Marijuana is as toxin as cigarette, new study has shown

A new study has revealed that Marijuana (also known as weed) may be toxin as the much malign cigarette.

The study tested the blood and urine of people who smoked only marijuana and found that they had high levels of naphthalene, acrylamide and acrylonitrile; something not found in those of nonsmokers.

The findings was published in January in the EClinical Medicine journal.

Naphthalene, for example, is associated with low blood levels, liver and nerve damage, while acrylamide and acrylonitrile have been associated with cancer as well as other health issues. 

According to previous findings, Naphthalene can cause "headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, malaise, confusion, anaemia, jaundice, convulsions, and coma". Especially in high doses. You might recognize naphthalene from what we call camphor.

While Acrylonitrile is known to be carcinogenic, that is, causing cancer, Acrylamide which is use in making industrial items like plastic, paper and dye is big agent of cancer.

There has been a general belief that tobacco is far more deadly than weed as it is generally called among its smokers.

This is due to the presence of Acrylonitrile, Acrylamide and nicotine - an addictive substances in cigarette making it irresistible to smokers. 

However, the new finding has now revealed that marijuana can be as disastrous as cigarette.

What is acrylamide?

Acrylamide is a chemical used primarily to make substances called polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers. Polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers are used as ingredient in many industrial processes.

Food and cigarette smoke are the major sources of acrylamide exposure for people in the general population.

The major food sources of acrylamide are French fries and potato chips; crackers, bread, and cookies; breakfast cereals; canned black olives; prune juice; and coffee.

Acrylamide levels in food vary widely depending on the manufacturer, the cooking time, and the method and temperature of the cooking process. Decreasing cooking time to avoid heavy crisping or browning, blanching potatoes before frying, not storing potatoes in a refrigerator, and post-drying (drying in a hot air oven after frying) have been shown to decrease the acrylamide content of some foods.

People are exposed to substantially more acrylamide from tobacco smoke than from food. People who smoke have three to five times higher levels of acrylamide exposure markers in their blood than do non-smoker. Exposure from other sources is likely to be significantly less than that from food or smoking, but scientists do not yet have a complete understanding of all sources of exposure. Regulations are in place to limit exposure in workplaces where acrylamide may be present, such as industrial settings that use polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers.