While the combined use of nicotine and other drugs can increase their pleasurable effects, it can also have grave health consequences.
Smokers who regularly use tobacco in combination with marijuana or crack cocaine likewise run an increased risk of cancer when compared to single-substance users. Many of the carcinogenic chemicals present in tobacco are found in marijuana, some at substantially higher levels. Individuals who smoke both drugs receive double doses of carcinogens.
On balance, though, the use of tobacco with other drugs is have a harmful effect on health, both because of the tendency to consume more of the combined substances and because of specific interactive effects like multiplied cancer risk.
Smoking is an acquired skill. By learning to inhale smoke into their lungs, individuals acquire the behaviour necessary for consuming marijuana and crack cocaine. Because underage smoking is illegal, adolescent tobacco users also learn to develop a set of masking behaviours that can serve to hide later illicit drug use.
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