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FEBRUARY 24, 2016
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ISSUE NO. 20 VOL. 52
Marijuana vs. cigarettes: Are they both killing you? Cameron Summers Contributing Writer Summers.43@wright.edu
M
arijuana legalization is a widely discussed political topic, but lately many voters are focused on the health risks the drug can bring. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) states that smoking marijuana, just like cigarettes, can irritate your lungs and frequent smokers of marijuana can run into the same breathing problems that include coughing, phlegm, more frequent illness and a higher risk of lung infections. It is true that marijuana does not have the added chemicals that make cigarettes so harmful, but some of the other repercussions that come with smoking marijuana can be harmful to the mind. According to NIH marijuana has been linked to temporary hallucinations, temporary paranoia, depression and anxiety. The American Lung Association stated, “Research shows that smoking marijuana causes chronic bronchitis. Marijuana smoke has been
shown to injure the cell linings of the large airways.” However , there are many instances where marijuana has been known to help people. The Lung Intstitute claims that medical marijuana has been linked to anti-inflammatory properties. Other useful treatments involving marijuana include, “better sleep, supports the immune system, reduces phlegm and relieves Fotolia and Emily Nurrenbrock
pain.” Although more experimental evidence may be needed, it is difficult to study all the effects that marijuana has on the human body due to current regulations that make marijuana, according to the Office of Diversion Control, a Scheduled I Controlled Substance. That means it is a substance that is not currently accepted for medical use in the United
States, according to the Office of Diversion Control. Until further studies are conducted to prove that marijuana is either just as harmful to the lungs as cigarettes or not as harmful, we will have to stick with the facts we have, and those are that it does damage our lungs and can lead to many symptoms that cigarettes smokers have.
Crazy spring break stories from Wright State students Kasi Ferguson Features Writer Ferguson.137@wright.edu
Junior
“I was once on spring break at Kalahari, this huge indoor waterpark-slash-hotel. Well, obviously, I got pretty wasted and I was a little dopey because of that, so I went into the arcade to play PacMan. I have no clue why I wanted to do that, but I did. I felt like I was in there for maybe half an hour, but when I walked out, I realized I had spent over eleven dollars playing the game for three hours. I then went upstairs and fell asleep in the shower for about six hours. I got to spend hardly any time in the actual waterpark.”
Sophomore
“For my spring break, I de-
cided to go to this giant concert event where a bunch of bands were playing. There were thousands of people there, and at places like those, you get really hyped up, you know? Well, by some miracle, I managed to see the same dude twice despite the waves of people there. When he saw me the second time, he really freaked out - I think he was on drugs to be honest - and I was really excited, so in the heat of the moment, I just made out with him. I’m straight, and he might’ve been too, but it was just a split-second decision. It was fun, too, but I never saw him again. Moral of the story: beware how affectionate you get when you’re drunk.”
Junior
“Some other students and I were once in Panama City. Well, my friend got blackout
Fotolia
drunk, and she passed out on the bed in our hotel room, so we figured it would be fine to just leave her there after telling her where we were going. It wasn’t. We came back, and she was gone, her phone on the bed. Her mom was trying to call her, but she had just disappeared. The security guards
just laughed at us when we asked if they’d seen her. Apparently she had drunkenly left the hotel and joined in with a bunch of strangers, started partying and didn’t bother to return for several hours.”