People increasingly view smoking marijuana or being exposed to secondhand cannabis smoke as safer than smoking or being near tobacco smoke, according to a new study published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Researchers surveyed 5,035 U.S. adults three times—in 2017, 2020 and 2021—about how they perceive the risks of both substances, and they found a “significant shift” over time as more people expressed that they felt cannabis smoke was generally safer than tobacco smoke.
The survey—results of which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Substance Use and Addiction on Friday—asked people whether they felt smoking one marijuana joint per day was much less safe, somewhat less safe, just as safe, somewhat safer or much safer than smoking one cigarette per day.
“Daily cannabis smoking or smoke exposure was perceived to be safer than tobacco,” the authors wrote. And over time, “views increasingly favored the safety of cannabis vs tobacco smoke.”
“Regarding the safety of daily smoking of cannabis vs tobacco, there was a significant shift from 2017 to 2021 toward a more favorable perception of cannabis.”
For example, in 2017, 33.7 percent of respondents said that smoking marijuana once a day was either much or somewhat more dangerous than smoking a daily cigarette, compared to 36.6 percent who said cannabis was safer. About 30 percent said they carried equal risks.
By 2021, just 25.5 percent still believed…
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