According to a weed researcher based at York University, Ian Hamilton, teenagers should not roll their cannabis joints with tobacco if they want to avoid cancer.
Instead Hamilton says they should smoke the drug alone if they want to get high.
Tobacco has been associated with an increased risk for cancer for awhile. It’s actually linked to 17 cancers included lung and bladder and the most preventable way to avoid the disease is by not smoking nicotine.
Cannabis has not ever been associated with cancer so for teenagers to mix the two, they are increasing the risk of cancer in the future.
According to Mr. Hamilton, for many teenagers marijuana is a gateway drug to nicotine and then nicotine dependence.
Hamilton said to MailOnline: ‘Even if they quit using cannabis they may find they experience tobacco withdrawal. They also expose themselves to all the other health risks associated with tobacco such as cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.
We urgently need to provide clear public health messages in a way that young people will engage with. If we accept that millions of people will carry on using cannabis then we should encourage them to use cannabis in ways that avoid tobacco and minimize harm to their health.”
