Which Substance Is Worse? Alcohol Or Marijuana ?

[cognos]

..just wondering what a few Thai Visa folks may think.. regarding comparing alcohol and marijuana .. neither is a benign substance, although Cancer and MS patients can now get THC in pill form should they wish, which is healthier than smoking it I would presume . Which substance causes more problems in society ?? It seems that there are WAY more deaths from alcohol over useage as opposed to marijuana (are there any ??), although I have seen no statistics. I understand marijuana can be addictive to some, despite protests to the contrary. There is no doubt that alcohol addiction is a world wide problem. A policeman I played hockey with told me that of all the murders he attended alcohol was almost always a mitigating factor. I asked him about marijuana and he laughed and said.."those guys just get hungry and then have a nap". I suppose society sees what alcohol has done to society, and is reluctant to legalize Pot, which seems to be the more "benign" of the two. An argument could be made that Pot leads to stronger drugs.. it seems to be a small amount of people that follow that route..however even a few are too many, as heavier drugs like crack, yabba and heroin etc.are horrible drugs..I wouldn't wish that on anyone..yet..which is worse..alcohol or Pot ??

[Mosha]

Over use of weed causes mental problems. One guy I know gets paranoid on it. He knows it's a problem but he can't give it up.

[AbelMagwitch]

Which one leads to billions in tax?

[garro]

I think that it is obvious that alcohol causes the most problems, but perhaps if pot was as socially acceptable as alcohol things would change.

[yabaaaa]

Moderation is the key, sadly some of these thinhgs cannot be controlled by moderation due to addiction therefore all addicitve substances should be banned but the problem is "chocolate" where do you draw the line, can a line be drawn?

[PST]

Over use of weed causes mental problems. One guy I know gets paranoid on it. He knows it's a problem but he can't give it up.

[/quote

Bit of a generalizsation too say over use of weed causes mental problems,you know 'ONE' guy who gets paranoid.

What is over use in your book?,i know plenty of people here and in the uk who smoke all day and night,go to work,have a family,and are fine.

At the end of the day it comes down to individuality,i know loads of people who become violent when they take alchohol,i'd rather get a little bit para than become a <deleted> when pissed.

PST.

[PattayaParent]

Alcohol and cigarettes are the biggest drain on the NHS resources in UK.

And both are seriously addictive.

But both provide huge revenues to the government through taxes.

[Soutpeel]

Bit of a generalizsation too say over use of weed causes mental problems,you know 'ONE' guy who gets paranoid.

What is over use in your book?,i know plenty of people here and in the uk who smoke all day and night,go to work,have a family,and are fine.

At the end of the day it comes down to individuality,i know loads of people who become violent when they take alchohol,i'd rather get a little bit para than become a <deleted> when pissed.

PST.

Both are as bad as each other, with alcohol doing more damage overall IMHO

You are not comparing apples with apples anyway, one is legal, one is not, the number of people using the legal drug (alcohol) is far higher than ones who are using the illegal one, therefore you cannot compare statistically the over problems caused by one or the other.

Make Alcohol illegal or weed legal as the number of "users" will be comparable and then you can statistically compare the damage done...

Poster stated he knows one person who has issues with weed, I know one person with a problem with alcohol, so based on this very limited sample...both are as bad as each other....

[Bisto]

Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; THC for short.

How is Marijuana Abused?

Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana. Since the blunt retains the tobacco leaf used to wrap the cigar, this mode of delivery combines marijuana's active ingredients with nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Marijuana can also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil.* Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.

How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain?

Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.

THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the “high” that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.1

Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.2 As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.

Research on the long-term effects of marijuana abuse indicates some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system3 and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine.4 Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.

Addictive Potential

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit. These withdrawal symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2–3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.5

Marijuana and Mental Health

A number of studies have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia. Some of these studies have shown age at first use to be a factor, where early use is a marker of vulnerability to later problems. However, at this time, it not clear whether marijuana use causes mental problems, exacerbates them, or is used in attempt to self-medicate symptoms already in existence. Chronic marijuana use, especially in a very young person, may also be a marker of risk for mental illnesses, including addiction, stemming from genetic or environmental vulnerabilities, such as early exposure to stress or violence. At the present time, the strongest evidence links marijuana use and schizophrenia and/or related disorders6. High doses of marijuana can produce an acute psychotic reaction, and research suggests that in vulnerable individuals, marijuana use may be a factor that increases risk for the disease.

What Other Adverse Effect Does Marijuana Have on Health?

Effects on the Heart

One study found that an abuser’s risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana.7 The researchers suggest that such an outcome might occur from marijuana’s effects on blood pressure and heart rate (it increases both) and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.

Effects on the Lungs

Numerous studies have shown marijuana smoke to contain carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which further increases the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke. Marijuana smokers show dysregulated growth of epithelial cells in their lung tissue, which could lead to cancer;8 however, a recent case-controlled study found no positive associations between marijuana use and lung, upper respiratory, or upper digestive tract cancers.9 Thus, the link between marijuana smoking and these cancers remains unsubstantiated at this time.

Nonetheless, marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.10 Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses.

Effects on Daily Life

Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status.11 Several studies associate workers’ marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.

What Treatment Options Exist?

Behavioral interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational incentives (i.e., providing vouchers for goods or services to patients who remain abstinent) have shown efficacy in treating marijuana dependence. Although no medications are currently available, recent discoveries about the workings of the cannabinoid system offer promise for the development of medications to ease withdrawal, block the intoxicating effects of marijuana, and prevent relapse.

The latest treatment data indicate that in 2006 marijuana was the most common illicit drug of abuse and was responsible for about 16 percent (289,988) of all admissions to treatment facilities in the United States. Marijuana admissions were primarily male (73.8 percent), White (51.5 percent), and young (36.1 percent were in the 15–19 age range). Those in treatment for primary marijuana abuse had begun use at an early age: 56.2 percent had abused it by age 14 and 92.5 percent had abused it by age 18.**

How Widespread is Marijuana Abuse?

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2006, 14.8 million Americans age 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, which is similar to the 2005 rate. About 6,000 people a day in 2006 used marijuana for the first time—2.2 million Americans. Of these, 63.3 percent were under age 18.***

Monitoring the Future Survey

According to the 2007 Monitoring the Future survey—a national survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, marijuana use has been declining since the late 1990s. Between 2000 and 2007, past-year use decreased more than 20 percent in all three grades combined. Nevertheless, marijuana use remains at unacceptably high levels, with more than 40 percent of high school seniors reporting use at least once in their lifetimes. ****

Percentage of 8th-Graders Who Have Used Marijuana:

Monitoring the Future Study, 2007

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Lifetime 16.7% 19.9% 23.1% 22.6% 22.2% 22.0% 20.3%

Past Year 13.0 15.8 18.3 17.7 16.9 16.5 15.6

Past Month 7.8 9.1 11.3 10.2 9.7 9.7 9.1

Daily 0.7 0.8 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.3

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Lifetime 20.4% 19.2% 17.5% 16.3% 16.5% 15.7 14.2

Past Year 15.4 14.6 12.8 11.8 12.2 11.7 10.3

Past Month 9.2 8.3 7.5 6.4 6.6 6.5 5.7

Daily 1.3 1.2 1.0 0.8 1.0 1.0 0.8

Percentage of 10th-Graders Who Have Used Marijuana:

Monitoring the Future Study, 2007

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Lifetime 30.4% 34.1% 39.8% 42.3% 39.6% 40.9% 40.3%

Past Year 25.2 28.7 33.6 34.8 31.1 32.1 32.2

Past Month 15.8 17.2 20.4 20.5 18.7 19.4 19.7

Daily 2.2 2.8 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.8

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Lifetime 40.1% 38.7% 36.4% 35.1% 34.1% 31.8% 31.0%

Past Year 32.7 30.3 28.2 27.5 26.6 25.2 24.6

Past Month 19.8 17.8 17.0 15.9 15.2 14.2 14.2

Daily 4.5 3.9 3.6 3.2 3.1 2.8 2.8

Percentage of 12th-Graders Who Have Used Marijuana

Monitoring the Future Study, 2007

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Lifetime 38.2% 41.7% 44.9% 49.6% 49.1% 49.7% 48.8%

Past Year 30.7 34.7 35.8 38.5 37.5 37.8 36.5

Past Month 19.0 21.2 21.9 23.7 22.8 23.1 21.6

Daily 3.6 4.6 4.9 5.8 5.6 6.0 6.0

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Lifetime 49.0% 47.8% 46.1% 45.7% 44.8% 42.3% 41.8%

Past Year 37.0 36.2 34.9 34.3 33.6 31.5 31.7

Past Month 22.4 21.5 21.2 19.9 19.8 18.3 18.8

Daily 5.8 6.0 6.0 5.6 5.0 5.0 5.1

Here

do not smoke do not drink but i love my volcano.

[geriatrickid]

A small quantity of alcohol can be easily metabolized and excreted causing no physical damage or stress to the human body. Alcoholic beverages can be consumed because they impart an additional flavour to a meal or because they can excite the palate (American beer and cheap wines aside). A cold beer can be a refreshing libation on a hot and steamy day.

Inhaling a small quantity of marijauna irritates the lungs and coats the tissue with a tarry substance that can damage the sensitive tissue. The substance is consumed with one intent - to induce a neurological state.

The more specific answer though, is that I could care less. Weed smokers rarely pick fights when stomed whereas, alcohol can bring out the worst in some nasty people. I vote with weed being the more socially calming drug.

[sanook2me]

.. An argument could be made that Pot leads to stronger drugs.. it seems to be a small amount of people that follow that route..however even a few are too many, as heavier drugs like crack, yabba and heroin etc.are horrible drugs..I wouldn't wish that on anyone..yet..which is worse..alcohol or Pot ??

As an ex pot smoker from the age of 14 i have tried majority of substances except crack,yabba, heroin.

Everybody i know/knew who smoked weed for recreational purpose (this suggests they like me had full time jobs and responsibility not dole dossers) also used other drugs like coke/speed/acid/mushrooms

Smoking weed is an easy route to taking other drugs. This is my personal experience and most of my friends.

OP have you ever taken other substances asise from weed? answer truthfully.

Keep pot banned it definitely leads onto harder drugs. IMHO

[cognos]

Moderation is the key, sadly some of these thinhgs cannot be controlled by moderation due to addiction therefore all addicitve substances should be banned but the problem is "chocolate" where do you draw the line, can a line be drawn?

Good point..all in moderation ( or none ) with regards to both of them

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Marijuana is fattening. Impossible to smoke and not eat.

[cognos]

Sanook : I grew up in the seventies and eighties.. am 52..most of us tried pot, some stuck with it..most didn't..tried mushrooms once and I hated it..everyone else was happy, but for me it was a nightmare, but I was lucky I guess..and/or blessed. By age 30 I stopped partying with the old classmates..and many of them are passed on already from self abuse of one sort or another. There seems to be a double standard with Alcohol and Pot. Garro is right.. Pot is not socially acceptable like drinking..yet generally is less harmfull..hence the double standard.

[IMA_FARANG]

In a capitalistic society the litmus test of any activity is how much profit it can make for the whatever group that controls it.

Achohol is a multi-million dollar business, controlled by a wealthy elite group, which provides a 'benefit" to the government in the form of taxes. Therefore it is a "good" thing.

Marijuna has no such legitimate tradition as Alchohol does. It has no money value to the controlling elite. It is rejected by them, and the government can not obtain tax revenues from it. When the elite can't control it, and the government can't tax it, it is a 'bad" thing.

If marijuna were legitimsed, and a wealthy elite were able to control it like Alchohol is, the government would be able to collect taxes on it's use. Then marijuna would be "approved " of by the government.

The long term results of use are similiar for both substances on the user's health.

But if you go just by sheer volume and number of victims, Alchohol's effects far outdo marijuna's effects.

It's just that Alchohol has a long tradition, therefore is "legal", while marijuna doesn't have that tradition.

[krading]

And it was those evil pot smoking long haired hippies that stopped Uncle Sam from winning in Nam

[mrt273nva]

And it was those evil pot smoking long haired hippies that stopped Uncle Sam from winning in Nam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfDoeDTIpJI

[grantbkk]

..just wondering what a few Thai Visa folks may think.. regarding comparing alcohol and marijuana .. neither is a benign substance, although Cancer and MS patients can now get THC in pill form should they wish, which is healthier than smoking it I would presume . Which substance causes more problems in society ?? It seems that there are WAY more deaths from alcohol over useage as opposed to marijuana (are there any ??), although I have seen no statistics. I understand marijuana can be addictive to some, despite protests to the contrary. There is no doubt that alcohol addiction is a world wide problem. A policeman I played hockey with told me that of all the murders he attended alcohol was almost always a mitigating factor. I asked him about marijuana and he laughed and said.."those guys just get hungry and then have a nap". I suppose society sees what alcohol has done to society, and is reluctant to legalize Pot, which seems to be the more "benign" of the two. An argument could be made that Pot leads to stronger drugs.. it seems to be a small amount of people that follow that route..however even a few are too many, as heavier drugs like crack, yabba and heroin etc.are horrible drugs..I wouldn't wish that on anyone..yet..which is worse..alcohol or Pot ??

I have a lot of experience in the use, cultivation, sales and purchasing if marijuana. I'm 60 and I was buying weed at 18 as an employee of law enforcement. At one point my task force in the 90's operated a hydroponics retail store to aquire targets for major home grows. When I startd in the business I was pretty idealistic and one seed was a felony charge. Yes, one seed. All my life I've been around people who use or have used.

Heavy use seems to extract motivation right out of the users body. The OP is correct that after using pot no one ever gets in a fight unless it's over potato chips or the last slice of pizza. Marijuana dealers on the other hand often resort to violence and murder to protect the stash or grow.

Now I believe weak sanctions are the proper way to go. If a group of men and women want to use periodically it should not be a big problem. Legalizing weed may cause a whole generation of potential lazy people to go off the grid and repeat "dude!" all day. For the weak or people with addictive personalities marijuana is definitely a gateway drug.

The OP's question comparing alcoholic beverages and weed requires comprehensive analysis of the motivation of government's attempt to control the populace. In reality alcohol is tightly controlled and taxed heavily. Does the country want the tax revenue or do they want to reduce consumption? Does the government use the money for education or rehabilitation or do they continue to have seminars at the big, expensive massage parlors in Bangkok on our dime?

My personal opinion swung 180 degrees in the last 40 years. I continue to use alcohol but have managed to keep me and my loved ones off drugs.

[jukapot]

Wonder what responses we would have if the question was worded which substance is better ??? Never used marijuana except for one time someone baked cookies with it. My friends later told me I looked like I was near death - didn’t agree with me at all. There is absolutely no reason for me to try it in any form.

I did drink heavily for 20 years, alcohol didn’t agree with me either but I always went back for more. Alcohol has caused a lot of pain and suffering to my family, ruined a promising career, was a living hel_l.

I did meet a group of australians in Washington DC who were there for a International Conference of Marijuana Anonymous, I was surprised to learn that it too was addictive.

Until 1970 or so, all sorts of drugs were available in Laos. Nothing was against the law and there were even opium dens in Vientiane. At the instance of the US Government, drugs were outlawed except for marijuana and opium. The opium dens remained open for those who were certified addicts. We had one employee who was impossible to work with until he went for his daily dosage. He would then become a very pleasant employee.

I just posted these picture on another forum and they show the marijuana for sale at Vientiane’s morning market. There are a few other drug like objects on the table, but I can’t identify it. I blurred the faces because I know the family and want to protect their identity. The whole family came to the states as refugees and now live in California as successful citizens. One child became a doctor!!!

These pictures are added to show an example of what was available so easily in Laos. I'm told there was a very high number of addicts. Thank God we haven't legalized drugs back in the States..

[Lancelot]

Alcohol and cigarettes are the biggest drain on the NHS resources in UK.

And both are seriously addictive.

But both provide huge revenues to the government through taxes.

Maybe the world would be a better place with no drugs (alcohol & cigs included) but they are still in demand.

Why not legalize all drugs, lowering the price and putting the International drug gangs out of business? Governments could earn substantial tax revenues and earmark a portion for rehabilitation programs. How much time and effort is wasted on "Drug Wars?"

Maybe legalizing drugs would cause too many people in the "prevention" business to be unemployed...

[gpdjohn]

Memories of my early R&R visits to Thailand back in the day...

Buddha weed/ Thai stick

Alcohol or weed?

I ( would ) choose the latter.

[IanForbes]

Anything other than fresh air sucked into your lungs is not good for you. Neither are most prescription drugs received at the pharmacy. There are ALWAYS side effects. Alcohol has probably caused more heart ache, death and destruction than all other forms of drug combined, but taken in small doses alcohol doesn't cause lasting harm to your body like other drugs do. I've never seen a person high on marijuana ever create the problems that someone high on alcohol does, but that doesn't mean marijuana is good for you. Marijuana probably should be legalized, but so should all other drugs including the nasty ones. Let people kill themselves any way they see fit and forget spending money trying to arrest people for doing harm to their own body. We allow people to over indulge in other forms of bad behaviour such as over eating to a point that it causes health problems.

[Samuian]

the amount makes the poison!

if you can't handle it, DON'T touch it!

[IanForbes]

Alcohol and cigarettes are the biggest drain on the NHS resources in UK.

And both are seriously addictive.

But both provide huge revenues to the government through taxes.

Maybe the world would be a better place with no drugs (alcohol & cigs included) but they are still in demand.

Why not legalize all drugs, lowering the price and putting the International drug gangs out of business? Governments could earn substantial tax revenues and earmark a portion for rehabilitation programs. How much time and effort is wasted on "Drug Wars?"

Maybe legalizing drugs would cause too many people in the "prevention" business to be unemployed...

You beat me to it, Lancelot. My point exactly. The lawyers, judges and police make a great living chasing down people who only want to self destruct. Take away the profit and the crooks will have to think of something else to scam stupid people.

[Samuian]

the amount makes the poison!

if you can't handle it, DON'T touch it!

[a2396]

Sure. Why not? We need a few more substances to taint and alter peoples judgement and thought processes.

[G54]

As I smoke weed for a prolapse disc and I drink alcohol for pleasure, I feel neither is bad for you if kept under control.

I do feel it is the person and not the substance in these two cases. Neither are instantly addictive and their use is easy enough to control in the majority of cases by anyone with some will power.

[BigSnake]

My Opinion they both are about tip or tap/about the same, one do the Kidneys, the other one the Lungs, bottom line both are slow KILLERS

[Nam Plah]

Pharmacological definitions say it all.

Alcohol : Neurotoxin

THC : Psychoactive Compound

Point is neither is good for you but if you consume a vast quantity of alcohol you will die.

If you consume a vast quantity of Marijuana you will raid your pantry for cookies.

[deprogrammed]

.. An argument could be made that Pot leads to stronger drugs.. it seems to be a small amount of people that follow that route..however even a few are too many, as heavier drugs like crack, yabba and heroin etc.are horrible drugs..I wouldn't wish that on anyone..yet..which is worse..alcohol or Pot ??

As an ex pot smoker from the age of 14 i have tried majority of substances except crack,yabba, heroin.

Everybody i know/knew who smoked weed for recreational purpose (this suggests they like me had full time jobs and responsibility not dole dossers) also used other drugs like coke/speed/acid/mushrooms

Smoking weed is an easy route to taking other drugs. This is my personal experience and most of my friends.

OP have you ever taken other substances asise from weed? answer truthfully.

Keep pot banned it definitely leads onto harder drugs. IMHO

Complete BS that is like saying drinking milk leads to drinking whiskey. Even the head of the American DEA concedes that there is no link beteween smoking hash and taking hard drugs,