Disputable questions have been posed over the usage of weed and cigarettes, whose partnership has often started to return. While several of the allegations have not yet confirmed, both medications are known to cause many ailments, including lung cancer and bronchitis. Among users of varying ages and races, tobacco and marijuana are the most used substances in the world. It is suspected that tobacco and marijuana share common respiratory effects, particularly for heavy users. Smoking often impacts the economies of nations, aside from health issues, as there are many wonderful hard-working people who have lost their lives owing to smoking on a daily basis. Most politicians around the world have set massive budgets to combat smoking behaviours instead of utilising the funds on other sectors that can improve their inhabitants’ overall lifestyles. This essay explores the relationship between marijuana and cigarettes and their corresponding effects on public wellbeing.
In terms of their application and implications, consuming weed and cigarettes have almost identical symptoms and characteristics. The majority of smokers start smoking in puberty, and as they become adults, the addiction intensifies and it becomes very difficult to leave the habit at this point (Williams and Williams 327). People vape for different reasons, such as the need for adolescents to be mature, social influence, and finally to start out. The irony that certain aged individuals, such as parents and relatives, smoke also incites children to smoke so that they can still look mature. Children may also be involved in smoking when they see their friends and maybe smoke to be accepted by their peers. People want to play with banned items so that they can really figure out if they are excluded. Parents and the government generally forbid children from smoking, thereby allowing kids sneak away and smoke (Malmberg et al. 1512-1520).
It is interesting to note, though, that adults smoke for some reasons that are different from teenagers, such as relieving them from economic or personal problems linked to depression and tension. Adults claim that as they face difficulties such as family stresses or intimacy issues, smoking makes them more relaxed or increases their vitality. The adolescence phase is the right age to determine whether or not a child is a heavy smoker by paying a great deal of attention to their conduct (Williams and Williams 327).
Smoking vs. Demography
Marital status plays an important role in smoking, according to the HSCIC, as most smokers are confirmed to be divorced, separated, or unmarried. However, single people are not supposed to be chain smokers, as in the case with unmarried and divorced individuals who smoke most of their time regardless of grievances. Married people are said to be less inclined to smoke as opposed to single and widowed women (HSCIC 11-12).
Smoking Vs. Socioeconomic
It is fascinating that the degree of smoking also depends on socioeconomic class where the people in the manual and routine groups were found to comprise of heavy smokers compared to people in the management and specialized groups. Most people in the higher socioeconomic class smoke cigars with filters especially women unlike the other people in the lower class who smoke rolled cigars. Perhaps, some of the reasons that compelled the lower socioeconomic group to smoke are the fact that most of them face different economic problems such as taking full responsibility of their families by fully providing for their food, better school for their children and better healthcare for their families (HSCIC 11-12). Smoking has created a wide gap between the people who are socioeconomically stable and the people in the lower ladder of socioeconomic rank especially in the area of life expectancy. Most people in the lower socioeconomic status are attacked by cancer related illness compared to the other partners who are in the upper side of the socioeconomic status (Malmberg et al. 1512-1521).
It is clear that both marijuana and cigarette smoking produce toxic chemicals that penetrate the body system when inhaled, exposing the lungs of smokers to higher chances of contracting significant diseases. Part of the link between smoking tobacco and weed, such as those who previously smoked pot, will smoke tobacco and new smokers of marijuana are existing smokers of cigarettes (Williams and Williams 327). In addition, the onset of tobacco usage may offer a pathway to the potential use of marijuana and, if tobacco and marijuana are used together, nicotine tolerance may form. It is not as dangerous to use either cigarettes or weed alone as consuming them, which means polydrug use. Nicotine is present in all medications and raises sensitivity to tar and other carcinogens in addition, which in turn increases the range of health conditions such as diseases of the respiratory system, bronchitis and lung cancer (Malmberg et al. 1512-1520).
Tobacco users usually feel that their addiction is not as harmful as using illegal drugs such as marijuana while marijuana smokers feel that their drug of choice is safer than tobacco. In general, both drugs have side effects because both users suffer compound consequences (Malmberg et al. 1512-1520). Both tobacco and marijuana smoking are most commonly abused drugs although there has been increased awareness of the mortality and illness related to smoking. Society considers smokers of the two drugs as health concern and addiction related with marijuana. In addition, both drugs are used widely across the world starting from teens. However, marijuana use enhances lung-air-flow rates and an increase in lung capacity while tobacco users increase lung related diseases (HSCIC 11-12).
It is apparent that tobacco and marijuana have different consumption and consumers’ consumption differs (Malmberg et al. 1512-1525). Large number of smokers smokes both marijuana and tobacco though users perceive marijuana more positive than tobacco even though it is regarded unusual, detrimental, and addictive. Although the public health message has been very clear regarding the dangers of tobacco and marijuana, few users are ready to give up and marijuana consumption through illegal means seems normalized (Williams and Williams 327). Government, parents and health professionals’ attempts to stop consumption of the two drugs has been in vain. Despite the addiction to tobacco and marijuana that consumers are aware off, they have been too reluctant to stop the consumption of the dangerous drugs.
Works Cited
- HSCIC. Statistics on Smoking-England, 2012 NS. Pp. 1-12. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB07019
- Malmberg, Monique, et al. “Do Substance use Risk Personality Dimensions Predict the Onset of Substance use in Early Adolescence? A Variable- and Person-Centered Approach.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 41.11 (2012): 1512-25. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
- Williams, Ronald D., and Amber R. Williams. “Creative Writing in Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Education.” Contemporary Issues in Education Research (Online) 5.4 (2012): 327. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
