Less than 50% of Americans have even tried marijuana, and a much smaller percentage are using it on a regular basis. So the sheer numbers of people showing up in the ER after smoking pot are going to be a lot less than for alcohol. However, having worked in ERs since pot was legalized, I can tell you that people who smoke weed are showing up a lot more now than in the past, and those numbers are climbing. Similar to cannabis, a number of variables means some individuals may be more likely to become addicted to alcohol than others. Factors such as genetics, a family history of alcoholism, mental health disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder, and traumatic experiences elevate the likelihood of developing an addiction. Drowsiness delayed reflexes, and alterations in judgment and time perception are all impacts of both substances on the body and mind.
This isn’t the case with marijuana because there are several different strains of cannabis. There are also more than 100 different cannabinoids, which are substances found in the cannabis plant. So, the answer to that question may depend on which strain of cannabis you’re smoking or what mix of cannabinoids are in it. It’s important to remember that addiction specialist degrees certifications and qualifications the “addictiveness” of cannabis is more than a chemical reaction in the brain—social and environmental factors also play a part. For example, certain populations appear more likely to become addicted to weed than others, potentially teenagers, and those with another substance use disorder, or a mood or mental disorder, such as schizophrenia.
- And if the question is about length, the reticulated python is the biggest.
- Addiction is not about the amount of a substance that you drink or smoke.
- There’s evidence that cannabis is safer than alcohol with respect to a number of other health-related harms too.
- While there’s no clear cut answer, there are several contributing factors worth exploring.
- People who have substance abuse or addiction are all different, and so are their journeys to recovery, but they all follow the same path.
Because some people are stoned a lot of the time, while others may use marijuana only on weekends, the health effects become difficult to generalize. But while early studies showed some evidence linking marijuana to lung cancer, subsequent studies have debunked that association. “Excess alcohol is going to lead to very severe consequences, and chronic excess alcohol is the most likely to lead to a lot of threatening issues,” Murray said. As with the short-term effects of alcohol and weed, the long-term effects differ from person to person. The analysis doesn’t fully account for a drug’s legality, accessibility, or how widely a drug is used. If heroin and crack were legal and more accessible, they would very likely rank higher than alcohol.
In reality, respondents ranked alcohol as somewhat to very addictive, whereas marijuana was rated as not very or somewhat addictive. While people who did not drink alcohol had a higher impression of addiction than those who did, even those who used both alcohol and marijuana reported that alcohol was more addictive than marijuana. While marijuana isn’t a dangerous chemical, it does have some characteristics in common with other illegal narcotics. Despite its expanding popularity and increasing legality, people who use marijuana for therapeutic or recreational purposes should be aware of dependency risks. In the short term, THC, one of marijuana’s chemical constituents, can cause changed moods, impaired physical movement, and hallucinations.
The Truth About ADD/ADHD And Substance Abuse
It’s the same medicine that comes from the cannabis plant, just with a different name for it. It can be consumed in a variety of ways, including smoking, vaping, drinking, and eating. The majority of those who use marijuana do so for enjoyment and recreation. A rising number of doctors, on the other hand, are prescribing it to treat specific medical disorders and symptoms. Drinking too much, whether in a single occurrence or over time, has been found to affect the brain, heart, liver, and pancreas, as well as cause cancer in many forms.
Addiction is not about the amount of a substance that you drink or smoke. It’s about what it does to your life and the consequences you deal with because of that behavior. The main reason we don’t know is because marijuana isn’t just one thing. Alcohol is alcohol, whether you’re talking about beer, wine, or spirits. They may all taste different, but in terms of the effect that alcohol has on your body, they act the same way.
What’s Worse: Weed Or Alcohol?
Caulkins and Peter Reuter, a drug policy expert at the University of Maryland, suggested a model in which all the major risks of drugs are drawn out and each drug is ranked within those categories. So heroin would be at or near the top for mortality, alcohol would be at or near the top for cause of violent crime, and tobacco would be at the top for long-term health risks. The idea is lawmakers could look at this model to help decide on an individual basis which policies are better for each drug. The research on other health effects of marijuana is inconclusive but should warrant some caution. One study linked the use of potent marijuana to psychotic disorders, but other studies suggest people with psychotic disorders may be predisposed to pot use. Research on whether smoked marijuana causes lung disease or cancer has yielded conflicting results, with studies that control for tobacco smoking finding no significant effect from marijuana on lung cancer risk.
There are countless cannabis products on the market and a number of consumption options, from vaping to edibles. At Vox, we believe that clarity is power, and that power shouldn’t only be available to those who can afford to pay. Millions rely on Vox’s clear, high-quality journalism to understand the forces shaping today’s world. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today. Heavy drug use is never ideal — and marijuana is no different in this regard.
Tishler emphasizes that understanding addiction is nuanced, and it can be helpful to distinguish addiction from dependence. In simple terms, cannabis has medicinal applications, and alcohol does not. Too much depressant equals too much GABA activity, which in turn can result in drowsiness, slow reactions, poor coordination, and impaired concentration. Anyone who’s had a little too much weed or alcohol can likely attest to slurred speech, passing out early, maybe stumbling over, and the like.
“There’s always choices,” Keith Humphreys, a drug policy expert at Stanford University, explained. Health risks are just one way to measure whether marijuana is safer than alcohol. While pot doesn’t seem to cause organ failure or fatal overdoses, alcohol kills more than 29,000 people each year due to liver disease and other forms of poisoning.
What to Consider When Using Alcoholic Beverages or Marijuana
Although Nutt couldn’t get funding to do an analysis in the US or Canada, he said a similar study is being published later this year assessing drug use in several countries in Europe. The analysis may be flawed, but its simplicity and accessibility have won over many policy circles. Tishler points out that tolerance is often touted as a badge of honor in cannabis circles. 4 ways to pass a drug test In reality, however, tolerance can lead to dependence and possibly addiction, so it may be beneficial to avoid developing a significant tolerance to cannabis. A deadly car collision is far more likely when both alcohol and drugs are present in the driver’s system. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is never a smart idea, especially when both are involved.
Not everyone reacts to marijuana, alcohol, or a combination of the two in the same manner, and many circumstances influence how a person reacts. Nonetheless, being aware of the potential implications of mixing these medications is beneficial. As for marijuana, whose legalization for medical uses has been a matter of strong public policy debate for years, there is ample evidence that beneficial compounds can be found in the plant. This means that for people taking drugs or medications while drinking, the alcohol can increase or decrease levels of the active drug in the body.
CONSEQUENCES OF DRINKING ALCOHOL
Nutt acknowledges these problems, but argues that his analysis provides value to policymakers. “I believe we have provided the best currently available analysis of an extremely complex multifaceted data set.” cocaine illicit use There’s also this perception that it’s extremely rare to get addicted to marijuana, but that’s a myth. There’s research to show that 30% of people who use marijuana are going to develop an addiction problem.
The immediate effects of weed can vary quite a bit from person to person. For example, one person may have a very low tolerance for weed but be able to tolerate alcohol well. Another person might not have any issues with misusing alcohol but still find it hard to function without weed. Weed may appear to be safer than alcohol simply because we aren’t yet aware of certain risks. Sure, research on the topic is ramping up a bit, but there’s still a lack of large, long-term studies. But it doesn’t seem like anyone is taking on this kind of approach — and Nutt’s style of analysis remains popular around the world.
One argument I often hear is that many more people end up in the emergency room after drinking alcohol than smoking pot—and that’s true. But the reason for that is because many more people in this country drink alcohol than smoke pot. The degree to which weed or alcohol is addictive–or harmful–cannot be reduced to a single factor. While there’s evidence that weed is comparatively less addictive and less harmful than alcohol, that doesn’t mean it can be used recklessly.
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The harm score for marijuana would also likely rise after legalization, but probably not too much since pot use is already widespread. Perhaps the biggest supporting evidence for this point is a 2010 study published in The Lancet that ranked alcohol as the most dangerous drug in the United Kingdom, surpassing heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana. That study has drawn widespread media attention, appearing in outlets like the Washington Post, the Guardian, the New Republic, and here at Vox. Both can be used to help people mellow out, calm nerves, and relax muscles. These effects occur because both alcohol and weed belong to the depressant class of drugs (though weed falls into several other drug categories too). Marijuana addiction is not only real, but it may have a negative impact on the mental and physical health of individuals who use it on a regular basis.