Cigarettes and blunts produce smoke that is harmful to your lungs. But which method of consumption is worse for your overall health?

There are marked differences between tobacco and marijuana, but there are still a few things they share. One of them is smoke, a harmful agent no matter which way you look at it. Despite the content inside the wrapping paper, ingesting ash is harmful and could have repercussions later on in your life.

But what is more harmful: cigarettes or blunts? There are a few studies out there that look into both, finding some differences that have some weight when it comes to your overall health.

Tobacco is highly carcinogenic

When comparing cannabis and tobacco, cannabis is the clear winner. Tobacco is a highly carcinogenic element, one that’s also very addictive. While cannabis can be addictive and toxic when ingested via smoke, your body isn’t exposed to the same level of toxins as it is when consuming tobacco.

Tobacco contains over 4,000 different chemical compounds with many of them having links to cancer.

Cigarettes are smoked more often than blunts

Another con of cigarette smoking is related to the number of cigarettes people smoke daily. Moderate cigarette smokers smoke from 1 to 5 cigarettes a day. The more they consume cigarettes, the likelier they are to develop lung cancer and heart disease.

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While blunts are harmful and result in a lot of ingested smoke, they’re also consumed much less often. Unlike cigarettes, blunts are usually shared and not consumed on a daily basis.

But cigarettes have filters

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One thing that cigarettes have that blunts don’t is the presence of filters, which can prevent the amount of tar and ash that your lungs are subjected to. While the filter does very little when it comes to preventing cancer, it is a beneficial advantage. Blunts are bigger and produce more ash and tar, with no filter in between them and your mouth.

At the end of the day, it’s all about personal preference. Blunt smokers have an edge over cigarette smokers, especially since they can find other ways of ingesting cannabis. Plus, light to moderate cannabis use hasn’t been linked to lung cancer, so it’s important to stay moderate.