Although it is been known for nearly 5,000 years, marijuana is one of the least understood of all naturally occurring drugs. It affects mood and thinking, much like alcohol, and may cause mild hallucinations. Serious physical damage from marijuana is uncertain at this time, but poor mental motivation, erratic driving and mechanical performance, decreases in body immunities, and possible damage to the sex organs are reported. The by-products of marijuana are stored in the liver, lungs, brain, spleen, lymphoid tissues and sex organs. Alcohol is a direct cause of liver disease, brain damage, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, impotency, and many other physical illnesses.
Alcohol consumption causes a number of marked changes in behavior.
Even low doses significantly impair the judgement and coordination required to drive a car safely, increasing the likelihood that the driver will be involved in an accident. Low to moderate doses of alcohol also increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child abuse. Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in higher mental functions, severely altering a person's ability to learn and remember information. Very high doses cause respiratory depression and death. If combined with other depressants of the central nervous system, much lower doses of alcohol will produce the effects just described.