I assume these are naturally occuring in the tobacco, as I can't see any reason that polonium or lead would be added to cigarettes. Does marijuana smoke contain similar radioactive components?

Both from the soil and from phosphate fertilisers - see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5914751 .

So yeah, weed probably does have similar components, but if there's one thing in its favour, weed is an expectorant - far less crap sticks around in your lungs than with tobacco.

And more importantly, what about marijuana vapor?

so sad how jarring this perspective is and yet i still can't stop...

Get yourself a vape... I was on 60 a day 3 months ago, got myself a kanga KBOX mini and haven't looked back - lovely thick clouds of fog, feels like smoking a pipe, hits the nicotine spot nicely.

Still coughing up the black-lung, but it's getting better.

If your vape is making "thick clouds"... it's likely burning your tobacco and generating a lot more than just a vapor.

It's vaporizing the nicotine, not burning. But I do agree that the pro-vape crowd gives vaping a lot more credit than is due. It's certainly not as harmless as they make it out to be. The Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine is probably harmless enough, but there's also burnt cotton or fiberglass, built up gunk, and none of the flavors are tested for inhalation. Nobody in the industry has any oversight.

That being said, if someone is smoking, vaping is definitely a good idea. A good setup will make it much easier to stop smoking.

Agreed on all points - I don't intend to vape long term, I've stepped down from 9mg to 6mg to 3mg nicotine oils over the last three months - and plan to drop the nicotine altogether in a few months, and then quit vaping sometime after.

I'm effectively using it to decouple the physiological and psychological addictions so I can treat them independently of one another.

Hell, it can't be worse than smoking - or for that matter taking a tube ride, or being in an underground car park... Or being in a place with fog machines - propylene glycol too.

Also don't get burnt cotton with this sucker unless you run it totally dry - wick is always wet, and I run with a low wattage.

Tried quitting previously with a little kanga and while it filled the nicotine cravings, I still lusted for the feel of thick smoke - ended up failing. Not even missing cigarettes this time.

Not even really having to think about quitting either, it's just happening.

Vaping was the only way that worked for me. I smoked cigarettes for 20 years and tried patches, nicotine gum, lozenges, and medications. Vaping did it. I worked my way down from 24mg and eventually stopped a few weeks after I had been on 0mg.

I have ZERO desire to ever smoke again. It's been about 4 years now and I'm still not (nor ever plan to be) an asshole ex-smoker telling other people to quit. Cigarette smoke still smells delicious though and I tell smokers when I'm near enough to smell it:)

Good luck. I don't think you'll have a problem.

He isn't talking about vaporizing tobacco, but a liquid containing nicotine.