There are many states that have legalized marijuana, and more states are lined up to do the same. Very soon, marijuana could be legal in all of the United States. There are many views from both sides of the subject, so it is important to know why legalization is happening now. Most people have been brought up to believe marijuana is a drug and therefore bad. When looking at cannabis (marijuana), it is easier to compare and contrast it to other substances, like alcohol. If marijuana is being debated, it is common to bring alcohol into the conversation. One reason these two substances are grouped together is because alcohol, like marijuana, was also illegal for a short time during the Prohibition. If these two substances are being compared, …show more content…
An overdose generally means taking in more than what the body can handle. When comparing alcohol and marijuana in terms of overdosing, there are stark contrasts. Alcohol poses huge risk for overdosing, and often times the outcome can be fatal. As the article "Alcohol" puts it, "Severe intoxication may lead to COMA and respiratory failure". (Para 2) This is opposite to marijuana use where Philippe Lucas explains, "There has never been a substantiated case of death resulting from cannabis overdose". (Para 1) These facts may put into perspective as to which is more harmful, whether it was on purpose or an accidental overdose. With an alcohol over-dose a person may experience vomiting, blacking out, poor decision-making, or even death. Marijuana on the other hand, a person may experience paranoia, hunger, or …show more content…
Short-term side effects from alcohol and cannabis are often less concerning, such as hangovers and paranoia. The long-term side effects can be more detrimental to a person’s health. For both substances a person may experience a level of dependency to where it can affect ones professional and personal life. According to the article “Alcohol”, “The wide range of life-threatening problems caused by heavy drinking includes Hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and pancreatitis”. (para 6) In regards to marijuana (canabis), Versteeg reports, “Smoking cannabis is associated with oral premalignant lesions, including leukoplakia and erythroplakia”. (Pg 317) There has been a significant amount of studies that have shown just how devastating alcohol is on the body as well as the mind. There is currently less amount of studies and statistics on the damaging effects of marijuana. The last comparison between alcohol and marijuana is the use of the substance medically. Alcohol does have its uses medically, but that is a different type of alcohol that is not consumed. This form of alcohol is useful for sterilization and it is even in mouthwash. That is about as far as alcohol goes for medical usage. On the other hand, Cannabis has a long list of uses; in fact, for thousands of years, cannabis has been used medically. This includes, controlling seizures, pain relief, reduces anxiety, depression,