Cannabis is the medical name for marijuana used worldwide as a medicinal drug or for recreational purposes. According to studies conducted worldwide, the consumption of marijuana is less addictive and harmful than cigarettes or alcohol. You may have heard of people dying due to an overdose of alcohol. But never in history has anyone died as a result of an overdose of cannabis. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are thought to cause cancer and are also the disclaimers on cigarette packages sold worldwide.
While alcohol has long-term effects on the brain, marijuana does not create the same type of brain disease. In the long run, it won't even hurt the brain. Alcohol tends to make the user aggressive at a drunk stage and indulge in violence. But marijuana makes the person sublime. The person's character is often more relaxed, but the thoughts may not be the same as when one is sober, but often by no means aggressive or towards violence. However, when combined with other narcotics, it can become very annoying, but so is cigarettes and alcohol.
Cannabis is also considered to improve the creative aspect of the brain. However, no study has ever proved this. But no study has ever been able to fully understand the Human Brain. That is one of the reasons why artists such as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix etc. are generally regarded as musicians who have used marijuana and have made soulful music.
Marijuana is also popularly known as weed or hashish worldwide
Many countries have recognized that marijuana is less harmful. Even the World Health Organization has called Cannabis safer than tobacco or alcohol. After 2013, Uruguay was the first country to legalize the growth and consumption of marijuana. Followed by many developed countries such as Canada, Spain, Peru, Australia, Brazil, South Africa and certain states of the United States of America. The Netherlands has never banned cannabis in the past and allowed commercial sale in small quantities of less than 5 grams, even in cafes or coffee shops.
This is not to say that a relatively large amount of marijuana is consumed in the Netherlands. In fact, it is (even) more popular with tourists visiting the Netherlands than the locals. India has traditionally been a country where a lot of marijuana was used. Lord Shiva, the creator of heaven and earth according to the common Hindu belief, is believed to be a cannabis user.
Marijuana about 114 times less deadly than alcohol
Keep in mind that there are dozens of factors to consider when comparing the health effects of alcohol and marijuana, including how the substances affect the heart, brain, and behavior and how likely you are to become addicted to them.
With the global legalization of marijuana, there is an increasing body of studies in which researchers investigate the potential harm and benefits of the drugs, both in the short and long term. However, studies suggest that when it comes to brain health, alcohol is more harmful than marijuana.
It appears that marijuana is about 114 times less deadly than alcohol, according to the findings published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports. Of the seven types of drugs listed in the study's criteria, alcohol was the most lethal at an individual level, closely followed by drugs such as heroin, cocaine, tobacco, ecstasy, methamphetamines and marijuana. Previous studies consistently pointed to marijuana as the safest recreational drug, but the exact size of the discrepancy was unknown at the time.
During the study, the involved researchers determined the mortality risk of various drugs, alcohol and cigarettes by comparing a lethal dose of each substance with the amount commonly consumed by a consumer. Researchers found that not only did marijuana have the lowest measured of the drugs tested, but there was such a wide gap between marijuana and the other drugs, along with the lethal and typical doses that they had previously classified as the only low-mortality drug type , while all other types of drugs were classified as "medium" or "high".
After the study, the researchers involved stated that, according to them, marijuana is such a low risk that they require broad, regulated legalization.
Alcohol deaths vs cannabis
In 2014, 30.722 people died of alcohol-based causes in the US - not including booze-related accidents or murders. If those deaths were included, the number would be closer to 90.000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), no deaths from marijuana overdoses have been reported. An 16-year study of more than 65.000 Americans, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that healthy marijuana users should not die before healthy people who did not use cannabis.
Marijuana is often tried out and is less addictive
In addition, nearly half of all adults have tried marijuana at least once, making it one of the most commonly used (in some countries, illegal) drugs - but research indicates that a relatively small percentage of people become addicted.
For a 1994 study, epidemiologists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse asked more than 8000 people between the ages of 15 and 64 about their drug use. Of those who tried marijuana at least once, about 9% eventually fit in with a diagnosis of addiction. For alcohol this was about 15%. To put that in perspective, the addiction rate for cocaine was 17%, while heroin was 23% and nicotine was 32%.
The researchers clarified that the study does not suggest that moderate alcohol consumption carries a higher risk than regular heroin use. Environmental conditions, such as dirty needles or unregulated supplies, add to the total damage done by the use of a drug such as heroin.
Instead, this study was specifically done to measure the lethality of the substances themselves. However, many earlier studies published in the last decade suggest that one is definitely more dangerous than the other.
Read more on ThePost24 (EN, source) and TheVersed (EN, source)
