NEW YORK – As more and more countries report that it's legal to smoke marijuana, government officials, researchers and others worry about what it could mean for one of the biggest successes of the country in public health: fight against smoking.

While there are notable differences in the health research results on tobacco and marijuana, the juxtaposition has shocked some after generations of Americans realized that smoking put their health at risk .

"We try to stop people from smoking all kinds of things, why do you want to legalize marijuana?" A New York City Councilman, Republican Peter Koo, posed a question at a recent hearing about the state's potential legalization of what is called the ## 147 ## ### ############################################################### Use of pots for recreational purposes.

The advocates of marijuana say that there is no possible comparison between joints and tobacco cigarettes. Extensive federal evaluation of marijuana research found that lung health risks of smoking tobacco appeared "relatively low" and "much lower than smoking tobacco", the leading cause of avoidable death in the United States .

Unlike cigarettes, marijuana has some health benefits, such as the relief of chronic pain. And marijuana can be used without smoking. Most states now have legal medical pot programs; 10 states and the District of Columbia have approved recreational use.

"These are different products, and they need to be treated differently," said Mason Tvert, spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates legalization.

At the same time, studies have shown a cross between the use of marijuana and tobacco. And while smoking cannabis may be less dangerous than tobacco for lung health, cannabis is not totally virgin.

Some health officials and anti-smoking activists also worry about the inclusion of legal marijuana in the rapidly growing world of vaping, given the uncertainties surrounding the long-term effects of smoking. alternative to smoking.

Here is an overview of the issues, science and perspectives:

SMOKING POT VS. THE TOBACCO

Although smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, some scientific evidence suggests that there is no link between marijuana smoking and lung cancer. That's according to a 2017 federal report that has brought together nearly two decades of marijuana studies, research that has been limited by the federal government's classification of marijuana as a controlled substance as the ## 147 #################################################################### 39; heroin.

Although smoking is a major cause of heart disease, the report concludes that it is not known whether marijuana use is associated with a heart attack or stroke.

However, according to the report of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, there is strong evidence linking the long-term use of cannabis to an aggravated cough and more frequent access to bronchitis chronic.

The report also examined other effects, finding a combination of possible, positive and unknown risks. For example, the report indicated that marijuana can relieve nausea related to chemotherapy and chronic pain in adults, but it has also been shown that the drug was linked to the development of schizophrenia and road accidents.

In recent weeks, studies have echoed concerns about the pot of drugs and psychosis and have documented an increase in the number of marijuana-related emergency room visits after legalization in Colorado.

Tobacco and marijuana use can also go hand in hand. Blunts – marijuana in a cigar envelope with tobacco leaves – have grown in popularity. And studies have shown that more cigarette smokers used marijuana and conversely, compared to non-smokers.

"One substance reinforces the use of the other, and vice versa, which can degrade dependency," says Dr. Sterling McPherson, professor of medicine at the University of Washington, studying tobacco use and marijuana among adolescents.

The report from the National Academies indicates that the use of marijuana probably increases the risk of addiction to other substances, including tobacco.

For some public health officials, it makes sense to legalize marijuana and place safeguards around it.

"For tobacco, we know that it is inherently dangerous and that there is no amount of tobacco to safely use," said Rebecca Giglio, Drug Policy Analyst. at the health department of New York City. Considering that, with marijuana, "we see this as an opportunity to tackle the disadvantages of criminalization while regulating cannabis".

But the opinions of health departments vary, even in the same state: the New York County Health Officials Association opposes the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes.

___

SO WHAT IS VAPING?

Vaping – heating a solution in a vapor and inhaling it – has been touted as a safer alternative to smoking.

The experts said that vaping is probably less harmful to the lungs than smoking, although there is little research on the health effects over time, and they worry about its power vaporised.

The American Lung Association fears that vaping will eventually have adverse effects on lung health and worries about an increase in the use of electronic cigarettes in minors. And adding legal marijuana to the photo "makes it even more complicated," says Erika Sward, Assistant Vice President.

Others, however, believe that decision makers should consider vaping as a relatively safe way of using pot.

"I would say that the risks associated with this form of consumption will be less important," says Rebecca Haffajee, a professor of health policy at the University of Michigan, who co-authored an article in 2017 calling for Marijuana for recreational use only allowing forms that are impossible to smoke.

At the same time, some local governments have adjusted smoking bans to cover both vaping and pot. The Los Angeles County Supervisory Board changed its prohibition last month.

___

TWO VIEWS

As a former cigarette smoker, New Yorker Gary Smith is appalled by the fact that his home country might well be smoking pot.

He knows that research has not established a link between smoking marijuana and lung cancer, which killed three cigarette smokers in his family and hit him 20 years after he left. he was treated. But he fears that the respiratory risks of marijuana use are not completely known.

"It's crazy that the government, in order to collect taxes, will allow people to suck you that thing," said Smith, a 78-year-old accountant from Island Park.

Richard Creagan, a doctor and representative in Hawaii, believes in cigarettes no less. The former smoker and democrat of Naalehu proposed this year without success to ban them, but to ban them by raising the legal age to 100 years.

Meanwhile, he would like Hawaii to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, an idea that has fizzled in the state legislature this year.

Creagan, 73, believes the jar benefits the well-being of people more than health, and he expects tobacco-free alternatives to reduce risk. In addition, he believes that legal marijuana could someday replace the tax on cigarettes.

"This coupling," he says, "was sort of in my head."