When viewed in comparison to alcohol, pediatricians say it is difficult to see why cannabis is the federally prohibited substance of the two. Author and pediatrician Aaron E. Carroll explains why:
“A 2013 case-control study found that marijuana use increased the odds of being in a fatal crash by 83 percent. But adding alcohol to drug use increased the odds of a fatal crash by more than 2,200 percent…
“While 9 percent of pot users eventually become dependent, more than 20 percent of alcohol users do."
“The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence reports that alcohol use is a factor in 40 percent of all violent crimes in the United States, including 37 percent of rapes and 27 percent of aggravated assaults. No such association has been found among marijuana users.”
For alcohol users, substance abuse is linked to violent crimes and even death. He furthers his comparison by stating, “Marijuana, on the other hand, kills almost no one. The number of deaths attributed to marijuana use is pretty much zero.” The relationship between marijuana and violent crimes is mostly attributed to its illegal distribution– not deaths from getting high.
After comparing the two, Carroll concludes by saying, “When someone asks me whether I’d rather my children use pot or alcohol, after sifting through all the studies and all the data, I still say ‘neither.’ Usually, I say it more than once. But if I’m forced to make a choice, the answer is ‘marijuana.’"
via: The New York Times
