Marijuana Is Less Harmful than Alcohol

Health Effects The overdose argument was not my only argument. However, considering it's much easier to die or sustain serious health problems from taking too much alcohol than from taking too much marijuana, I'd consider alcohol more harmful. The health problems that my opponent says that marijuana causes are either misunderstandings, or not as bad as the health effects of alcohol. For example, marijuana's supposed effects on the brain were taken out of context, "Research is full of nuance, and nuance sometimes gets lost in the conversation. The collective freakout over this study had to do with its findings: Certain regions of the brains of people who smoke marijuana are structurally different than people who don't. That got interpreted, at least in headlines and ledes, as marijuana changes your brain. .. The conclusions were modest in the paper " we never say marijuana causes these changes. .. The media may have given that impression in headlines, but the study doesn't show causation. "[1] As for apathy, a ridiculous amount of other drugs cause this, so it's hardly groundbreaking. Finally, the supposed marijuana/lung cancer link is exaggerated as well. "Findings from a limited number of well-designed epidemiological studies do not suggest an increased risk for the development of either lung or upper airway cancer from light or moderate use, although evidence is mixed concerning possible carcinogenic risks of heavy, long-term use. "[2][3] Legal Issues My opponent makes a critical miscalculation here. Even assuming his argument is valid (people taking marijuana consciously choose to get high at the risk of getting arrested, so for them, it isn't harmful), there are more arrests related to marijuana. About 12.5% of only drug related incarcerations concern marijuana (including manufacturing and distribution), while, "According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), 37% [of all convicted] of almost 2 million convicted offenders currently in jail, report that they were drinking at the time of their arrest. " So in other words, as I mentioned in the first round, alcohol causes a lot of people to commit crimes. Therefore, marijuana may be illegal, but alcohol gives people an easier time committing crime they wouldn't normally commit. Further, most marijuana arrests are not for life, whereas alcohol related arrests (for murder, rape, or other life crimes) can easily be for life. [4][5] And actually, marijuana has a large number of uses outside of being a recreational drug. It has numerous agricultural benefits, including weed suppression, soil improvement in crop rotation, and less need for dangerous pesticides; It can be used to make paper, rope, carpets, caulking, cement, insulation, and many other products. [6] On top of that, there are the medical considerations, which my opponent overlooks. It can be used to treat and prevent glaucoma, it can help control epileptic seizures, it may decrease anxiety, can help people decrease drinking, and more importantly, contains chemicals that stop cancer from spreading, slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, ease the pain of multiple sclerosis, and improves the symptoms of lupus. It also spurs creativity in the brain. So marijuana has a large number of uses in the medical field, including helping treat things better than other current drugs on the market. [7] Therefore, my opponent's arguments either fail or backfire completely. Marijuana has a large number of uses in both industry and medicine, with considerably more than alcohol in the latter. Further, while taking marijuana itself is illegal, alcohol removes the inhibitions people have with committing crime, making it easier for them to commit crime themselves, oftentimes much worse than simple drug possession. In fact, life in prison is much more likely with alcohol-related crimes than they are with marijuana crimes. Further, alcohol clearly causes more and worse health problems than marijuana does. It is easy to see that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, both in health effects and potential crime potential. Sources [1]: . http://mic.com... [2]: . http://www.huffingtonpost.com... [3]: . http://news.thoracic.org... [4]: . http://norml.org... [5]: . https://ncadd.org... [6]: . http://www.420hwy.com... [7]: . http://www.businessinsider.com...