Marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco are all used as recreational substances. Except in marijuana’s case, it is sometimes used for medicinal purposes.
In fact, cannabis is gaining a lot of traction in the treatment of many debilitating conditions and even the common health mishaps.
Human beings seek to take a vacation from their brains every once in a while. There have been many debates on whether cannabis is more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco.
Studies have been done and the results are in. According to research, alcohol alone is linked to 200 diseases in the world. Tobacco is also linked to a good number.
Fatality
Up to this date, no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose. This is due to the fact that to overdose on marijuana, you would have to smoke more than 200 joints in a day.
The amount of product required to drop dead goes even higher in the case of CBD pure products. In very high doses of about 1000mg, there will be some signs of overindulgence like drowsiness but other than that, nothing exciting.
According to studies by relevant bodies, alcohol leads to about 2.5 Million deaths per year. This is more than 5% of deaths in the world.
Alcohol if abused causes some integral parts of the brain to shut down. Parts required for survival of human life. Parts that are responsible for functions like respiration and heartbeat.
Tobacco on the other hand causes 6 Million deaths every year in the world. Tobacco is linked to a significant number of chronic diseases including cancer.
Cancer Risk
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world with about 9 Million every year.
This means that 1 in every 6 deaths are due to die from cancer. In 2010, cancer incurred an economic cost of $ 1.16 Trillion (USD).
This is the entire budget of a third world country.
Out of those cancer cases, 4% are caused by alcohol. Alcohol damages tissue and prevents absorption of nutrients necessary to fight the disease.
30% of the cancer cases in the world are caused by tobacco. Lung cancer is first on the list of common cancers diagnosed every day.
Studies have been conducted to look into the relationship of cannabis with cancer. No evidence has been found that marijuana causes cancer.
In fact, the phytocannabinoids have been found to induce suicide of cancer cells and prevent spread of the same.
Even the psychoactive cannabinoid THC is beneficial in this respect. CBD has been found to have therapeutic effects on the harsh side effects of chemotherapy.
Marijuana does not increase the risk of cancer. Rather, it reduces the risk and is applicable as a therapy.
Cardiac Issues
Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. They cause more than 30% of the deaths in the world every year.
Of those deaths, 20% are from tobacco caused heart diseases. Smoking tobacco damages blood vessels and increases levels of bad cholesterol. It also makes blood thick, which heightens the risk of blood clots.
A glass of wine may be good for the heart but excessive drinking has the contrary effect. It raises blood pressure, weakens the heart muscle, and encourages weight gain, which is deterrent to proper heart function.
CBD has been found to have cardiac protective properties. It helps restore heart function, prevents obesity by encouraging maintenance of optimum body mass index.
CBD has been used by heart patients to treat conditions rather than pump themselves full of pharmaceuticals.
Effect on Driving Abilities
More than 3,000 people in the world die every day due to road accidents. A half pint of whisky raises the blood alcohol level of an adult male to 0.05%.
This increases the chances of causing an accident by 500%.
Alcohol decreases psychomotor functions significantly in the lowest levels. That’s a 500% more chance of causing one of several of those 3,000 deaths.
THC has psychoactive effects and it was therefore found to slow reaction time and affect motor skills with view to driving.
However, CBD has the complete opposite effect. It increases focus and alertness, helping to improve your motor skills.
Cannabidiol improves driving skills significantly. It has not been determined by exactly how much it reduces the risk of an accident but a guess would put it at quite high.
Effect on Reproductive Health
Thousands of babies are born each year with abnormalities due exposure to tobacco. Even second hand smoke is significant in this respect.
Other than that, tobacco reduces the chances of conception to only 40%. It also raises the chances of having a lower sperm count.
It has been reported that most tobacco smokers have abnormal patterns in sperm movement or some form of structural damage.
This means that if two tobacco smoking people couple up, the chances of their conception are slim to none.
Alcohol on the other hand affects release of some important hormones paramount to reproductive health. After prolonged abuse of alcohol, the man will most probably experience erectile dysfunction.
CBD has been used often for reproductive health. It targets production of hormones and stimulation of anandamide.
In men, CBD is effective in ensuring proper production of testosterone. This is in addition to its positive effect on libido.
Chances of Addiction
15% of alcohol users risk addiction. Double that number is at a high risk of addiction to tobacco. Only about 9% of marijuana users are at a risk of developing dependency.
Dependency is not as intense as addiction. It is a soft area between addiction and bad habit.
In this instance, marijuana refers to the cannabinoid THC. THC may over time damage the reward pathways through overstimulation of dopamine.
CBD’s mechanism of action is different from that of THC. It has contrary effects with respect to addiction. CBD works to repair those damaged reward pathways thus mitigating addiction.
Spousal Abuse
35% of women in the world have experienced domestic violence. A small percentage of men have experienced Intimate Partner Violence too but studies show that men are more likely to perpetrate IPV.
According to the National Council of Alcohol and Drug Dependence, two thirds of IPV victims say that alcohol was involved in the acts of domestic violence. Alcohol awakens and enhances previously passive aggression.
A study was conducted with 634 couples who were studied under the cloud of marijuana. It was found that marijuana decreased the instances of domestic violence. The couple existed more cohesively with the involvement of cannabis.
Legality
This has been a highly controversial topic. Marijuana is a schedule 1 drug. Basically, according to the federal government it has a high likelihood of causing addiction and has no medicinal benefits whatsoever.
Cannabis is rated up there with cocaine and heroin.
The scheduling includes CBD, which is non-psychoactive and 100% medicinal. To soften the stance, it has been said that sure CBD is beneficial but what are the chances of having pure CBD products in the market?
This provides hope that CBD could get some kind of pardon while THC remains scheduled, in the future.
THC has its own set of medicinal properties and so do the other cannabinoids. Marijuana is however available for medicinal use in more than 42 states in the US.
The only restrictions as far as alcohol is concerned are on age. Any under the age of 21 cannot consume, posses, or buy alcoholic beverages in the United States.
With regards to smoking tobacco, it cannot be done within 20 ft of a public building or from a moving vehicle. This is pretty much it.
It absurd that both tobacco and alcohol are legal at a certain age, yet they lead the way in causing diseases and deaths. While cannabis and its cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, which have proven medicinal values, are classified with heroin and are federally illegal.
Not to Encourage Overindulgence
This is not to say that marijuana is a better recreational option to others and that it is safer to abuse. It is to say that there is more to marijuana and especially the cannabinoid, CBD contained therein.
