Is Marijuana More Addictive Than Alcohol?

Time for a new update in the war against marijuana disinformation.

Is Marijuana More Addictive Than Alcohol?

So today we got this article that asks the question, "Is marijuana more addictive than alcohol?" Now anyone who is even remotely familiar with this plant should already know the answer to this question. It's almost insulting what some people will go to try to drag this plant back down into the depths of evilness. With that being said, let's begin the disinformation deconstruction.

But how much is too much? For this, you must know: Is marijuana less addictive than alcohol, the drug you plan to swap it for? Or will you end up like that guy in college who wore a Bob Marley beanie and whose desk was littered with “idea napkins”?

The answer to this and other questions surrounding the safety of marijuana is “we don’t know yet.” Pot has been illegal for decades, we have very little research on it, and the self-reported data of heavy smokers can be, shall we say, unreliable.

First, why is the author of the article even writing the article if she doesn't know the answer to the question in the title? Second, the statement above is incorrect. We actually have quite a bit of research on marijuana.

The lie that won’t die: “We don’t know enough about marijuana!”

Despite the US government’s nearly century-long prohibition of the plant, cannabis is nonetheless one of the most investigated therapeutically active substances in history. To date, there are over 20,000 published studies or reviews in the scientific literature referencing the cannabis plant and its cannabinoids, nearly half of which were published within the last five years according to a keyword search on PubMed Central, the US government repository for peer-reviewed scientific research. Over 1,450 peer-reviewed papers were published in 2013 alone. (By contrast, a keyword search of “hydrocodone,” a commonly prescribed painkiller, yields just over 600 total references in the entire body of available scientific literature.)

What information do these thousands of studies about cannabis provide us? For starters, they reveal that marijuana and its active constituents, known as cannabinoids, are relatively safe and effective therapeutic and/or recreational compounds. Unlike alcohol and most prescription or over-the-counter medications, cannabinoids are virtually nontoxic to health cells or organs, and they are incapable of causing the user to experience a fatal overdose. Unlike opiates or ethanol, cannabinoids are not classified as central nervous depressants and cannot cause respiratory failure. In fact, a 2008 meta-analysis published in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association reported that cannabis-based drugs were associated with virtually no elevated incidences of serious adverse side-effects in over 30 years of investigative use.

So either the article author didn't do her due diligence or she is purposely hiding this information to create this imaginary conflict between alcohol and marijuana. What's even funnier is that she goes on to say this (and includes a graph):

Here’s what we do know: According to many studies, the lifetime risk of dependence—defined as a desire to use increasing amounts of a substance and suffering withdrawal symptoms if you don’t—is lower for marijuana than it is for most other drugs, including alcohol. Here's one data series that several prominent researchers point to:

Of all the people who smoke pot, in other words, about 9 percent will become dependent. But of all the people who drink, about 16 percent will become alcoholics.

So without even answering her own question, she posts information that literally says, "No, marijuana isn't more addictive than alcohol." Of course then we get this qualifying statement:

But this is all based on the studies that were conducted during the age of prohibition. Historically, people haven’t been able to get marijuana easily, which skews the addiction statistics.

She must be smoking the plant as well, because anyone with any sense knows that marijuana use has risen exponentially throughout its prohibition. It's not like since it is illegal, people aren't using it or anything. Though I can kind of see what she is getting at. She is referring to availability. With it being legal, it is easier to obtain than it being illegal. But I'm not sure how a percentage can increase because of the availability. If the population size increases the number of people addicted will go up, but the percentage should stay the same. This seems like a loose argument to try to incite doubt of the plant.

Before I go, I'll leave you guys with this nice website showing history of marijuana and hemp use throughout the ages:
10,000-year History of Marijuana use in the World

Don't believe the lie. Marijuana has PLENTY of research throughout history backing up its usefulness.

Pot dampens your initiative to get ahead most times. This can be sort of addicting I suppose. It is a threat for consumerism as you don't want much more than a good stereo and a few practical things. It relieves stress for a lot of people but I do know some people that it makes very mean.

I would vote that it does have addictive properties for some people. Some people can get addicted to alcohol also, but most get addicted to the way of life that alcohol steers you to. That isn't really a true addiction though, you get used to going to bars and talking to people who are more sociable when they drink. It is a social adjuvant.

Comparing the two as to which is more addicting is hard because you have to consider the desire for the lifestyle and the companionship of your friends. Social drugs like these are hard to evaluate.

we all know that it is not more addictive so the author of the article is a moron.
that said, even if it was more addictive.... so what...?

oh i know there are plenty of people in this country that will freak out.
you know, the anti crowd.... they need all the ammo they can get, even if it is not solid.

my whole thing on a personal level is and has always been, so what?
addictive. not addictive. super mega addictive..... so what? it shouldnt matter.

there are lots of things on the market(like booze) that are addictive. some more than others.

big boys and girls should be able to make their own choices.

i am not just talking about reefer here but i really dont need/want people telling me that i can not have this or that. i dont need them telling me i shouldnt have this or that.

i know there are a lot of people out there who just want to 'inform' people....yeah right. ive talked with them in threads on here.

their whole little guise is 'educating' people and 'informing' them on all the negatives and possibles.
personally i dont think its about that at all but i guess thats for another thread.

--------------------------

to the article..... of course its BS. it really has no merit but i guess it does not need it to serve its purpose.
all people need to see is the question.... once they see the question then they can assume it is as bad as alcohol. then they can come here or go on facebook or they can go on twitter to spew their crap

More addicitive? I don't think so.

There are a hundred different strains of marijuana all with different effects, don't be stupid as to say "it just makes you unmotivated", because that's a lie.

How many pot smokers have smoked themselves to death? Hahaha

How many people drink themselves to death?

Both may become a crutch to some people, but I know which one is healthier for you

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Having seen, and interacted with both alcoholics, and marijuana addicts, I have to say that alcoholism seems to be the most physically taxing. Seems to have the greater effect on mental faculties, and is certainly a lot easier to kill yourself with. Pretty sure comparing the two, is an apples-oranges thing.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Pot dampens your initiative to get ahead most times. . you don't want much more than a good stereo and a few practical things. I do know some people that it makes very mean.

.

did you write the article cited in the first post?
ha

a reply to: Krazysh0t



AND?

Coffee, Tea, Cigarettes and Booze are all addictive yet still sold over the counter and taxed.


Still trying to think of the beneficial side effects of the above mentioned as the plant in question has.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Bob Sagat said it best in the movie "Half Baked". I won't repeat what he said here because it would be against T&C.

they started putting caffeine in coca cola even though caffeine can be dangerously addictive...and has also killed more people than marijuana. because it makes coke sell. marijuana being put through the red tape has nothing to do with its health effects. it is all economy and business.

It will be interesting to see what happens if marijuana was made legal. People would have little victory gardens in their back yard. That is when we will find out how much damage is possible. Low cost and high availability will change the amount of consumption.

originally posted by: rickymouse
I would vote that it does have addictive properties for some people. Some people can get addicted to alcohol also, but most get addicted to the way of life that alcohol steers you to. That isn't really a true addiction though, you get used to going to bars and talking to people who are more sociable when they drink. It is a social adjuvant.

Marijuana is definitely addictive. It just isn't as addictive as alcohol.

It amazes me that Big Pharm can release new Drugs all the time and know all about it within a few Months or a few years. But the plant has been "Studied" for Decades with no definitive answers yet.

BS

Peace

a reply to: jude11

I know right. Twenty THOUSAND separate peer reviewed studies have been done on marijuana while only 600 have been done on hydrocodone. How can anyone believe that there is little information about the health effects of this plant anymore?

More Propaganda pieces to fool the ignorant and the trusting fools who still think that the govt loves them.....
Balls!

WHO KNOWS?!

Oh that's right, everyone already knows the answer:

source: Gallup (2013)

BTW:

Bob Marley and idea napkins rock.

When seeing these threads about cannabis i also see from the comments that those are the people who use cannabis, not all of them but i would say the majority.

Even though is not allowed to speak of personal use, there is many times a slight hint that the commenter is also a user.

These people have the knowledge and answers if cannabis is addicting or not, and how that addiction works both good and bad for them.
Unfortunately there are two problems in here, we can not speak about it, and most will probably not admit the addiction if they had the chance to speak about it.

My opinion is that it's addicting as much as the person want it to be, and the same goes for alcohol, if you can lay of or just enjoy once in a while, obviously you are not addicted, and the other way around is of course you are addicted, but it's a personal preference to do or not to do.

My advice is not to do as you can be addicted from various causes and being addicted is actually not fun at all.

a reply to: Bovah

bummer for you. too bad its like that

adults still dont need to be told what they can and cant have.

i could run down the negative effects of all kinds of things that are on the market and sold/used every day by millions of people.

ever see how irritable some people can be if they dont have their morning coffee. ever see how irritable and jittery some people can be after they have their morning coffee?
ever see how irritable some people can be if they have not had a cigarette in 10 whole minutes?
ever see how jacked some people can get after they have had too much sugar?

what about the people that put sugar in their coffee and drink it while they have a cigarette?

yeah, those people are peachy when they dont have certain things.


all that said...people still dont need to be told they cant have it. i dont think any more studies need to be done*
all that crap is a waste of time.
legalization is the only way to go here.
at the very least, there needs to be legal medical use. that would be a nice first step(a very small one)

*about the studies. i think medical/industrial studies are the only ones that should be happening right now.

we 'should' be so far past all the hype type studies. you know study shows blah blah blah.....alcohol

they need to be studying above board, on the books, peer reviewed MEDICINE as it pertains to mj

a reply to: Mianeye

I agree man. This is a tough topic to talk about without talking about personal usage (ESPECIALLY this topic). Personally, I think we should be able to speak about it, but I'm mostly just happy that ATS let's us talk about marijuana at all so I don't push the issue.