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According to a new study, mixing tobacco and marijuana increases the risk of dependency, people being less motivated to quit either one of the drugs. The effect is mostly due to the addictive properties of tobacco.
When it comes to addiction, tobacco is far more dangerous than cannabinoids. The plant, although legal, ensnares the user from the first doses. On the other hand, pot was not demonstrated to possess such an addictive effect.
The Organization of World Health and the Crime and Drugs Office at the United Nations declared that tobacco is the most popular drug in the world with more than one billion addicts worldwide. Marijuana comes in second with 182 million smokers worldwide.
Many users have a tendency of mixing tobacco and marijuana to save money. Another reason for the cocktail is the fact that adding tobacco makes the inhalation of the cannabinoid plant easier. The downside of this process is that it increases the likelihood of the individual becoming addicted.
The lead author of the cited study, Chandni Hidocha, stated that tobacco and cannabis dependence manifest in similar ways, making it difficult for the researchers to separate them in the case of individuals who use both drugs.
“Cannabis is less addictive than tobacco, but we show here that mixing tobacco with cannabis lowers the motivation to quit using these drugs,” declared the clinical psychopharmacology doctoral student.
In order to reach these conclusions, Hidocha, and his team analyzed survey responses from 34,000 individuals who use marijuana. The respondents originated from 18 different countries in South and North America, Australasia, and Europe. The questionnaires were filled out during the Global Drug Survey that took place in 2014.
According to their findings, marijuana is consumed in various manners around the world. Some prefer to smoke it on its own, others mix it with tobacco, or use special pot inhalers.
It seems that 91 percent of the respondents from Europe declared that they liked mixing tobacco and marijuana. Next on the list is Australia with 52 percent mixing lovers and New Zealand with 21 percent.
In America, the number of individuals who prefer to mix their pot with tobacco is the smallest. According to the data, 16 percent of Canadians prefer this cocktail, 7 percent of Brazilians and Mexicans, and only 4 percent of Unite States citizens.
What do you think of the study that says mixing tobacco and marijuana increases the risk of dependency? Do you agree with the results?
Image source: Wikipedia
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