Marijuana versus Tobacco

When it comes to smoking, there is often confusion about how marijuana and tobacco compare. Are the two equally harmful? Is one “safer” than the other? Do joints and cigarettes affect your body and lungs in the same way? 

As the stigma around cannabis lessens and the legality widens, cannabis becomes more mainstream. It is important to look beyond the smoke and understand what sets weed apart from tobacco, especially when it comes to health. While both involve inhaling combusted plant material, the substances themselves, their effects, and the long-term health risks differ. 

The first step in comparing the two is to break down key differences between cannabis and tobacco, from what’s inside each plant to how they are smoked, their health complications, and more. Knowing the facts can help you make more informed choices about what you’re putting inside your lungs.

What’s Actually in Weed VS Tobacco?

Tobacco, in its raw form, naturally contains nicotine, a highly addictive stimulant (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2019). Nicotine is what hooks people into smoking habits that are notoriously tough to quit. Even before the tobacco is rolled into a cigarette or mixed in with other harmful products, the addictive potential is already built in. 

Things get a lot messier once tobacco is turned into commercial cigarettes. That’s where hundreds of additives come into play. Cigarettes contain approximately 600 ingredients and once burned these ingredients create harmful chemicals. Over 7,000 chemicals are released from cigarette smoke, many of which are toxic, and at least 69 of these chemicals are known carcinogens (American Lung Association, 2024). Some disturbing examples listed by the American Lung Association include arsenic (used in rat poison), butane (used in lighter fluid), formaldehyde (embalming fluid), and naphthalene (ingredient in mothballs). The purpose of these additives is to change the way the tobacco burns, enhance the nicotine hit, and even preserve shelf life. It’s not just the plant, it's what is done to it. 

Cannabis on the other hand, is typically sold in a much purer form. Most dried cannabis flower available in legal markets is just that, a dried flower. No additives, no preservatives, and no chemical boosters. Instead of nicotine, cannabis contains THC, the psychoactive compound responsible for the high, along with other cannabinoids like CBD which interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system. 

Here is where things get interesting: regulation plays a huge role in quality and safety. 

In the United States, tobacco is federally legal, mass-produced, and widely distributed. Yet despite its known health risks, tobacco companies face relatively lenient oversight when it comes to disclosing ingredients or marketing strategies. The result? A product that's legal everywhere, but far from clean. 

Cannabis, on the flip side, is still federally illegal, but legal for medical and recreational use in many states. Ironically this patchwork of state legalization has led to stricter testing standards in legal cannabis markets compared to what tobacco typically undergoes. Most state regulations in the U.S. require cannabis flower to be free from added chemicals. For instance, Colorado requires all cannabis products (including flower and prerolls) to undergo lab testing for residual pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbial impurities, mycotoxins, foreign material, moisture, and potency (National Cannabis Industry Association, 2025). Other states where cannabis is legal for medical and/or recreational use have very similar regulations which require robust testing panels for cannabis products with lab accreditation and Certificate of Analysis (COAs). 

The goal of each plant is different too. Tobacco is generally used for stimulation or stress relief while cannabis can serve a wide range of purposes: pain management, sleep, appetite, relaxation, creativity, etc. 

So while both may be dried plants that can be rolled up and smoked, what’s actually in them and what they do to your body are worlds apart. And although weed still faces stigma and federal red tape, it’s often more transparently regulated than a pack of cigarettes.