Tobacco Cigarettes are bad news. Everyone knows this by now. The amount of information we have to back up this claim is staggering—yet—people are still addicted! Most smokers became hooked in their early teens, and have continued to stay smokers over the years.
As smokable hemp continues to become a trending sector of the CBD market, many cigarette smokers are looking into making the switch from tobacco to hemp. This process brings up questions about hemp cigarettes in comparison to tobacco cigarettes, which we dive into greater detail below.
The research shows that most smokers want to quit (cite something here). Some of those smokers have found themselves interested in trying smokable hemp. This seems to be an option some eagerly choose because of the fact that they:
- Can continue to enjoy the experience involved in the smoking process.
- They don’t have to give up the hand to mouth factor of the addiction (so they still have something to do with their hands).
- And instead of consuming all the harmful chemicals and carcinogens, they get to inhale cannabinoids that have been shown to display an array of therapeutic potentials.¹
In this article, we take a look at what the research says about both hemp cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes.
The Rising Popularity of Smokable Hemp And The Downward Spiral Of Tobacco Cigarettes
The sad truth is, worldwide tobacco use causes more than 7 million deaths per year, and more than 16 million Americans are currently living with a smoking-related disease.²
In our recent article “Why Did Smokable Hemp Become So Popular?” we talk in-depth about the rise of smokable hemp and the reasons why the market is expected to grow.
More consumers are choosing to smoke hemp CBD flower for a variety of reasons. The main factor is it’s freshly legal since the end of 2018. And because it’s still in its infancy, the smokable hemp market is still being discovered by many consumers and CBD marketers alike.
Some choose to smoke hemp because they’re trying to quit tobacco. Others like to smoke CBD because the effects can be felt much more quickly. Even in the wake of a global pandemic, the number of consumers who smoke hemp has actually increased.³
Meanwhile, tobacco use has been a habit many have been looking to drop for quite some time. In addition to it’s a deadly link to many health problems, the stigma around smoking cigarettes perpetuates feelings of shame and guilt among most cigarette smokers. Something once considered the ‘cool thing to do’ is no longer a good look and this has sent many users off in search of something better.
Research on Tobacco Cigarettes
Cigarettes began to be manufactured in the U.S.in the early 1900s as a major tobacco product. In the year 1901 alone a whopping 3.5 billion cigarettes had been sold ⁴ and Big Tobacco had sunk its claws deep into our culture.
Tobacco cigarettes became popular when major baseball players like Babe Ruth (and others) began endorsing them, appearing in advertisements and commercials.
Finally, in 1964 The Surgeon General released a public report detailing many adverse effects involved with smoking cigarettes.⁴
Tobacco contains nicotine. Nicotine keeps it highly addictive. They also contain other harmful carcinogens that have been linked directly to cancer. Not to mention the harm the littered butts are causing to our precious and already tired planet. Many consumers mistakenly believe cigarette butts are biodegradable and have a habit of carelessly tossing their butts on the ground.
This is an unacceptable form of littering and it’s time we do better. According to the National Geographic, the city of San Fransico spends a breathtaking $7.5 million a year cleaning up cigarette butts alone!⁵
- Additives
- Likelihood of being addicting
- How do they impact our planet?
What’s in a tobacco cigarette?
We were scared to ask this question too. But exploring this question is essential in the comparison of tobacco cigarettes to hemp cigarettes.
According to The American Lung Association, “there are approximately 600 ingredients in a cigarette. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals, and at least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic.”⁶
Research on Hemp Cigarette
The long-term effects of smoking hemp flower have yet to be determined. But in the meantime, let’s look at what we DO know. Particularly in relation to— What’s in a hemp cigarette, how do they impact our environment, and how addictive are they?
Hemp, hemp, and more hemp! Cannabinoids, and possibly in some cases a low-level of THC. Our pre-rolls at Jeffery’s Hemp contain no tobacco, and zero nicotine—for zero guilt.
Because hemp CBD flower contains zero nicotine, the change that an individual would become addicted are slim to none. And unlike traditional tobacco cigarettes, there are no extra chemicals added, ever!
To be totally candid, hemp cigarettes beat tobacco on every level, including the global one. Our filters at Jeffery’s Hemp are 100% biodegradable and have no chance of harming wildlife or our beautiful mother nature.
Final Thoughts
While we won’t claim that inhaling substances into your lungs should be considered healthy, when it comes to comparing hemp cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes, it’s pretty clear who the winner is.
What's in the future for smokable hemp - the industry hasn’t yet peaked. In fact, it’s just now getting started. In a few short years after more of the regulatory framework has been completed, we’re hopeful the rise of consumers will lead to more people making the switch from tobacco to hemp.
This begins with a solid understanding of how nicotine attacks our bodies. Arm yourself with knowledge now. First, seek to understand the hold nicotine addiction has on you and your life, then get to work on destroying that hold and taking back control.
Sources
- Crippa JA, Guimarães FS, Campos AC, Zuardi AW. Translational Investigation of the Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD): Toward a New Age.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Fast Facts | Smoking and tobacco use.
- The Brightfield Group. (n.d.). Changes in Cannabis Consumer Behavior Due to Covid-19.
- Swedish. (n.d.). History of Tobacco Use In America. Tobacco Use in America - A History.
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