The healthiest lifestyle is one that is totally smoke free, avoiding both marijuana and tobacco. Many tobacco smokers feel that as long as they don’t engage marijuana use, their habit isn’t that bad because it is legal. Conversely, marijuana users believe that tobacco smoke is way more harmful than cannabis smoke and thus they feel as though their lifestyle is less of a health problem. It seems as though both groups of smokers are trying their hardest to avoid the truth: that both marijuana and tobacco have very damaging physical and psychological effects. We are our minds and bodies-we must live with them every day and if we want to be happy, we have to keep them healthy. The best way to keep your mind and body in top form is to stay completely smoke free.
To stay psychologically healthy, stay off pot: The major benefit of staying smoke free and pot free is better mental health. Marijuana is not as physically dangerous as tobacco smoke in terms of cancer; it does cause respiratory infections and other smoke-related illnesses. According to medical researchers headed by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the University of California at Los Angeles there is a chemical reaction within marijuana that kills cancer cells, and tobacco apparently lacks this property. However, psychologically, marijuana is damaging to each smoker’s health. It causes euphoria, panic, anxiety, and paranoia. It provides users with a false sense of happiness or fear that is fleeting, and many people develop a marijuana habit to escape the reality of life, often to avoid problems. Marijuana use can also impair short-term memory and damage learning skills.
To stay physically healthy, stay off tobacco: The major benefit of staying smoke free and tobacco free is better physical health. Tobacco smoke contains potent carcinogens that are proven to cause cancer and other devastating health problems such as emphysema. Tobacco is a habit that can lead to early death and an overall decreased enjoyment of life due to poor health.
The categories above are much generalized; marijuana and tobacco contribute to both physical and psychological problems. However, these categories serve as a good rubric for understanding the importance of role of mind and body synergy for better health. When we talk about health, we often think of mind health and body health as separate things that don’t necessarily affect each other-but in reality they are connected and constantly influencing one another. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body and a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Both marijuana and tobacco affect the health of the mind and body, so it is important to realize that a smoke free lifestyle is your best bet for total health.
