CANNAHEALTH | Page 7

active ingredients are cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes – do not contain nicotine.

Of course, nicotine isn’t the only dangerous substance contained in tobacco cigarettes. Here are a few other harmful ingredients found in tobacco cigarettes but not in properly grown Cannabis products:

Arsenic

Formaldehyde

Lead

effects on virtually every system of the body, including the cardiovascular system (like the heart), the excretory system (like the kidneys), and, of course, the respiratory system (like the lungs).

While adverse effects are all but guaranteed with prolonged tobacco use, they are extremely rare in Cannabis users, including self-described “heavy” or “daily” users.

In part, that is because Cannabis – in which the active ingredients are cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes – do not contain nicotine.

as we’ll focus on here, tobacco cigarettes (and cigars).

Most species of tobacco belong to a genus called Nicotiana, which gives us the word “nicotine.” Depending on the plant species, nicotine might comprise anywhere from about 0.6% to 3% of the tobacco plant’s dry weight.

Nicotine is a stimulant, which means it increases (stimulates) physiological functions. For example, nicotine can speed up your metabolism, increase your heart rate, and elevate your blood pressure.

Being a stimulant doesn’t necessarily make a drug dangerous. (If it did, the caffeine in your morning coffee would likely be a scheduled substance.) What’s dangerous about nicotine is that, in addition to being highly addictive – “as addictive as cocaine or heroin,” according to former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin – it’s also known to have adverse effects on virtually every system of the body, including the cardiovascular system (like the heart), the excretory system (like the kidneys), and, of course, the respiratory system (like the lungs).

KNOWLEDGE

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