Alcohol vs Weed: How Similar Are Their Effects on the Body?

Sure, research on the topic is ramping up a bit, but there’s still a lack of large, long-term studies. Before getting into comparing alcohol and weed, it’s important to understand some of the factors that make the comparison tricky. “But in terms of us getting clear to use our resources to combat other major drugs, that’s a positive,” Riley said, noting that fentanyl alone accounts for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. a year. Biden and a growing number of lawmakers from both major political parties have been pushing for the DEA decision as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted, particularly by younger people. A Gallup poll last fall found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level yet recorded by the polling firm and more than double the roughly 30% who backed it in 2000. Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD.

Risks of moderate alcohol use

But even light to moderate drinking can have hazards, like an increased risk for cancer, for instance. Alcohol is a carcinogen, contributing to 5.6% of cancers and 4% of cancer deaths nationwide, according to the National Cancer Institute, which also points out that as little as one drink a day can increase your cancer odds. Excessive alcohol can also flood the body with toxins that may harm your heart, liver, pancreas, gut, lungs, kidneys what are the signs of cocaine use and immune system, says the NIAAA. Because of these difficulties, epidemiological studies have also shown inconsistent effects, some finding decreased or no risk from driving while smoking marijuana, and others increased risk. Most studies are fraught with methodological problems that could lead to underreporting of drug use or misclassification of experimental subjects into or out of the marijuana-using category, confounding results.

1. And, unlike with alcohol, fatal overdoses of cannabis are very uncommon, if not impossible.
2. In November 2017, a group of the nation’s top cancer doctors issued a statement asking people to drink less.
3. Some neural recovery may be possible after abstinence; however, months or years may be required for complete recovery of functional connectivity from heavy cannabis use.
4. The way you consume weed can have a big impact on its short- and long-term effects.
5. Despite there being issues, most issues caused by cannabis can be reversible if you stop using cannabis.

Impact on Learning and Memory

While there can be the odd allergic reaction or bad interaction or even a child may inadvertently consume cannabis, there isn’t sufficient data to point towards any deaths caused by cannabis. On the surface, weed appears to be safer, but there’s simply not enough evidence to declare a winner. Both weed and alcohol can carry a potential for misuse and addiction, but this appears to be more common with alcohol. Cannabis addiction is surprisingly common, however, according to 2015 study. It’s also important to remember that there aren’t many high-quality, long-term studies on weed and its effects. If you do get hungover, you might experience other effects, including headaches and diarrhea.

Macrostructural Effects on Brain Structure

This review aims to identify neurobiological and neuropsychological consequences of adolescent alcohol and cannabis use by summarizing prospective, longitudinal studies that repeatedly assess individuals over time as patterns of substance use emerge and escalate. However, many of the included studies used only two neuroimaging or neurocognitive time points, which does not allow for more complex modeling and understanding of developmental trajectories over time. Furthermore, reliably identifying causal mechanisms in observational studies without randomization is difficult, with the primary concern being confounding (i.e., whether causal associations are real, or entirely or partly confounded by other variables). The studies synthesized in this review included statistical models with a range of sociodemographic and environmental covariates to address the issue of confounding. The validity of case-control studies rests entirely on careful matching of cases with controls, which is hard to do.

Levels of Care in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Heavy alcohol and cannabis co-use in adolescence has been linked to a range of deficits, including deficits in attentional control, learning and memory, visuospatial functioning, and psychomotor speed. The added effect of co-use versus singular use has not been adequately explored to date, although early evidence suggests that heavy alcohol use may be driving some of these effects. Overall, studies focused on alcohol use during adolescence have observed a disruption in learning and memory development following heavy and binge drinking, with the severity of effects related to levels of consumption. Occasional cannabis use has been shown to have a negative effect on recall but not on learning. Meanwhile, heavy co-use for up to 10 years is related to poor outcomes, which may be driven by the effects of alcohol use rather than cannabis use.

“I believe we have provided the best currently available analysis of an extremely complex multifaceted data set.” Alcohol is everywhere yet we are well aware of the risks and dangers of alcohol use and abuse. The cannabis industry is making marijuana as readily available thanks to recreational legalization; it could be as common as alcohol. While there are some issues to the abuse of cannabis they are nowhere near as hazardous as alcoholism and the toll of alcohol on the body. Overall, cannabis use can be healthier and less addictive than alcohol use. Many of the issues have to do with legality and preconceived judgment of cannabis.

It can also lower your inhibitions making you more likely to make riskier or rash decisions that can lead to an accident. However, this is low compared to 40% of all car crashes that directly involve alcohol. Now while cannabis deaths caused by disease, illness or drug interactions there are some data points regarding accidents, specifically car accidents. Legalization has provided data points about the potential increase in accidents related to cannabis. Additionally, cannabis is not always the only drug or substance that someone might be using. This also skews any data because someone engaged in an accident or having a health issue may have more than cannabis in their system.

Generally speaking, weed tends to come with fewer risks than alcohol, but there are a lot of factors to consider. Plus, they’re unique substances that produce different effects, which makes side-by-side comparisons difficult. Schedule III drugs are 10 fetal alcohol syndrome celebrities you’ll be surprised who! still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution. Drinking moderately if you’re otherwise healthy may be a risk you’re willing to take.

Less than 50% of Americans have even tried marijuana, and a much smaller percentage are using it on a regular basis. So the sheer numbers of people showing up in the ER after smoking pot are going to be a lot less than for alcohol. However, having worked in ERs since pot was legalized, crack cocaine wikipedia I can tell you that people who smoke weed are showing up a lot more now than in the past, and those numbers are climbing. The main reason we don’t know is because marijuana isn’t just one thing. Alcohol is alcohol, whether you’re talking about beer, wine, or spirits.

Green Health Docs’ mission is to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic. As a team of pain medicine physicians, anesthesiologists, and surgeons, we knew that there had to be a better way to help patients. Our goal was to give patients easy access to medical cannabis as an alternative to traditional pain medications, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and other addictive and harmful drugs. One thing that’s clear about the alcohol vs. weed debate is that both should be used responsibly and driving while intoxicated on anything should be avoided at all costs. That being said, alcohol still faces all of the same aforementioned tolls on your health and risks of addiction. In general, marijuana is considered less harmful than alcohol but alcohol can be considered more socially acceptable.

People attribute it to be a social lubricant that allows people to stave off social anxiety and be more outgoing and talkative. Cannabis can be addictive but this is more a psychological dependency than a physical one. It can be more habitual or emotional in nature and can be aided by therapy and not necessarily require outside intervention.

The researchers reported that combining THC and alcohol consistently impaired driving performance, with worse performance during nighttime simulations. In each session, participants consumed a different combination of placebo, low, and moderate doses of THC and alcohol. For example, you might feel like you’re good to drive, but your blood alcohol level may be well over the legal limit. Weed appeared to slow down the rise of blood alcohol levels after consuming a high dose of alcohol. Occasionally mixing alcohol and weed — also known as crossfading — likely won’t lead to major health problems.

One study found that marijuana increased the odds of being in car accident by 83%. “How much you’re impaired depends on the person, and how much you smoke,” Baler said. Because some people are stoned a lot of the time, while others may use marijuana only on weekends, the health effects become difficult to generalize. “Excess alcohol is going to lead to very severe consequences, and chronic excess alcohol is the most likely to lead to a lot of threatening issues,” Murray said.