There has been a great discussion on whats worse marijuana or alcohol. With plenty new studies coming out and more states legalizing recreational and medicinal us of marijuana this debate seems to come up more and more.
Everyone has their own opinion on the topic. One things for sure tho marijuana remains a scheduled 1 drug and alcohol is legal for whoever desires to consume it. Long as they are 21yrs or older of course. So which one really is more dangerous? Below we will present both sides of the debate so that way you can decide on your own.
Overdose
Typically drinking alcohol is not dangerous, but when someone drinks too much it things can quickly changed and become deadly. CDC reports that close to 88,000 alcohol related deaths happen every year. The comparison in marijuana related deaths are almost zero. A study was done which states a fatal dose of THC would be between 15-70 gram. To get a better idea on how much marijuana needed to overdose, The average person smokes a joint which contains half a gram. So in order to over dose someone would have to smoke 238-1,113 joint in a day.
Pregnancy
The use of alcohol at any stage of the pregnancy can cause long lasting effects on the child. If you drink during pregnancy you risk your child being born with various disabilities such as intellectual, physical, and behavioral. The CDC states that there is no safe amount of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy. Marijuana is not safe to consume during a pregnancy either. Studies show that there are possible links to marijuana and low birth weight. Even tho marijuana is the most common illegal drug used during pregnancy. With only small amount of studies done its hard to tell the effects of use during pregnancy.
Learning and Memory
Have you ever had a night out where you drunk too much and don`t remember anything the next day? When you consume large amounts of alcohol you impair the ability to create new memories. Its shown that over 50% of binge drinkers are unable to recall the night before at least once a year. Events reported of people having no memory of things they did the next day are driving home, having unsafe sex and other risky behaviors. When it comes to marijuana and memory studies show kids who start smoking at young ages risk issues with memory and learning down the road. Studies on exactly how much marijuana can cause learning and memory issues remain inconclusive.There is lots of controversy on the percentage of psychosis rich that can be linked to marijuana and how much of it depends on that persons genes.
Driving
Even tho some may say driving stoned is safer it still involves risk. Just like alcohol marijuana is commonly detected in car accidents. There is a study that says marijuana increases the chance of a accident by 83%. This percentage may seem high but the odds of a accident when alcohol is involved the chances increase more than 2,200%. Regardless of which substance is in your system the risk of a accident is very high. So it is never a good idea to drive under the influence of either substance.
Crime Rates
When researching which substance will put someone at risk for injuring someone or getting injured. Alcohol is said to cause the most harm. A study on marijuana that a intimate partner violence found that couples who used marijuana had lower rates of intimate partner violence in the first 9 years of marriage. In fact, men who used marijuana were the least likely to commit an act of intimate partner violence against a spouse.
Both of these substances can be harmful if used unresponsively. Which is more harmful? That decision is truly up to you. Hopefully after reading this article it shows even something that has so many great benefits like marijuana can be dangerous when used incorrectly.