Which is better/worse, alcohol or marijuana?
Asked by
Haffi112 (
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)
August 2nd, 2009
I often come across this topic when I’m having discussions with my friends. I have never smoked joints in my life and I’m afraid that it might affect my short-term memory. I have however drunk alcohol socially in small amounts. I’m not really fond of it because I don’t like being hungover so I tend to avoid it.
Some of my friends that smoke think that marijuana is less harmless than alcohol and should be legalized because of that reason. What’s your opinion on this?
(I just want everyone to be happy)
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69 Answers
Both are highly damaging.
Marijuana.
Alcohol can actually kill you while pot cannot.
The short term memory loss would only occur while high. And it’s no comparison to blacking out.
It actually depends how often you use them and how it affects(or is it effect?) you.
Alcohol is worse, by far.
You never hear of anyone dying of a pot overdose.
I’ve heard someone argue that marijuana is better because it only temporarily paralyses some parts of your brains while alcohol destroys it, but really, you should consult a reliable source on this.
…alcohol can kill you, but Marijuana doesn’t have eough strength to kill you.
Marijuana ( Commonly known as Hemp) is far worse at getting you drunk!!
Of course it depends on purpose. Pot stinks and alcohol gives you bad breath, so if you are trying to repel people of the opposite sex find out which is more sensitive, their sense of smell or their sense of taste.
If you are going camping you can use liquor for an antisceptic but pot will keep the mosquitos off,
In a social situation, pot can turn you into a boring lump who eats all the food. With alcohol their is more variety. you can be a maudlin drunk, a combative drunk, a loquacious drunk, an amorous drunk or you can just pass out in your own vomit, It depends on what kind of parties you go to.
My vote goes to Alcohol being worse.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of money in keeping pot illegal.
Marijuana’s long term effects are still under study and in fact there’s much doubt that there are any long term effects.
Alcohol on the other hand is well documented as being bad for you in numerous permanent ways.
Both are fine in moderation. I think moderation is the key.
Alcohol destroys brain cells to create the feeling of being drunk. Marijuana changes the shape of your brain cells to create the feeling of being high (and your brain cells revert to their old shapes after an extended period of not smoking).
Alcohol consumption can cause liver damage. Marijuana smoking can cause lung damage (other methods of marijuana consumption, such as using vaporizers, do no cause lung damage).
In my personal experience, being drunk just feels ugly. Being high feels euphoric. I don’t partake of either one anymore, but if I had to, I’d pick marijuana.
“Alcohol destroys brain cells to create the feeling of being drunk. Marijuana changes the shape of your brain cells to create the feeling of being high (and your brain cells revert to their old shapes after an extended period of not smoking)”
@drdoombot That’s not how those drugs work. Alcohol slowly stops your brain from receiving it’s usual oxygen level, which can, but does not necessarily kill brain cells.
Marijuana (THC, more specifically), attaches itself to neurons in the brain. Nothing “changes shape”.
Both are dangerous. Both are usually used beyond a sane limit.
That’s why I only use Morphine Suppositories.
Anyone who thinks pot will be cheaper or safer or produce tax revenue when legalized has been smoking too much, It will be a bonanza for corporate America, especially the tobacco companies. They have infrastructure in place to grow, process, market and distribute. Look at what they did to cigarettes to make them more addictive and palatable. The shit on the street today will look like baby food compared to the additives in the future. And we’ve already opened the door to pot being medicine, therefore untaxable, while setting ourselves to pay for long term effects
@Sarcasm Hooray for living in the Netherlands ^.^
Interesting that no one has noted the behavioral effects of these two drugs.
Alcohol causes otherwise calm, nice people to become raving lunatics, and especially causes violent, hostile behavior.
Marijuana makes users mellow.
Which do you want to be?
Both take nice, normal people and turn them into criminals. Alcohol by encouraging violence, impulsive behavior and vomiting in other people’s gardens, and marijuana by being illegal to grow, buy, sell, possess, or consume.
@Darwin So you have shown how we can make criminals out of nice, normal people by merely making a law against their behavior when that behavior harms no one (in the case of pot). Interesting.
@Zendo – I haven’t shown anything. I just pointed it out. Look at Prohibition and what it did to people.
@Darwin Thanks. That totally proves my point.
@Zendo Marijuana it is! (better, I mean…if we had to make a choice)
@Zendo Mellow it is!
I’m mellow and will until the day I die.
Why do you have to get intoxicated by anything? If you don’t like it, don’t do it. It doesn’t matter which one is better or worse.
I’m still back @filmfann‘s answer, laughing and wondering where to purchase the little gems!
I’d have to go with alcohol on this one. Both obv bad. However if you were to drink in moderation 1–2 drinks a day compared to a joint or two a day, I’d say you’d be better off with the drinks because studies show a drink a day can provide benefits. Considering marijuana has more known carcinogens than cigarettes and is heavier smoke, you will have worse health conditions down the line.
Alcohol however is associated with more bad consequences…driving impared, effecting family/friends, etc etc. It can hurt more people than yourself when abused. Marijuana I cannot say has as many consequences besides harming your own health.
Hope this helps!
They are both on par as far as making people intoxicated, depressed, and have health issues
If my kid were using anything, I’d rather know he was doing weed than doing booze.
Alcohol is so much worse. You can die from alcohol poisoning, but it would take you smoking 800 joints at a time to overdose from weed.
This is the way I look at it. If I had to leave my newborn baby with either the town drunk or the town pothead, who would I want to leave the baby with. My sociology teacher asked this question to a whole classroom once and everyone agreed that they would never leave a baby with the town drunk.
Are the only 2 people you know the town drunk and the town pothead? You should have told the teacher you would put down that joint and widen your social circle.
Alcohol is evil. Many arguments have started between my husband and I because of it.
The only arguments marijuana has caused are the ones concerning ice cream. or lack thereof
@jamielynn2328 I don’t know about 800, dude, but I’m game to try if you are!
@jonsblond You are sooooo right. I quit years ago and I’m much the better for it.
If I had to pick, I’d pick marijuana over alcohol, but neither are particularly “good” for you, if you feel you have to do one or the other, it’s a bit of a scary thought that you have to pick which one is least damaging.
That said, anything in excess is very dangerous, whereas anything taken in moderation, not pushing yourself too hard can be a very pleasant experience every once in a while. Don’t end up smoking pot all day every day and you’ll be fine, the same with alcohol.
I love them both!!!... but only at weekends counteracted by lots of healthy fruit and vegetables and exercise during the week… because a girl’s gotta have some fun!
Marijuana is safer, hands down.
You can’t overdose with weed, you will pass out long beforehand. The damage to your body by smoking weed is less than drinking constantly, but it’s still not as good as if you ate brownies all the time because putting ANYTHING in your lungs is not a good idea at all. And marijuana leaves you with more control over yourself versus alcohol. Yes driving while high is an idea that I don’t recommend, but if I had the choice of being on the road with drunk drivers or stoned drivers I pick stoned drivers hands down, there have been tests that show that stoned drivers tend to drive more slowly and cautiously because they know they’re stoned. Drunk drivers are assholes, end of sentence.
If your argument is based on total number of deaths per year, then yes, alcohol is by far more dangerous when you total up the drunk driving accidents, liver failures, domestic abuse, etc.
Has anyone not heard of this Hemp Hero?
@mattbrowne You haven’t provided any links to support your claim that “alcohol is worse than THC” is a myth. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do so, otherwise I can’t believe what you say and that makes it hard to participate in a discussion of any type.
I also find it hard to believe you can easily make that myth claim when the number of deaths due to alcohol via drunk driving (43,000 in 2006) and liver diseases is much more than those of marijuana/THC; and it should be noted that many deaths listed as “caused by marijuana” are when there is traces of it in the person, most commonly in addition to other drugs and alcohol.
@dynamicduo I agree. How is it that alcohol was used by conquering Europeans to defeat the indigenous people who couldn’t handle the booze, and yet these same people (Native Americans for one) were smoking the rope for most of their existence with no harm to themselves?
@dynamicduo – The links are in all the related Fluther threads. When I said alcohol and THC are equally good or bad I meant their potential leading to addiction and losing control over your life. When it comes to losing control in specific situations like driving a car, alcohol is far worse. Even in relatively moderate doses alcohol will slow critical areas of the brain.
However people describing tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis) as harmless compared to alcohol send a very dangerous message to young inexperienced people and I will fight this with the power of my words. The scientific debate is ongoing. I think it’s wrong to make cannabis illegal. Prohibition was a folly too. But tetrahydrocannabinol is not chocolate. It’s a powerful chemical substance. Under supervision there might be positive medicinal value. More research is needed and we should apply the precautionary principle. The same for alcohol.
Moderate alcohol intake may reduce your overall risk of heart disease and decrease your chances of dying from a heart attack. It is believed that alcohol may prevent heart disease by reducing calcification of the arteries. Alcohol may also lower your risk for stroke when consumed in moderate amounts. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that alcohol has anti-clotting properties that may prevent clots in the blood vessels. Alcohol, and particularly red wine, has been linked to an increase in HDL cholesterol and a reduction in LDL cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some researchers believe that the resveratrol in red wine causes a reduction in LDL cholesterol. Moderate alcohol consumption may also prevent gallstones from forming, according to the results of the 2003 Nurse’s Health Study. However, excessive alcohol intake may contribute to gallstones, so researchers still need to determine the precise relationship (Source: Mayo Clinic).
Now, when reading all this, should we tell young and inexperienced people: Hey, getting drunk is great. It will be very good for you. Live long and prosper. Of course not.
Hey, smoking cannabis is great. Get stoned. It will be very good for you. Live long and prosper. Really?
No powerful psychoactive substances are harmless! People need to understand what they are doing.
Marijuana is better. Alcohol is worse.
@MrGeneVan The burden of proof is on you, buddy – why is pot highly damaging?
@galileogirl All people that I know who do not smoke but one find the smell of weed smoke entirely inoffensive. I’ve never heard anyone malign the smell before, actually. Do you know many people who dislike it?
@drdoombot Can you point me at the studies you used to come out with your remark that smoking weed can cause lung damage? Never actually seen the data on that one, myself.
@Darwin Perhaps it is a matter, then, of modifying the stigma attached to the word “criminal.” I find the prohibiton of pot to be a shame in that it encourages a disrespect for the law from those labeled as criminal. It seems to make people think that many of our laws are set up to serve the interests of the few in power rather than the many they are supposed to represent. Then again, would any of the public’s concerns be addressed without the revenue generated by the War on Drugs? Discussion for another thread, sorry for the tangent.
@mass_pike4 A large number of carcinogens has not been proven to cause cancer – do you have links to or names of studies on how many pure weed smokers get cancer versus how many cigarette smokers? If not, I’m not sure how you can back up your statement. And FYI, there are carcinogens in the shirts you wear, the bed you sleep on, and the water you drink. Boo!
@btko Can you back up your answer in any way? Otherwise, nope. Alcohol and marijuana are certainly not on par in the three categories you mentioned; alcohol takes the cake in all.
@Point5r Marijuana is good for some people, mentally and physically.
@mattbrowne GA for your second post! – but I think that your remark in your initial post that the dangers are quite similar is over the top. It’s important to respect any drug you do, absolutely – but I feel your statement about the danger is untrue, and a scare tactic. Educate, don’t scare! (and nice work doing just that in the second post)
@wildpotato It used to be widely known as shit for a very good reason. The first time I walked into a party where there was pot I thought the toilet had backed up. People who smoked tobacco products didn’t think they stank either and the people around smokers got used to the smell. Every time grandpa lit up a cigar it made me gag, Now most of us ffeel the same way when we have to walk near a smoking area,
Pot is a lot better than getting drunk because there isn’t the lingering feeling of sickness, pot can make you think about things you’ve never thought of. while being drunk can kinda bring thought that you don’t want to thing of.
@wildpotato – Education is exactly my approach. Therefore I think most drugs should be legal. Why is it worth the education? Because there are dangers attached to drug usage. This has nothing to do with scare tactics. I notice belittlement tactics employed by the cannabis fan community.
If you want to think about things you’ve never thought of before, listen to some extraordinary music or go jogging for 60 minutes or become engaged in inspiring Fluther debates. Our brain features wonderful neurotransmitters and hormones. No need to inject tetrahydrocannabinol or other psychoactive drugs for great thinking.
Not this again. Get over it. Smoke it or drink it. It’s your life.
@mattbrowne The guys who figured out the structure of DNA were rumored to be on LSD at the time. Of course I don’t know if there’s any validity to that rumor.
@wildpotato – Well, now you know two people who find the odor of marijuana smoke unpleasant. I dislike it almost as much as I dislike tobacco smoke. It’s only saving grace is that I don’t run into it anywhere near as often as other forms of smoke.
@mattbrowne @Haffi112 They say ignorance is bliss. You must be the happiest people in the universe. What is a valid reference for that assertion?
@Resonantscythe – There’s indeed scientific evidence that short term, certain drugs like cocaine can boost brain power and creativity. History is full of examples. Freud was an early user and proponent of cocaine as a stimulant. I’m sure there are LSD examples as well. My point was that the potential price someone has to pay is very high. The belittlement tactics employed by the cannabis fan community is therefore highly irresponsible. I have no problem if “senior” cannabis users give advice to “juniors” in a sense telling them “enjoy, but be careful, you need to know what you are doing…” We need to educate people. The same applies to alcohol consumption of course.
@boots A website promoting drugs, are you kidding? That’s like looking to Fox News for an honest view of the Bush administration.
@mattbrowne i agree. its the same deal with alcohol, you can use it just becareful
@dynamicduo I put oxygen in my lungs all the time ;-)
@mattbrowne Freud is also known to have said a lot of bullcrap and to make up patients to better fit his theories. His support is not a strong argument.
@galileogirl I was just showing you why they said that. Chill out.
@mattbrowne Yes, I agree i was just trying to add a little humor.
@galileogirl What’s with the insults? This site is for conversations not arguments.
@Resonantscythe What insult? Pointing out bias on a site that is supposed to be a source of valid information should be expected. Too many people take anything they find on the internet as fact. We are developing a culture that swallows everything whole because it is in writing instead of confirming sources and using critical thinking. Ignorance can be dangerous.
Outside of the physical damage of the two, I’ll judge the two’s “better/worse“ness on a scale of actions. Looking at the way that alcohol and pot affect relationships and personality, in general, I vote that marijuana is “better.”
However, marijuana can cause damage in friendships in many ways that beer normally wouldn’t (e.g. money issues, legal issues). Regardless, looking at the effects of alcohol on relationships furthers my vote for marijuana. Alcoholics are… no fun.
@Mrgelastic – Exactly. So again this is what I mean:
I have no problem if “senior” cannabis users give advice to “juniors” in a sense telling them “enjoy, but be careful, you need to know what you are doing…” We need to educate people.
Likewise I have no problem if “senior” alcohol users give advice to “juniors” in a sense telling them “enjoy, but be careful, you need to know what you are doing…” We need to educate people.
Heroin and meth and other hard drugs don’t work that way. Even benzodiazepines should only be used under supervision by a doctor and be used only in special circumstances only such as panic attacks.
@galileogirl “They say ignorance is bliss. You must be the happiest people in the universe. ”
That insult.Calling someone an idiot is insulting no matter how you word it. If I misunderstood your intent then I apologize.
@galileogirl I thought it used to be known as “shit” because it used to be shit. That is, all weed used to be schwag (lowest-grade, usually from Mexico, one step above wild THC-less marijuana). Then schwag got bred up into the kind bud (aka nugget) we have now (high grade, dense, often covered in visible THC crystals). The two smell entirely differently both on their own and when smoked. Most people who smoke weed today smoke kind bud or at least beasters (medium-grade from Canada). Personally, I find that schwag and kind bud smell pretty good, but dislike the smell of beasters.
But that’s all a tangential to the point I was trying to make in the first place, which was about the people I know who don’t smoke. Generally speaking, most smokers I know are polite enough to not smoke around their few friends who abstain – I just don’t think that there is enough inter-group interaction to facilitate the kind of habituation you point at in order to make your parallel of weed smoking to cigarette smoking.
It isn’t possible to ingest a fatal dose of THC (the active compound in marijuana) from smoking or eating marijuana. On the flip side, lots of alcohol in a brief period of time can lead to alcohol poisoning, an emergency medical condition that can be fatal.
Long-term marijuana use is far less harmful than long-term alcohol use.
Watch this movie: “The Union: Business Behind Getting High”
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