OK im going to address smoking in two different catagories. First Tobacco, second sweet sweet ganja.
Tobacco: Reason why people smoke, well nicotine is a stimulant, many girls start because it is an appetite supressant and increases metabolism causing some minor amount of weight loss, it also improves brain functions related to learning to a minor but noticable degree. Also there is some evidence that nicotine can reduce the risk of Alzheimers. For the most part though people start smoking because well rather honestly it can be REALLY enjoyable. There is nothing like a cigarrette after drinking a beer. There is also the element of not believing that you will be hooked, thinking that you can control it (something i still think, i only smoke once maybe twice a month)
As far as cancer, back in the 70s they found out something that has yet to be discredited, basically the primary cancer causing agent in tobacco is Lead 210 an isotope that is radioactive and decays into other radioactive agents, primarly through Alpha radiation. These Lead particles mostly end up in the same spot (within a few micrometers) as where most smoking related lung cancer begins. This lead210 comes from the fertilizers that are used in making tobacco, and could be eliminated from smokes, but of course you get alot less growth. I suggest checking out erowid's Tobacco area.
www.erowid.org then go to plants and drugs, and then tobacco.
Tar is not a significant cancer causing agent, as evidenced by the fact that those who smoke flitered light cigs have no lower risk of cancer than those who smoke unflitered (this is of course for a similar amount of smokes a day)
Now emphasema is a problem of course, but amazingly it's likelyhood can be significantly reduced by smoking cannabis products as well as tobacco, because cannabis causes the smallest lung cavities to dilate, wheras nicotine causes them to constrict, this makes it harder for them to be blocked by tar.
now on to Weed, Pot, Grass, Ganja, Marijuana, Cannabis, etc, etc, ad nauseum.
Basically as of the most recent data collected, and compiled by the Canadian government, as well as independant sources, with moderate use (up to and including once a day use) of decent potency pot, there are no real long term negatives to pot use. No perminent brain damage has ever been found, no increased risk of cancer, no increased risk of any disease has been found. Basically pot as as healthy as chocolate (it also is less adictive). The Canadian report concluded by saying there is absolutely no reason to maintain the illegality of pot and it will msot likely be legalized there. I once again suggest you read over Erowid's Cannabis Vault, specifically this article:
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/c ... myth.shtml
I will not comment on whether or not I have personal experience with cannabis, as i really dont think it is significant to whether or not it should be a bad thing. I also will saythis, any of the potential risks from pot comes from smoking it, if you were to eat it, drink it in green dragon (pot is placed in high proof alcohol and the delta 9 THC is disolved into the alcohol as with some of the chlorophyll, causing the green color), or use a vaporizer (THC and other cannaboids vaporize at a lower temperature than the tar and than is necessary for the combustion of said pot, a vaporizer is a device that uses an electric heating element (like that from a soddering iron) to vaporize the cannaboids but not the tar and not combust the pot, making the inhalation considerably less risky, that is of course if anyone ever found anything conclusivly wrong with it anyway).
So prettymuch I am saying that we should legalize pot and that nicotine/tobacco isnt bad for the same reasons that people want you to think it is, but it still is pretty not cool (remember it is more addictive than heroin, my views on heroin are another story, but it to is alot less bad than the government wants you to think)
(No offense, by the way)
