With the battle for the legalization of marijuana being considered one of the more prevalent issues in today’s society, it is upon scientists and researchers to now look deeper into the chemical makeup of marijuana and indicate whether smoking marijuana yields less dangerous side effects than consuming alcohol.
In this article by NBC, marijuana is grouped first among nine other drugs including heroin and hallucinogens and was considered the safest by a landslide. Then, when compared to alcohol and tobacco, marijuana was considered “by far…the safest, even when compared to alcohol and cigarettes.”
The article then follows to discuss the long-term effects of both recreational and chronic use of marijuana as compared to alcohol and tobacco. The findings showed that chronic tobacco and alcohol consumption led to serious intestinal problems and cancer, while chronic marijuana use was loosely linked to some lung problems and early onset psychosis. The only threat that chronic marijuana usage poses is developmental issues in young adolescents.
If marijuana were to be considered legal, it would likely be regulated by the ATF, just like alcohol and tobacco, and these factors would be taken into consideration when determining what the legal consumption age would be, dosages available, and so forth.
The US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health have provided details and statistics regarding “illicit” drug usage. For more information about the statistics and scientific reasoning behind the findings listed in this article, see here for more information.
See the simple meme below for the common-sense comparison of marijuana versus alcohol:
Keeping to the topic of regulation, the thought of legalizing marijuana becomes a little less intimidating to some, but not all. April M. Short posted an article on Salon.com that recounted the impression that a commercial about marijuana shown during a NASCAR race left on its viewers. Essentially, the commercial advocated that marijuana was a safer and more health-conscious alternative to drinking beer, with beer drinkers being one of NASCAR’s targeted audiences.
The goal was to show marijuana in a more positive, appealing light, but it was quickly pulled due to negative responses by the viewers. The MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) stated that its intentions were good and that their goal is “to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and replace fiction with facts about marijuana use.”
By providing statistical evidence through the length of the article, especially focusing on illness and death counts, Short’s aim is to convince her audience through scientific findings that marijuana is pinned as the “bad guy,” but in reality is actually less addictive and poses no recorded overdose, abuse, or fatality risks, while alcohol and tobacco have annual numbers in the thousands.
By accessing the official MPP website, those who are curious to read statistics about marijuana use and its comparison to alcohol and tobacco use are welcomed with straightforward, research-based facts. Addiction is one of the points that is repeated throughout marijuana research, and the results were recorded as:
A comprehensive federal study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine arrived at a similar conclusion: ‘Millions of Americans have tried marijuana, but most are not regular users [and] few marijuana users become dependent on it … [A]lthough [some] marijuana users develop dependence, they appear to be less likely to do so than users of other drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on other drugs.’
Low addiction rates yield more welcoming reviews when posed next to other drugs, such as alcohol, which has a high addiction rate as well as higher rates of illnesses and death. Marijuana has been pinned as a “gateway” drug to harder substances such as pills, heroin, and hallucinogens, and has also gained a “lazy” stereotype, leaving people with the impression that marijuana users do nothing productive; they just kick back on the couch and smoke for days on end. Even if they did, which is not recommended, there is no documented “overdose amount” for marijuana. There are not any DEA categories for marijuana-related causes of death to date.
Using mortality as an attention-grabbing basis for research, this article written by Justin Alford discusses the rates and causes of death that are brought on by drug and/or alcohol use. The opening statement ends with the credited phrase “alcohol is the deadliest, while marijuana is the least risky” which is used to uphold viewer engagement and encouraging them to keep reading.
The article proceeds to discuss how these marijuana statistics are out for the public knowledge, but are not advertised because they are not what the government wants the public to see.
With an anti-marijuana legalization mindset, the government wants to uphold the “lazy,” “deadbeat,” and “dangerous” lifestyle terms that are pinned on marijuana users. Alford ends the article with a though-provoking message: “time would be better spent focusing on managing the risks of alcohol and tobacco, rather than illegal drugs”, which is directed toward the policing of marijuana usage. Which, after reading through articles about legalization, makes perfect sense.
Why is the federal government focusing so intensely on a substance that does not yield any life-threatening issues, when tobacco and alcohol provably cause illness and death counts in the thousands?
Cannabis also cures cancers of various kinds. In fact there are YouTube videos out that can show you how to make The cannabis oil out of one ounce of medical cannabis on your stove top(yielding about 1-2 oz of oil . The very same cannabis oil that Rick Simpson promotes. I have had an aunt cured of her breast cancer and a cousin cured of skin cancer. It is so important to keep educating the ignorant as they are set in their brainwashed ways made fearful from the 70+ years of propaganda.
I think you’ve got a typo there or your math is imaginary since you obviously cannot make an ounce of oil from on ounce of cannabis. Perhaps you meant a gram
Thank you yes I mistyped boy would it be nice if that were the case
I have read many stories of people discharged to go home and die & tried cannibas as a last resort.
Many have been healed.
How, on the skin cancer. I cured my breast cancer with it, but I have some skin problems I’d like to address now.
My cousin took the oil and put it on the affected area and did so for about 3 weeks this spot was smaller than the other spots she had surgically removed.
Psilocybin Mushrooms have an even lower LD/50 than THC!
The Freaks have always been moronic, and based upon tales nobody knows where they gett them from, the notion of, and this is edched into their retina is the “cheek and chong” image of pot smokers.
And the even lasting attacs on people that not always is confined to their home, not even by will.
Some people simply dont understand that.
I have PL4 because of utter bordom.
And on topp of it, because of the damage, I cant sitt for long, havent been to an movie since the accsident.
Cant drive far.
Cant f…., hernia.
Even the tripp to the Jon is an high risk area and I know what an White out of Pain is, do you, I have crawled out from there before.
hehe
Howling.
And so on.
And the even more obscure “we gett everything”, well, f….. thats a lie.
The sole reason for me, living in an house, isnt by me, but by my wife. Otherwise Il live in an f….. knows what. A vagabond, on chrutches.
The second is the effect, medical an unverial medisine, technicaly an univerial product with an insane versitility and range, enviriomentaly, and heres the what I defind as mindboggeling numbness about the sustaiability of our nature, when paper and oil can be excracted from this plant Hamp.
I cant understand the arguments against it, its unbelivable to read this medival babbeling in the year of the lord 2015.
Stoned, well, lazy people, are lazy people, with our without dope, I know of both, and I cant tell whats their problem, but an persons whom dont bother to go further than where they are right now, some just are that and are in all layers of society, stupid poor and stupid ritch.
And medical and mentaly, the stone part saved my life without any doubth what so ever, the sunnshine in an dark painfull world.
I stopped the Opiate trail, in the beginning because I know within an year ot two, nothing would work anyway.
And the pain would stil be there.
ANd then some one can take that freedom away from me, based upon an “knowledge” that is entrily based upon consensusses pimped by people whom dont know, or dont even wana know, because they have made up their minds, and why on earth is it then that They have to ruling vote upon this issues, witch ranges from medication to industial components, beats me, one of the great mysteries of this realm.
Il will smoke as long my hart beats, and even have with me into the grave, just incase.
hehe
peace
The “meme” was funny, but I wonder how many people know that the purpose of prohibition of alcohol had nothing to do with man consumption or morality . It was Rockefeller politicians keeping the monopoly on petroleum. There was a growing movement at that time for auto makers to produce engines that run on alcohol and anyone could make alcohol, so it could not be monopolized.
Same families involved in the prohibition of cannabis. It is probably the single most effective plant that radically helps the body and the Rockefeller medical industry has people chained to pharma.
…gee…we needed a study to tell us that? Humans have known this stuff for thousands of years…but I feel much better now that is has been…”studied”….
RJ O’Guillory
“Why is the federal government focusing so intensely on a substance that does not yield any life-threatening issues, when tobacco and alcohol provably cause illness and death counts in the thousands?” All the wars and all the medical poisons, Pearl Harbor
9/11 it is clear that the government doesn’t want us alive let alone healthy.
they want it legalized at this point because they have patented anything to do with any autoimmune type of response that cannibas may have.
With the patent, they will receive or sue for royalties of any future sales of it for autoimmune purposes. Plenty of money to be made here, it apparently does have many medicinal purposes.
Where or why does the “government” get the “right” to patent anything?
The idea of patents is perhaps a bit out dated in some ways.
If health care was actually that… then a lot of the B S would go away.
The use of patients by the “government ” is actually a way to control and prevent actual life saving beneficial things from being available to the people.
Many life saving “cures” are prevented by the owning of patents. this is true of much more that would benefit humanity.
Government has lied and continues to do so.
Oh well just another idea that one might inquire into.
think on this…
@RJ O’Guillory You’re fairly well mirroring my thoughts.
Move to Colorado and imbibe,imbibe,imbibe.
The federal government spends so much treasure on maintaining the prohibition of cannabis because free access to the robust economic engine of cannabis/hemp, with its wide ranging industrial, medical, nutritional, recreational and sacramental properties, shifts power from the State to the Individual. That is all you need to know.