For some people, cigarettes and cannabis smoking go hand-in-hand and when they try to quit one that want to do the other. It’s not uncommon for someone to wonder if smoking marijuana will help or hurt their effort to quit smoking cigarettes. Both cigarettes and cannabis have their own set of risks, but it’s not necessarily clear whether or not cannabis smoking can have a negative effect on it.
It has literally been thousands of years that people have been using cannabis as a medical treatment; it was even an approved substance throughout the United States until the 1940s. Even though the Supreme Court passed federal laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, people still believe that it is successful in treating pain and nausea in ways that other medical treatments cannot.
It has been proven that some of the components that make up cannabis have been effective in controlling symptoms in certain situations.
Back to the question will cannabis smoking help or hurt efforts to quit smoking cigarettes? There is not a proven or right answer to that question, but it’s important to be aware of the fact that smoking marijuana comes with its own risks. In addition to being an illegal substance, marijuana causes thinking impairment, impaired problem-solving skills and memory, reduced coordination and balance, increased risk of heart attack, a heightened risk of respiratory infections, and possible hallucinations and withdrawal symptoms.
Most people think that because marijuana is a plant it is natural and therefore safe to smoke and ingest. This is simply not true because like all drugs, legal or illegal, there are risks. When taking any substance it’s important to be aware of your body and the environment around you and to always put your safety first. Smoking cigarettes has the potential to cause a lot of long-term effects, so quitting that habit is always a good idea. Whether cannabis smoking will help or hurt that process is something that still remains to be known.
