by something new, but still similar. For example when UGGs went out of style, Sperry's and duck boots went in.
That appears to be what is currently happening with cigarettes. Cigarette use has been on the decline, but now marijuana use is skyrocketing. Many people believe that marijuana cigarettes are safer because they are "natural" since they come from plants. While researchers, don't find this completely false, it is not the actual substance they are focusing on in this particular instance, its the smoke. Smoke, whether it is coming from a cigarette or a marijuana joint, it is harmful to the lungs.
Matthew Springer, a biologist and professor in the division of cardiology at the University of California-San Francisco, has been studying the impacts of not only marijuana smoke on the lung, but also the impact that secondhand smoke has.
He began to question why people seemed to be allowing such activities (smoking in a public place) when people have clearly become very opposed to allowing cigarette smoking in many places. He concluded that it is most likely due to people's lack of knowledge, and this reminded him a lot of how we used to approach cigarettes. Typically when then tends to be little research done on a topic, or substance in this case, people have been more willing to experiment with it because there is nothing proving that it is unsafe.
Springer decided that he didn't want to repeat what happened with cigarettes, so he began looking into the effects that secondhand marijuana smoke could have on a person, by way of rats. This study proved to be rather tricky since Springer was working with government funding and had to make sure he was only purchasing specially approved government cannabis.
Springer began his experiment by putting a lit cigarette in a plexiglass box with a anesthetized rat who would be subject to the smoke. The conclusion was that the presence of the "secondhand tobacco smoke makes it harder for the rats’ arteries to expand and allow a healthy flow of blood." These affects last about thirty minutes and then the arteries return to normal. However, if the person/rat is continually exposed to the secondhand smoke, that is when "arterial walls can become permanently damaged, and that damage can cause blood clots, heart attack or stroke."
Next, Springer tested the rat with a lit marijuana joint. He concluded that the same affects occurred when the rat was exposed to the marijuana joint, however, the effects lasted for ninety minutes. Shocking results to say the least.
Spring explains that he is not saying that marijuana is a worse alternative to cigarettes, but that smoke in general is proven time and time again to be dangerous, not matter what substance is being smoked.
Many people will argue then that smokeless options are the way to go, such as e-cigarettes, or vape. Springer also cautions the use of these, however, because once again very little research and data has been collected about the health ramifications of these products. Some researchers have concluded that vapes release a cloud of aerosolized chemicals, which still needs to be further researched to determine the possible impacts of this.
In the end, it all come down to education. We need to be educated on the substances that we are putting into our bodies. When there is little to be said of the impacts or downfalls of a substance, that should not give people a green light to experiment with the substance. It should add an extra precaution, because as we saw with cigarettes the truth may be much worse than we expected.
By the time I was of age to legally purchase cigarettes they were pretty much out of fashion. It weird to think that smoking was ever a trend but it was as much of a trend in the U.S. as UGGs or scrunchies were. The difference, however, is that cigarettes ended up being a deadly trend.
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| Old Fashioned Cigarette Ad |
Not only was being a cigarette smoker proven to be deadly, but so was being around cigarette smokers. While the effects of secondhand smoke are not as direct or speedy, they can still result in all of the same consequences of smoking like cancer, and even death.
Trends fade in and out and are usually replaced by something new, but still similar. For example when UGGs went out of style, Sperry's and duck boots went in.
 |
| UGGs |
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| Duck Boots |
Matthew Springer, a biologist and professor in the division of cardiology at the University of California-San Francisco, has been studying the impacts of not only marijuana smoke on the lung, but also the impact that secondhand smoke has.
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| Secondhand Smoke |
He began to question why people seemed to be allowing such activities (smoking in a public place) when people have clearly become very opposed to allowing cigarette smoking in many places. He concluded that it is most likely due to people's lack of knowledge, and this reminded him a lot of how we used to approach cigarettes. Typically when then tends to be little research done on a topic, or substance in this case, people have been more willing to experiment with it because there is nothing proving that it is unsafe.
Springer decided that he didn't want to repeat what happened with cigarettes, so he began looking into the effects that secondhand marijuana smoke could have on a person, by way of rats. This study proved to be rather tricky since Springer was working with government funding and had to make sure he was only purchasing specially approved government cannabis.
Springer began his experiment by putting a lit cigarette in a plexiglass box with a anesthetized rat who would be subject to the smoke. The conclusion was that the presence of the "secondhand tobacco smoke makes it harder for the rats’ arteries to expand and allow a healthy flow of blood." These affects last about thirty minutes and then the arteries return to normal. However, if the person/rat is continually exposed to the secondhand smoke, that is when "arterial walls can become permanently damaged, and that damage can cause blood clots, heart attack or stroke."
Next, Springer tested the rat with a lit marijuana joint. He concluded that the same affects occurred when the rat was exposed to the marijuana joint, however, the effects lasted for ninety minutes. Shocking results to say the least.
Spring explains that he is not saying that marijuana is a worse alternative to cigarettes, but that smoke in general is proven time and time again to be dangerous, not matter what substance is being smoked.
Many people will argue then that smokeless options are the way to go, such as e-cigarettes, or vape. Springer also cautions the use of these, however, because once again very little research and data has been collected about the health ramifications of these products. Some researchers have concluded that vapes release a cloud of aerosolized chemicals, which still needs to be further researched to determine the possible impacts of this.
In the end, it all come down to education. We need to be educated on the substances that we are putting into our bodies. When there is little to be said of the impacts or downfalls of a substance, that should not give people a green light to experiment with the substance. It should add an extra precaution, because as we saw with cigarettes the truth may be much worse than we expected.
I enjoyed reading this post Natalie. It's unfortunate that many people are smoking just to fit in and not realizing all the harmful effects that even smoking marijuana has on their bodies. I agree with your point that when not a lot of research is done on a substance, putting it out for the public to experiment with is not a good solution. Cigarettes are an example of this where all the science was not discovered or revealed until after they were introduced. I feel like vape might be another example of this where some of the harmful effects are still yet to be discovered.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I was very surprised to hear that the effects of marijuana smoke lasted three times longer than cigarette smoke. In all honestly, I though marijuana was much healthier for you than cigarettes, but I suppose it's what aspect you look into. I think that any kind of smoke is bad for the body, but yet I see kids out here smoking marijuana and looking down upon those that smoke cigarettes. I also think that we still have a big smoking problem on campus here at Penn State. I hate walking behind a lit cigarette and walk a little faster to avoid the secondhand smoke. I don't know if people think they're cool or if they're just addicted, but I hope someday smoking fades into the past and people become informed and healthy.
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