Alcohol vs Marijuana - part 1 & 2

Seniors MMJ Network
Mar 26, 2015
2 min read

As a person who doesn't drink, not even the occasional beer, I would consider my answer biased when asked which of the two posed the most threat or the largest benefit. What if you asked the same question, but to a pediatrician and the advice they provided, was going straight to their own child? That is exactly what this piece from the New York Times does.

The author points out, a parent would prefer neither. At the same time, he understands that it is very likely for adolescents to try one or both. The question itself fascinated me, it isn't something I've had to consider. What really peaked my interest was, the analytical and practical way this doctor arrived at his conclusion. As the late, great, Leonard Nimoy might say - it's all very logical.

Our goal is to educate and for someone who is considering the use of Medical Marijuana, this perspective might aid in your decision. Enjoy the read by clicking the link below - don't forget to come back and continue with Alcohol vs Marijuana PART 2

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/upshot/alcohol-or-marijuana-a-pediatrician-faces-the-question.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimes&abt=0002&abg=1&_r=0

PART 2 - "Marijuana is 114 times less deadly than alcohol"

There's an old saying - when was the last time 10 guys smoked a bunch of Marijuana and then started a bar fight? Fortunately, we don't need clever sayings to compare the safety of Alcohol vs Marijuana, we have Science.

A recently published report in the journal, Scientific Reports concluded that Marijuana is 114 times less deadly than alcohol. Of the seven drugs included in the study, alcohol was the deadliest at an individual level, followed by heroin, cocaine, tobacco, ecstasy, methamphetamines, and far behind was marijuana.

Researchers conducted studies on mortality risk by comparing a lethal dose of each substance with the amount typically used.

As you can see in the graph above, there is a wide discrepancy between Marijuana and everything else. Oddly, this study came to a conclusion that Marijuana could cause an overdose (LD-50). According to their own numbers, it would be next to impossible to achieve but as other Scientific papers have pointed out, you would need to consume about 1500 lbs of Marijuana in 15 minutes to achieve lethal levels.

This study reaffirmed what previous studies have concluded, Marijuana is safer than alcohol. The authors went one step further, they suggest that for low risk drugs like marijuana, regulation rather than prohibition would be a better and more justified approach. A Federal study by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) released in February also concluded that drivers who use marijuana are at a significantly lower risk for a crash than drivers who use alcohol.

The Alcohol vs Marijuana debate will always be around. One has been legal for a long time, the other is barely legal. Did we make the right choice?