Since the late 17th Century Americans have been harvesting tobacco but until fairly recently no one was sure what the exact effects were, we now know the devastating effects of tobacco. The reason it took nearly three centuries to figure out the exact effects were a combination of lack of technology, awareness, and it took time to harvest so much data. Had the facts been known there may never have been a harvested tobacco crop and odds are tobacco would be illegal.

Tobacco brings it millions of dollars of revenue for the government every year and that is most likely the key component in why it is not illegal despite it cutting 10 years of millions and millions of smokers lives; but what are the effects of marijuana on someones body? Why is marijuana illegal?

On September 16th, 2013 the State of Colorado legalized marijuana for people who are 21 years old and older. Marijuana was legalized for uses other than medical purposes for the first time since 1910.

But just like cigarettes and tobacco the effects of marijuana are not 100% known and most likely within the next 10 years marijuana will be legal in most if not all places throughout the country.

According to a study done by UCLA in 2006, people who smoke marijuana but do not use tobacco are NOT at any any further risk than those who do not smoke either. According to lung.org although there are supposedly 33 cancer causing chemicals in marijuana, many of them are from the unfiltered cigarette joint, however, if you smoke out of a glass piece (like the one shown below), the potentially harmful chemicals will not effect you which would make it so there is no ill effects on the lungs.