Different and Fewer Risks than Tobacco
Tobacco smoking has well-established risks such as bronchitis, coughing, overproduction of mucus, and wheezing. Similar risks for smoking cannabis related to airway inflammation have been suggested in a study of healthy cannabis users who exhibited similar early characteristics to tobacco smoking.

The effects of tobacco and cannabis smoking differ, however, as they affect different parts of the respiratory tract: whereas tobacco tends to penetrate to the smaller, peripheral passageways of the lungs, cannabis tends to concentrate on the larger, central passageways. One consequence of this is that cannabis, unlike tobacco, does not appear to cause emphysema. Also, unlike tobacco, regular cannabis use does not appear to cause Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ), either.

Smoke & Mirrors
This is something I found interesting. While Tobacco and Alcohol cause as many deaths as they do, they are still legal. So, I might add, are Motor Vehicles.

Illegal drugs, according to the data on the back of a Peter Stuyvesant pack, only cause 863 deaths. One must ask which illegal drugs they are referring to.

Of the illegal drugs, I tried to obtain details to separate and determine if any of these deaths were caused by Marijuana, but was informed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics that they do not have this data currently available.

Statistics can be manipulated to serve whatever purpose one wants to show. I could say, for example that deaths caused by consumption of liquids exceed 2,831 and this would be true. To give a clearer picture however, I would have to specify how many have died from drinking Orange Juice and how many from drinking Gin.

Cancer Risk
Cannabis smoke contains numerous carcinogens, however scientific studies have failed to show higher cancer rates in cannabis smokers. A study published in 2006 by Donald Tashkin of the University of California, Los Angeles, the largest study of its kind, concluded there is no link between smoking cannabis and lung cancer.

A study published in 2006 on a large population sample (1,200 people with lung, neck, or head cancer, and a matching group of 1,040 without cancer) failed to positively correlate a lung cancer risk, in fact the results indicated a slight negative correlation between long and short-term cannabis use and cancer, suggesting a possible therapeutic effect.

Cellular studies and even some studies in animal models suggest that THC has "antitumor" properties, either by encouraging programmed cell death of genetically damaged cells that can become cancerous, or by restricting the development of the blood supply that feeds tumors. Prior, a 1997 study examining the records of 64,855 Kaiser patients (14,033 of whom identified themselves as current smokers), also found no positive correlation between cannabis use and cancer.

A Research Triangle Institute study concluded that THC, a dilative agent, may help cleanse the lungs by dilating the bronchi, and could actively reduce the instance of tumors. Additionally, a study by Rosenblatt et al. found no association between marijuana use and the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Note: Cannabis smoking is not suggested to prevent cancer or lessen the carcinogenic effects of tobacco.

To Bong or Not to Bong
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( MAPS ) is a U.S.-based non-profit organization that assists scientists to design, fund, obtain approval for and report on studies into the risks and benefits of psychedelic drugs.

Recently, MAPS reviewed a study that examined the effects and composition of water filtered and non-filtered cannabis and tobacco smoke. It found that when alveolar macrophages , an important component in the lungs immune system, were exposed to unfiltered smoke, there was a marked reduction in the macrophages' ability to fight bacteria, whereas there was no such reduction in those exposed to water filtered smoke.

It also found that there is substantial epidemiological evidence among tobacco smokers that those who smoke through water-pipes, as opposed to cigarettes, cigars, and regular pipes, have lower incidences of carcinoma. "It appears that water filtration can be effective in removing components from cannabis and tobacco smoke that are known toxicants... The effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's water contact area.

Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas dispersion frits, would likely be most effective in this regard; the gas dispersion frit serves to break up the smoke into very fine bubbles, thereby increasing its water contact area."

This study suggests that a bong's smoke is less harmful than unfiltered smoke.

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The Gateway Drug Hypothesis
The gateway drug hypothesis asserts that the use of cannabis may ultimately lead to the use of harder drugs. For the most part, it was commonly thought that cannabis gateways to other drugs because of social factors. For example, the criminalization of cannabis in many countries associates its users with organized crime promoting the illegal drug trade.

A December 2006 study by the "American Psychiatric Association" challenges the Gateway Drug theory. A twelve year study on 214 boys from ages 10 to 12 showed that adolescents who used marijuana prior to using other drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, were no more likely to develop a substance abuse disorder than other subjects in the study. "This evidence supports what's known as the common liability model ... which states that the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug, but instead by the user's individual tendencies and environmental circumstances," investigators stated in a press release. They added, "The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more important factors that shape a person's behavior, has been detrimental to drug policy and prevention programs."

Facts you may not know and probably don't want to know

• Odontophobia is the fear of teeth.
• It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.
• The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
• There are more chickens in the world than people
• The hundred billionth Crayola crayon ever produced was Perriwinkle Blue
• Strawberries have more vitamin c than oranges.
• Until the 1960's men with long hair were not allowed to enter Disneyland.
• Saturday was named after the planet saturn
• The abbreviation a.m. stands for "ante meridiem". The abbreviation p.m. stands for "post meridiem".
• 45% of dollar bills you'll ever own have been in a stripper's g-string.
• Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated
• If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
• Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.

Mind Hacks found a UK report ranking drug dangerousness.
The rank is based on a combination of physical damage, social harm and addictive properties.

1. Heroin
2. Cocaine
3. Barbituates
4. Street methadone
5. Alcohol
6. Ketamine
7. Benzodiazepines (Valium)
8. Amphetamines
9. Tobacco
10. Buprenorphine
11. Cannabis
12. Solvents
13. 4-MTA
14. LSD
15. Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
16. Anabolic steroids
17. GHB
18. Ecstasy
19. Alkyl Nitrites (Poppers)
20. Khat

Apparently, the government were a little reluctant to publish the report, considering the legal classification is completely out of whack with this analysis. <full report>