Cannabis vs. Alcohol?

It is probably the case that most regular people will not consider much of a difference between cannabis and alcohol in terms of which one they should consume. If anything most people consider alcohol as the lesser of the two 'evils'. Perhaps due to the fact that alcohol consumption is ubiquitous to almost all cultures. Whereas cannabis consumption, due to its illegality has become somewhat of a subculture. Although it is making a comeback in recent years due to legalization efforts in countries like Uruguay. And the acceptance of its many medical applications in North America, Europe, and other countries around the world.

I am not going to pretend that I do not have an agenda, I do. I want to help my readers realize just how stupid it is to compare cannabis to alcohol, and in fact show that it is better placed somewhere between non-alcoholic beer and coffee. The very fact that cannabis is often paired with coffee as a way to jump start ones creativity and productivity should make this very obvious. Some progressive workplaces even go so far as to allow cannabis consumption at the workplace. Here are two reasons why cannabis is safer than alcohol and more like coffee.

1. LD50

The LD50 means the dose of an ingested substances at which 50 percent of the the subjects die. Cannabis effectively does not have an LD50. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1500 pounds of cannabis within fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response. You would die from carbon monoxide poisoning before dying from an overdose of THC. In fact, no one has ever died from cannabis alone. On the other hand the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has the stats on alcohol at approximately 29,001 deaths from alcohol in the US alone, excluding accidents and homicides. Elizabeth Warren is a US senator who has recently called for the legalization of cannabis to help curb America's opiod addiction crisis.

And then no offense, but the pompous uneducated crowd thumps their chest and yells "But what about being high and driving!?" Well... that is no longer up for debate as there is proof that driving under the influence of cannabis is significantly safer than driving under the influence of alcohol. And this is a non issue in the near future where nearly all densely populated roadways will be occupied by self-driving cars.

2. Health

Cannabis is significantly safer than alcohol. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, and cannabis has none. Cannabis has recognized as having multiple medical uses including the treatment of cancer. Whereas alcohol consumption is linked to causing certain types of cancer. Cannabis smoking is only linked to upper respiratory tract problems, but not linked directly to causing cancer. And who is smoking cannabis nowadays? Vaporizing has become affordable and is much safer, cleaner, and more effective than smoking the plant. You avoid the taste of burnt plant matter and the buildup of resin and tar in the lungs. New methods in essential oil extraction have turned the world of cannabis upside down in terms of contaminant free material. All you are getting with some of these oils is the cannabinoids and there associated terpenes which have their own benefits.

I don't recommend using cannabis unless it helps you function better or relax. But to lump it in the same category as alcohol is making a huge mistake. Cannabis and other psychedelics help to increase openness to experience. Maybe that is just what we need to reignite our humanity and rekindle our long lost relationship with this plant and others. I don't even use cannabis daily but I know from personal experience that it can...

• rekindle your relationship with nature
• make you anxious about all your superficial insecurities
• heighten your sexuality
• increase appetite and appreciation of food
• increase suspension of disbelief
• relax musculoskeletal system
• widen your musical taste
• promote creative thinking
• aid in digestion
• help sleep

Of course it can also lead to...

• time spent 
• money spent
• paranoid thinking

But those are only a subset of the negative effects of alcohol which also include...

• vomiting
• dying
• poor decision making

I could have written a more exhaustive article, but I realize at this point it is not the lack of information about cannabis that is preventing people from making this connection. Those who still believe in the idea of the 'devils lettuce' are willfully ignorant, and perhaps this time around are indeed on the wrong side of history.