Pisshead Briton - How's the rest of the west

[Rorschach]

Alcohol is the most dangerous substance in the history of mankind. It has ruined hundreds of millions of lives over the centuries. Tobacco kills six million a year world wide. Fructose and processed carbs would be next on my list. Prescription drugs is the number 4 killer in the US. Where does cannabis fall?

Look if you don't want to read links or acknowledge stuff fine.
How many car accidents are due to drugs?
It is only recently that we are checking drugs.
How many people with mental illnesses are due to drugs?
Anyone that thinks Cannabis is harmless is an idiot or uses it. Ergo... they are an idiot.
I don't drink...
I don't smoke
The choice is mine... as it is with those who choose to imbibe. How dangerous is alcohol to me...? not one bit.

ALCOHOL VS. MARIJUANA

Is smoking a joint the same as drinking alcohol?

You decide. Here are the facts:

Alcohol consists of one substance only: ethanol. Marijuana contains more than 400 known chemicals, including the same cancer-causing substances found in tobacco smoke. Unlike cigarette smokers, pot smokers tend to inhale deeply and hold the smoke as long as possible to increase the effect of the drug, worsening the damage to the lungs.

Alcohol is eliminated from the body in a few hours, but THC stays in the body for weeks, possibly months, depending on the length and intensity of usage.
THC damages the immune system. Alcohol does not.

There is no intention here to minimize the dangers of alcohol abuse, which can be equally harmful. Users, however, need to be aware that the chemicals in marijuana, some of them cancer-causing, remain in the body long after the drug is taken.

THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA

The immediate effects of taking marijuana include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety.

But the problem does not end there. According to scientific studies, the active ingredient in cannabis, THC, remains in the body for weeks or longer.

Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes smoked one after another. Long-time joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis, an inflammation of the respiratory tract.

The drug can affect more than your physical health. Studies in Australia in 2008 linked years of heavy marijuana use to brain abnormalities. This is backed up by earlier research on the long-term effects of marijuana, which indicate changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term abuse of other major drugs. And a number of studies have shown a connection between continued marijuana use and psychosis.

Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells, deforming them. Thus even small amounts of marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men. Marijuana use can upset a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Studies show that the mental functions of people who have smoked a lot of marijuana tend to be diminished. The THC in cannabis disrupts nerve cells in the brain affecting memory.

Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby. Over the last ten years, many children of marijuana users have been born with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal (before birth) use of the drug may result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukemia1 in children.

# In 2005, 242,200 emergency room visits in the United States involved marijuana.
# According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, a large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40% of adult males tested positive at the time of their arrest.
# Of adults 26 or older who used marijuana before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine at some point in their lives; 9% went on to use heroin at least once; and 54% made some nonmedical use of mind-altering prescription drugs.
# Next to alcohol, marijuana is the second most frequently found substance in the bodies of drivers involved in fatal automobile

My point is that cannabis is not a safe or healthy habit/addiction to take up... not that others don't exist.

[Neferti]

Actually, LIFE is dangerous. You are born, you live, then you die. Fun stuff.

[IQS.RLOW]

Actually, LIFE is dangerous. You are born, you live, then you die. Fun stuff.

... and smoking a joint, drinking a good bourbon and snorting coke off a strippers ass can make it even better.

[AiA in Atlanta]

The 3 most addictive things in life are carbohydrates, heroin and a steady paycheck.

[AiA in Atlanta]

If Roach had half a brain he would see that I wrote "healthier" and not "healthy" and was simply pointing out that alcoholic beverage companies are threatened by the creeping decriminalization of cannabis because it is *healthier* than alcohol. If anyone could benefit from smoking a joint it would be Roach

[Rorschach]

If Roach had half a brain he would see that I wrote "healthier" and not "healthy" and was simply pointing out that alcoholic beverage companies are threatened by the creeping decriminalization of cannabis because it is *healthier* than alcohol. If anyone could benefit from smoking a joint it would be Roach

Unfortunately I have a whole brain...
You may like cannabis... I don't care, you may drink.... I don't care.
But I'm not going to suggest it is a healthier alternative to alcohol.
If I had I drink a week or a wine with every meal I'd be better off than smoking cannabis.

[Super Nova]

If I had I drink a week or a wine with every meal I'd be better off than smoking cannabis.

Not if your purpose was to feel different.

[AiA in Atlanta]

Sure, red wine has its health benefits but I will take cannabis anytime over alcohol. I don't smoke it however. Instead, I eat a small piece of cannabis candy. Then, I chill

[Chard]

The choice is mine... as it is with those who choose to imbibe. How dangerous is alcohol to me...? not one bit.

By that same logic, since you do not smoke marijuana then it is harmless as well.

ALCOHOL VS. MARIJUANA

Is smoking a joint the same as drinking alcohol?

You decide. Here are the facts:

Alcohol consists of one substance only: ethanol. Marijuana contains more than 400 known chemicals, including the same cancer-causing substances found in tobacco smoke. Unlike cigarette smokers, pot smokers tend to inhale deeply and hold the smoke as long as possible to increase the effect of the drug, worsening the damage to the lungs.

Alcohol is eliminated from the body in a few hours, but THC stays in the body for weeks, possibly months, depending on the length and intensity of usage.
THC damages the immune system. Alcohol does not.

There is no intention here to minimize the dangers of alcohol abuse, which can be equally harmful. Users, however, need to be aware that the chemicals in marijuana, some of them cancer-causing, remain in the body long after the drug is taken.

THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA

The immediate effects of taking marijuana include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety.

But the problem does not end there. According to scientific studies, the active ingredient in cannabis, THC, remains in the body for weeks or longer.

Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes smoked one after another. Long-time joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis, an inflammation of the respiratory tract.

The drug can affect more than your physical health. Studies in Australia in 2008 linked years of heavy marijuana use to brain abnormalities. This is backed up by earlier research on the long-term effects of marijuana, which indicate changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term abuse of other major drugs. And a number of studies have shown a connection between continued marijuana use and psychosis.

Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells, deforming them. Thus even small amounts of marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men. Marijuana use can upset a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Studies show that the mental functions of people who have smoked a lot of marijuana tend to be diminished. The THC in cannabis disrupts nerve cells in the brain affecting memory.

Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby. Over the last ten years, many children of marijuana users have been born with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal (before birth) use of the drug may result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukemia1 in children.

Let's see your source for this horseshit. By all means, give me a new site article. It'll make slapping you in the face with peer-reviewed studies from the New England Medical Journal and The Lancet that say you're wrong all the more enjoyable.

# In 2005, 242,200 emergency room visits in the United States involved marijuana.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this figure is false. The 2005 figure was 168k, and that figure is derived from toxicology reports only. That means all cases, including ones where marijuana played no part in why the person was hospitalized.

# According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, a large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40% of adult males tested positive at the time of their arrest.

Who gives a shit? 40% of criminals ingested an illegal substance. Who would have thought that criminals would engage in something illegal?

Or are you trying to dishonestly claim that those 40% are only criminals because of marijuana? If that's the case then I dare you to show any evidence for such a ridiculous claim.

# Of adults 26 or older who used marijuana before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine at some point in their lives; 9% went on to use heroin at least once; and 54% made some nonmedical use of mind-altering prescription drugs.

Young people experiment with things. Again, who knew. Again, I dare you to show a direct causal link between marijuana use and use of other drugs. The "Gatewat Drug" is a fucking myth repeatedly debunked by medical science.

# Next to alcohol, marijuana is the second most frequently found substance in the bodies of drivers involved in fatal automobile

See my point about hospital visits.

My point is that cannabis is not a safe or healthy habit/addiction to take up... not that others don't exist.

Then don't smoke it. While you're at it, stop being a dick to those that do. No one is forcing you to smoke weed, so why are you being an asshole repeating disinformation and outright lies at those who do smoke?

[Super Nova]

Personally I feel alcohol is more destructive to society than weed.

The super strong stuff they have developed today is a danger so go for the weaker stuff.

if you ever get a chance to go to Amsterdam, full of vice... Weed, sex, alcohol ... you will never see a fight on a Saturday night.

Death by alcohol has to be one of the worst forms of death.

Prohibition does not work. Each to our own.