Is Smoking Cannabis Bad for You?

We’ve all heard the expression, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Which, with two loving cats at home, is a euphemism I am afraid to investigate the origins of. However, the expression is saying there is not a set, singular way to perform a task for a desired outcome. But instead, a multitude of ways to get to that outcome. In the world of cannabis, this age old expression applies all the same.

When I started my cannabis journey, I was given a dozen options, all of which I knew nothing about. I was in a stranger’s apartment in Milwaukee, visiting some friends who were enrolled there. We walked several blocks, then up a flight of stairs, and into a circle where I was greeted by a few friendly strangers and handfuls of paraphernalia. 

My First Circle

To begin, there was an electronic vaporizer - a box with a dial and a glass bulb which heated the flower’s crystals into smoke without burning the flower up - you inhale the smoke through a long silicon tube. Afterward, the flower that gets heated takes on a browner color and duller sheen, as the THC crystals have been vaporized. This was probably the most interesting item in the circle to me.

Surrounding the vaporizer was a glass pipe, the traditional glass bowl most people affiliate with cannabis use. Next to that, the water pipe, a bubbler with multiple chambers leading to the next, each holding a bit of water. Aside from that, two bongs, both looked more scientific to me than illicit. Then a joint, and a blunt, traditionalist varieties of analog smoking often romanticized in music and media. A wrap, some flower, and 2000 degrees of fire to start it off. Lastly, the most overrated device in my opinion: the steamroller. A literal tube in which you fill the chamber, similar in size to a bong, however without the smoothness added by water or even ice, just straight bore cannabis fumes to the face. 

Then, we smoked. We smoked them all. I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel or how or if I would even know if I knew what I felt when I felt it. Until that point in life, my lungs had only been afflicted by wafts of secondhand smoke when it was inescapable. I avoided smoke and drugs of all kinds (that aren’t found in soda cans). However at that moment, in that circle, with those strangers, and two of my good friends, I took my first breath. I must have taken a hundred more by the time the circle broke and we headed into the city.

Some People Don’t Feel it the First Time…

At first I thought I was unhindered by the cannon fire of weed smoke to my virgin system. I was with my boys, we always laughed and goofed and got on well. It didn't seem like anything was different until we stopped at a vending machine. I got a Mountain Dew, at the time they were promoting their old-school cans and advertising the use of cane sugar. One of the guys I was with, wouldn’t stop calling it a Tahitian Treat. That’s when it started to dawn on me that I was higher than the buildings surrounding us.

I had a great time that night, and the awkwardness of socializing with strangers dissolved as the laughter crescendoed. However, the other point I want to illustrate is why I even wound up in that situation. Peer pressure. My friends and their friends were all going to be smoking, and I would be the odd man out if I chose to abstain. However, I trusted them enough to try something new, something that still had a shroud of stigma surrounding it, something that was widely considered to be bad. 

The only bad part was how rough my throat felt the next day. After inhaling what had to be an ounce of weed between us, with my previously unadulterated airway, the soreness was undeniable. Outside of that, which cleared up in a couple of days, and the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever smoked that much in one sitting, maybe even in an entire day since then, I was fine. At least on the surface level, so let’s look under the surface. 

The Dangers of Smoking Marijuana

When smoking cannabis, the process of burning the flower, called decarboxylation, creates a reaction that activates the THC. Inhaling the burning material, whether it be hemp or tobacco, wraps, or exclusively plant matter, means you are inhaling carcinogens (a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue). This is one known, inherent risk to smoking cannabis. However, decarboxylation also brings forth some other interesting developments.

When exposed to 1000°F of heat, CBD isolate creates over 18 different cannabinoids and isomers. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough research dedicated to these byproducts yet though the industry is constantly developing and the past five years have been tremendous for hemp and cannabis research discoveries. The process of decarboxylation is inevitable, but there is more than one way to activate your flower.

You Can Have Your Weed and Eat It Too

Another popular method of consumption is the classic edible. When preparing edibles, decarboxylation is an important step to ensure that the cannabinoids are activated and can be properly absorbed by the body. This typically involves heating cannabis in an oven at a low temperature, which is the first marked difference between the two processes. We can avoid carcinogenic byproducts by decarbing the THC separately from consumption. One interesting thing about this method is the subjective nature of each person's biology. For instance, somewhere in the range from 20-30% of people are not affected by cannabis edibles. We can find a very similar range of 20-30% of people’s bodies not responding to creatine supplementation. Both of which are natural aspects of our bodies, the endocannabinoid system, and the production of creatinine. 

The other massive difference in these two modalities is the way our bodies interact with cannabis. With inhalants we have a fast rate of absorption and a higher bioavailability (how much of the substance actually affects us biologically) in the range of 10-40%. With edibles, however, the bioavailability is much lower at a range of 5-10% and with the need for prolonged metabolization. Consumed THC is converted into 11-hydroxy-THC through metabolization, which has shown to be more potent than its former THC compound. This metabolization also takes up to an hour or two, whereas the effects from inhaling cannabis begin almost instantaneously. However the high from smoking does not last for the duration a high from ingestion lasts.

Strain Specificity

One of the more nuanced parts of cannabis for healing is identifying strains (and their cannabinoid/terpene profiles) and testing their subjective efficacy for whatever is ailing an individual. This allows cannabis users to find specific strains that positively interact with their body. This also allows consumers to find products with a specific CBD to THC ratio, which is another way to find the best medicine for their specific bodies. While edibles can blend CBD and THC at variable ratios, strain specific benefits are not evident in the effects of edibles. 

Many people smoke cannabis socially, not unlike sharing a cigarette on a break at work, or having a beer together on the couch after a long day. Although my first time in a smoke circle was never recreated, the mood and the banter have been present at every session since. The social aspect, and the encouragement of peers, is most people’s introduction to cannabis. I think for that reason, smoking has an heir of nostalgia to it which many cannabis consumers romanticize. 

Weighing the Risks

Regardless of your preferred method of consumption, it's important to know what we put in our bodies and how it operates. Smoking can be harmful to your health and can increase the risk of respiratory problems, cancer, and related health issues. If you're seeking to avoid those risks, edibles are a popular alternative to smoking cannabis and offer longer-lasting effects, but they can also pose unique challenges with their dosage and metabolization. Both methods involve decarboxylation to activate the THC. But, the way they affect our bodies has subtle differences. 

In either case, access to legal and regulated cannabis products improves public health outcomes by reducing the use of illicit and potentially dangerous products. While more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of cannabis use, including its potential benefits and risks, we can say for certain that smoking cannabis is not without risk. If you want strain specific benefits, smoking or vaping is going to be your only path. If you wish to avoid the risks associated with smoking or vaping, edibles will suit you best. In the end, whether the beneficial and healing effects of cannabis are worth the risk of smoking is a personal choice. We just hope we helped you in making it.