This study did not explore independent effects of alcohol and cannabis use on neural activation. An additional methodological concern identified in this review is the reliance on youth self-report of substance use. Several studies also used ranges in surveys to capture frequency and quantity of consumption, weakening the ability to explore graded dose effects. Although some studies controlled (or excluded participants) for co-occurring use of other substances, future studies with larger samples will be able to better understand the potential compounding effects of other substance use on brain development. Much of the data presented was collected before vaping existed; given the recent uptick in tobacco vaping, it will be important that future studies assess tobacco vaping to understand its unique effects on adolescent brain development. Furthermore, a greater selection of neuroimaging tools that track neurochemicals and transmitters in the brain (e.g., magnetic spectroscopy imaging, positron emission tomography) are now available.
Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol: It’s Time To Treat It That Way
Knowing your personal risk based on your habits can help you make the best decision for you. Impulsivity is defined as a behavior characterized by little or no forethought, reflection, or consideration of consequences, when compared to actions by individuals with similar skill and knowledge levels. Below are just a few facts that highlight the very different impacts of marijuana and alcohol on those who consume them and on the broader community. For decades, our federal government and supporters of marijuana prohibition have led people to believe that marijuana is so dangerous that it must be kept illegal at all costs. They have exaggerated its potential for harm, spread myths about its impact on society, and even spent hundreds of millions of tax dollars on TV ads designed to convince you that anyone who uses marijuana is a loser who sits around on the couch all day.
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It’s vital to be aware of the risk factors that can inflate the likelihood of addiction or harm occurring for you, and take precautions to prevent unwanted outcomes. According to BDSA, a market research firm in Colorado that specializes in legal cannabis, dollar sales of marijuana beverages are up by around 65 percent from 2020 to 2021 in the 12 states they track. In California, the state with the largest market for weed drinks, the number of cannabis beverages available nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021, growing to 747 distinct products, according to Headset, a company that collects and analyzes data on cannabis. Besides alcohol, marijuana is the most commonly detected drug in drivers involved in car accidents.
- These drinks are not the beverages that contain small doses of CBD, a compound found in marijuana and hemp that doesn’t get you high, which have been trendy for the last decade.
- Many people drink alcohol as a personal preference, during social activities, or as a part of cultural and religious practices.
- The analysis may be flawed, but its simplicity and accessibility have won over many policy circles.
- And the argument that alcohol is more dangerous than illegal substances could be used as a basis for banning or strictly regulating alcohol just as easily as it could be used as a basis for legalizing or decriminalizing other drugs.
Alcohol Deaths Vs Weed Deaths
But experts worry that products like weed drinks are becoming more popular than health research can keep up with, leaving big questions about how best to consume them and what impacts they may have on the brain and body. The CDC reports that nearly 88,000 alcohol-related overdose deaths occur each year. Public health researchers have said studying rates of injuries, accidents, mental illness and teen use in the wake of the new laws will lead to a better understanding of marijuana’s public health effects. Some know the difference between ethanol and alcohol alcohol enthusiasts tout the advantages of drinking by citing the potential health boosts such as the reduced risk of heart disease for infrequent drinkers and the benefits of polyphenols in red wine, which have antioxidant properties. Cannabis also has health and medical benefits which include reducing pain, improving sexual libido, treating inflammation, and acting as neuroprotectants. While cannabis is widely viewed as a non-habit-forming drug, it seems that some people can build a tolerance to THC.
How the White House just made the world a little safer from biorisks
Additionally, researchers looking to study long-term marijuana use have had difficulty in finding people who regularly smoke marijuana but don’t also smoke tobacco cigarettes. And the illegality of marijuana has also limited research in this field. But while early studies showed some evidence linking marijuana to lung cancer, subsequent studies have debunked that association. “You can die binge-drinking five minutes after you’ve been exposed to alcohol. That isn’t going to happen with marijuana,” said Ruben Baler, a health scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Health risks are just one way to measure whether marijuana is safer than alcohol.
A recent study looking at cannabis use and intimate partner violence in the first decade of marriage found that marijuana users were significantly less likely to commit violence against a partner than those who did not use the drug. It’s impossible to say whether drinking alcohol or using marijuana causes violence, but several studies – including a recent analysis published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience – suggest a link between alcohol and violent behavior. “The risk from driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis is greater than the risk of driving under the influence of either alone,” the authors of a 2009 review wrote in the American Journal of Addiction.
It’s a commonly held belief that smoking weed has fewer negative health effects than drinking alcohol, especially now that marijuana is legal in New York and many other states across the country. Along the lines of memory, recent studies have shown that adolescents who smoke marijuana may be at greater risk for problems with memory and learning later in life. The studies remain inconclusive about how much marijuana use causes impairments of learning and memory. However, studies how long does alcohol stay in your blood have demonstrated that these types of changes in the brain may increase the risk of psychological difficulties later in life. Long-term alcohol consumption can produce physiological changes in the brain such as tolerance and physical dependence. As individuals continue to have alcoholic beverages over time, their brains may change structurally and transition from occasional drinking to chronic consumption, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Given the high rates of alcohol and cannabis use during adolescence, coupled with the significant neural maturation occurring during this period, it is critical to understand how alcohol and cannabis use affect adolescent brain development. Although other reviews exist on these topics, they have limitations. Specifically, existing reviews exclusively focus on alcohol,12,20 cannabis,21 or co-use,22 with some focusing solely on neuropsychological23 or neuroimaging studies24–27 within each substance use group. Limitations of existing studies and future directions for research are discussed. Comparing the long-term health effects of alcohol and edibles is a little bit like comparing apples and oranges.
Correlation between THC concentration in whole blood and accident risk (from Grotenhermen et al. (2007)78 based on data from Drummer et al.73). The truth is that marijuana is widely used in a manner quite similar to alcohol. Most adults consume it while socializing with friends or relaxing after work. And while some consume it for its medical benefits, others use it for therapeutic purposes. For example, some consume it to alleviate arthritis, relieve a migraine, or because it helps them fall asleep and get a good night’s rest. It might seem harmless to mix alcohol and weed, but doing so can be a slippery slope toward getting overly intoxicated.
In the later stages, drunkenness can generate a combination of blurred vision, delayed judgment, lack of coordination, emotional instability and high excitability. As BAC rises, alcohol users can segue from excitement to confusion and even a blackout state where consciousness is temporarily lost. Euphoric effects generally kick in within the first 10 to 15 minutes and are correlated with transient changes in the brain’s electroencephalographic activity 4 ways to pass a drug test (EEG) activity. Essentially, as blood alcohol content (BAC) rises, marked changes can be seen in the electrical activity of the brain. After being absorbed through the lining of the stomach into the bloodstream, it spreads into tissues throughout the body and reaches the brain in about five minutes, according to Northwestern Medicine. One likely reason for the growing public aversion to drinking is the rise of the sober-curious movement.
Longitudinal studies have measured resting-state functional connectivity and neural response to cognitive tasks across time to examine the effect of alcohol and cannabis use on brain function. Having a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.05%, on the other hand, increased that risk by 575%. The review looked at published data from nearly 600 studies that comprised data on 195 countries and territories between 1990 and 2016. The results showed that among people of all ages, alcohol was the seventh leading risk factor for deaths in 2016. Diverse factors, such as age, mental health, and personal circumstances, also interlock together to influence the relationship we develop with these two substances.
Inextricably linked to adolescent learning and memory development is educational attainment, one of the most critical developmental tasks for youth. Thus, substance-induced deficits are arguably even more impactful for young people than adults. Ten studies included in this review examined the effect of alcohol or cannabis use on learning and memory performance throughout adolescence. According to a 2023 report sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, adults ages 35 to 50 are turning to alcohol and marijuana at record levels.
All of this helps prove that marijuana isn’t totally harmless — and some of its risks are likely unknown. Drug experts broadly agree that individuals and society would arguably be better off if marijuana became the most accepted recreational intoxicant of choice instead of alcohol. Jon Caulkins, a drug policy expert at Carnegie Mellon University, gave the example of an alien race visiting Earth and asking which land animal is the biggest. If the question is about weight, the African elephant is the biggest land animal. And if the question is about length, the reticulated python is the biggest.
Additionally, any deficits or issues caused by heavy cannabis use can be reversible. Weed can impact your memory and in some severe cases cause or exacerbate schizophrenia or psychosis. Despite there being issues, most issues caused by cannabis can be reversible if you stop using cannabis. It can be challenging to ascertain how many deaths are caused by cannabis.