Legalize It!: Marijuana vs. Alcohol vs. Cigarettes: Consider the Facts

Many people die from alcohol use. Nobody dies from marijuana use. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths, including more than 1,400 in Colorado, are attributed to alcohol use alone. On the other hand, the CDC does not even have a category for deaths caused by the use of marijuana.

People die from alcohol overdoses. There has never been a fatal marijuana overdose. The official publication of the Scientific Research Society, American Scientist, reported that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect could lead to death. Marijuana is one of – if not the – least toxic drugs, requiring thousands of times the dose one would use to get the desired effect to lead to death. This “thousands of times” is actually theoretical, since there has never been a case of an individual dying from a marijuana overdose. Meanwhile, according to the CDC, hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur the United States each year.

The health-related costs associated with alcohol use far exceed those for marijuana use. Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for marijuana consumers, according to an assessment recently published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal. More specifically, the annual cost of alcohol consumption is $165 per user, compared to just $20 per user for marijuana. This should not come as a surprise given the vast amount of research that shows alcohol poses far more – and more significant – health problems than marijuana.

Alcohol use damages the brain. Marijuana use does not. Despite the myths we've heard throughout our lives about marijuana killing brain cells, it turns out that a growing number of studies seem to indicate that marijuana actually has neuroprotective properties. This means that it works to protect brain cells from harm. For example, one recent study found that teens who used marijuana as well as alcohol suffered significantly less damage to the white matter in their brains. Of course, what is beyond question is that alcohol damages brain cells.

Alcohol use is linked to cancer. Marijuana use is not. Alcohol use is associated with a wide variety of cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate. Marijuana use has not been conclusively associated with any form of cancer. In fact, one study recently contradicted the long-time government claim that marijuana use is associated with head and neck cancers. It found that marijuana use actually reduced the likelihood of head and neck cancers. If you are concerned about marijuana being associated with lung cancer, you may be interested in the results of the largest case-controlled study ever conducted to investigate the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking and cigarette smoking. Released in 2006, the study, conducted by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the University of California at Los Angeles, found that marijuana smoking was not associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Surprisingly, the researchers found that people who smoked marijuana actually had lower incidences of cancer compared to non-users of the drug.

Alcohol is more addictive than marijuana. Addiction researchers have consistently reported that marijuana is far less addictive than alcohol based on a number of factors. In particular, alcohol use can result in significant and potentially fatal physical withdrawal, whereas marijuana has not been found to produce any symptoms of physical withdrawal. Those who use alcohol are also much more likely to develop dependence and build tolerance.

Alcohol use increases the risk of injury to the consumer. Marijuana use does not. Many people who have consumed alcohol or know others who have consumed alcohol would not be surprised to hear that it greatly increases the risk of serious injury. Research published this year in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found that 36 percent of hospitalized assaults and 21 percent of all injuries are attributable to alcohol use by the injured person. Meanwhile, the American Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that lifetime use of marijuana is rarely associated with emergency room visits. According to the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, this is because: "Cannabis differs from alcohol … in one major respect. It does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior. This means that cannabis rarely contributes to violence either to others or to oneself, whereas alcohol use is a major factor in deliberate self-harm, domestic accidents and violence." Interestingly enough, some research has even shown that marijuana use has been associated with a decreased risk of injury.

Alcohol use contributes to aggressive and violent behavior. Marijuana use does not. Studies have repeatedly shown that alcohol, unlike marijuana, contributes to the likelihood of aggessive and violent behavior. An article published in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors reported that "alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship," whereas "cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication."

Alcohol use is a major factor in violent crimes. Marijuana use is not.The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 25-30% of violent crimes in the United States are linked to the use of alcohol. According to a report from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, that translates to about 5,000,000 alcohol-related violent crimes per year. By contrast, the government does not even track violent acts specifically related to marijuana use, as the use of marijuana has not been associated with violence. (Of course, we should note that marijuana prohibition, by creating a widespread criminal market, is associated with acts of violence.)

Alcohol use contributes to the likelihood of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Marijuana use does not. Alcohol is a major contributing factor in the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault. This is not to say that alcohol causes these problems; rather, its use makes it more likely that an individual prone to such behavior will act on it. For example, a study conducted by the Research Institute on Addictions found that among individuals who were chronic partner abusers, the use of alcohol was associated with significant increases in the daily likelihood of male-to-female physical aggression, but the use of marijuana was not. Specifically, the odds of abuse were eight times higher on days when men were drinking; the odds of severe abuse were 11 times higher. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website highlights alcohol as the "most commonly used chemical in crimes of sexual assault" and provides information on an array of other drugs that have been linked to sexual violence. Given the fact that marijuana is so accessible and widely used, it is quite telling that the word "marijuana" does not appear anywhere on the page.

Most marijuana smokers smoke the bud and not the leaf of the plant. In fact it’s hard to find the leaf of a plant to smoke unless you grow your own, or know somebody who does.

Marijuana smokers do not smoke anywhere near the amount that cigarette smokers do. After a blunt or a joint, or maybe a couple bowls they’re good to go for a few hours, and most people don’t really smoke more than once a day, while cigarette smokers on the other hand smoke up to a pack a day, usually at least one cigarette every 2 hours, and if they’re stressed out they may smoke a lot more.

Not one case of lung cancer has been successfully linked to marijuana use.

Marijuana does not cause any narrowing of the small air passageways in the lungs. Tobacco has that effect on lungs as well as the lead 210 and polonium 210 becomes attached to small irritated areas in the lungs. Tobacco smoke constricts the bronchi for long periods of time thus reduce the lung’s ability to clear itself of the radioactive elements. Marijuana smoke actually does the opposite, studies show that marijuana has the ability to clear the lungs of smog, pollutant and cigarette smoke. Marijuana smoke is an expectorant and dilates the air channels that it comes in contact with. That is why sufferers of asthma use marijuana for relief. Those who heavily smoke cigarettes will live seven to ten years longer if they also smoke marijuana. Cannabis smokers have actually been shown to outlive nonsmokers by two to three years.

Tar is not what causes cancer, that conclusion is just a side effect of tobacco companies marketing their cigarettes. U. S. Surgeon General C. Everette Koop said on national television in 1990 that radioactivity, not the tar, accounts for at least 90% of all smoking related lung cancer. Now I’m sure you’re wondering how the radioactivity gets in the cigarettes in the first place.

By law tobacco crops grown in the United States are required to be fertilized with phosphates are rich in radium 226. Also radium 226 occurs naturally in many soils. Over time the radium 226 breaks down into two long lived daughter elements, lead 210 and polonium 210. When the radioactive particles become airborne they attach themselves to fine hairs on the tobacco leaves.

Marijuana has been found to help treat a variety of other medical conditions:

Nausea. One of THC’s medical uses best supported by research is the treatment of nausea. It can improve mild to moderate nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy and help reduce nausea and weight loss in people with AIDS.
Glaucoma. In the early 1970s, scientists discovered that smoking marijuana reduced pressure in the eyes though how the cannabinoids in marijuana produce this effect remains unknown.
Pain. People widely used marijuana for pain relief in the 1800s. THC may work as well in treating cancer pain as codeine. Cannabinoids also appear to enhance the effects of opiate pain medications to provide pain relief at lower dosages.
Multiple sclerosis. Research results on the effectiveness of cannabinoids in the treatment of the tremors, muscle spasms and pain of multiple sclerosis (MS) are mixed though one fairly recent study found that cannabinoids significantly reduced pain in people with multiple sclerosis.