A higher percentage of Americans than ever before believe marijuana is safer than tobacco, according to new research published in the journal JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Network Open. "While rates of cigarette use are declining, more US adults are using cannabis", states the study's abstract. "Perceptions of safety are important drivers of substance use ...

“More than one-third of participants felt that daily smoking of cannabis was safer than tobacco, and their views increasingly favored safety of cannabis vs tobacco over time (1742 participants [36.7%] in 2017 vs 2107 participants [44.3%] in 2021; P < .001)”

  • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppetEnglish
    9•11 months ago

    Safer when smoked in the same quantities? Not even close. Marijuana smoke has considerably more tar*. Safer when smoked like a sane person? Definitely.

    *Cigarettes carry their own risks because of added chemicals, but the headline didn’t specify cigarettes, just tobacco.

    • WhoisJohnGaltEnglish
      3•11 months ago

      Fair point on the Tobacco vs Cigarettes, but generally people interpret the two as synonymous.

      • @theragu40@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3•11 months ago

        They do, which highlights how flawed/pointless this survey and headline are.

        Not accounting for the well known association between tobacco and cigarettes when formulating the question is just lazy polling.