What are we smoking

  • Cigarette

    Cigarettes have been in existence for a long time and have been extensively studied.

    It is estimated that a cigarette contains about 600 chemicals and when lit these release about 6000 harmful chemicals and toxins.

    Because it has existed for a long time, there is a lot of information on the potential known harm it causes and the overall benefits of quitting.

  • E cigarettes/Vape

    E cigarettes were thought to be harmless when they first came into the market.

    They are devices that heat up a liquid into vapour that users inhale.

    The vapour contains several chemicals that have been shown to be highly toxic to the lungs.These harmful effects can be seen very early.

    How is it known?

    When vape came into the market many young people started using it and many lung diseases have since been discovered related to vape. Some are irreversible.

  • Cannabis/Hemp/weed

    It has been in existence for very very many years and due to recent increased use, more about its side effects is gradually coming to be known.

    Below we explore what is found in weed and what is known about its effects.

Cigarettes

Some of these chemicals in the cigarette are found in other things we use on a day to day basis and would not consume.The list is not exhaustive.

  • Nicotine- the chemical that causes addiction.

  • Acetone- used in nail polish remover.

  • Ammonia-used to manufacture some house cleaning products.

  • Arsenic-used to make rat poison and some insecticides.

  • Acetic acid-used to manufacture ink and dyes.

  • Benzene-used to make plastic, rubber and pesticide.

  • Cadmium-battery acid.

  • Formaldehyde-to preserve dead bodies.

  • Lead-used in batteries.

  • Napthalene- used in toilet deodorant blocks and mothballs.

There is NO form of cigarette that is SAFE.

Filtered, unfiltered, low nicotine cigarettes or cigars are equally harmful.

Even if you choose not to inhale the cigarette as you smoke, the chemicals would still get absorbed in your mouth lining.

Chewed tobacco also increases the risk of mouth and throat cancer due to the chemicals it has which are absorbed through the mouth lining.

There is NO safe option but to quit. Its never too late.

E -cigarettes/Vape

Below is a list of chemicals found in vape;

The list of chemicals is not exhaustive. There are many more chemicals that have been identified.

  • Nicotine- the addictive component found in cigarettes

  • Acrolein- is used as a pesticide

  • Formaldehyde-used to preserve bodies of the dead

  • Diacetyl- used in making processed food

  • Metal like lead-used to make car batteries

  • Cadmium- used in batteries

Cannabis/Weed

‘Weed’ as we know it contains about 400 naturally occurring chemicals.

THC is the main addictive ingredient in pure forms.

Cannabis use can cause

  • red eyes

  • increased appetite also called ’munchies’

  • memory impairment

  • euphoria

  • a fast heart rate

  • dry mouth

  • paranoid feelings

  • difficulty learning

  • panic and altered sense of time

Facts about smoking weed

  1. Some effects of smoking weed are reversible on quitting.

  2. There is evidence that use in the youth and in those with prolonged use at any age, weed can trigger new mental illness or trigger relapse of established mental illness.

  3. Weed is not harmless.

  4. There are MANY documented effects of weed that are yet to be acknowledged, including:

  • causing relationship difficulty

  • chronic lack of sleep

  • financial constraints

  • forgetfulness and memory problems

  • physical dependence

  • lack of interest in activities and impotence.

5. Support can help you quit cannabis use.

6. There is no medication currently proven to help prevent relapse however, medicine can be used to temporarily manage some side effects after quitting.

We only start to grow when we accept that we don’t know.