Smoking: Good or Bad?
...d. Marijuana has over 2,000 known chemicals. Marijuana has short-term memory effects, which cause poor judgment, over confidence, and dizziness. Marijuana users have a higher risk of getting heart attacks. Marijuana causes respiratory illnesses like lung cancer, because the chemicals linked to marijuana cause the smokers immune system to fall, which makes it hard to fight diseases. Pregnant mothers who smoke marijuana, risk having their baby turn out to be an addict. “Scientists have found that smoking marijuana can be influenced by heredity.” ( National Institute on drug abuse ) Pregnant women also risk having their child be a slow learner or a child that misbehaves. Is smoking marijuana all bad? No, marijuana is also used to help tumors shrink or to help cure cancer. Marijuana is legal in some countries because of these positive effects. “Studies show that cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana, inhibit tumor growth in laboratory animals.” (Kubby) “Marijuana smoking helped stop the growth of three kinds of cancer: lung cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia.” (Kushing) Smoking tobacco also has many life changing effects for an addict. Tobacco is most commonly smoked in cigarettes, as shown in figure three. Cigarettes are legal, which means anyone over the age of 18 can smoke them freely where it’s permitted. Smokers are not only hurting and killing themselves, but the smoke from cigarettes, second-hand smoke, also causes deaths to those who don’t smoke. More men smoke in the United States than women. About twenty-five percent, or twenty-six million men smoke, opposed to the twenty-one percent, or twenty-two million women who smoke. The Native Americans have the highest rate of smokers, followed by African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, and finally Asians. Smoking cigarettes does have very traumatic effects. Smoking causes respiratory illnesses, because when you smoke, tar particles are inhaled, which stick to the inside of your lungs. Cancer is the biggest effect of smoking, because it usually leads to death. Another side effect of smoking is the discoloration of teeth and...