cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Poses Fewer Health Risks Than Alcohol Marijuana Poses Fewer Health Risks Than Alcohol Posted by CN Staff on March 11, 2003 at 22:45:17 PT By Sean Jamison, Staff Writer Source: North Texas Daily Artists, songwriters and countless others involved in the entertainment industry have indulged in drug use, both legal and illegal, for years. A recent bill proposed to the Texas Legislature could decriminalize the use of marijuana.Field experts compare the side effects of the "wacky tobaccy" with that of legal drugs such as alcohol in round one of the epic battle pitting beer against bud. "Alcohol affects more brain chemicals than any other psychoactive drug," said Dr. Jim Quinn, director of the Institute of Addictions and coordinator of the Addiction and Substance Program within the NT Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions.Quinn said most psychoactive drugs affect two or three neurotransmitters, where as alcohol triples that number, causing more widespread distortion of the mental process.Because alcohol also produces tissue dependence, affecting every organ and tissue in the body, Quinn said it is much more likely cause addiction than marijuana."Physically, the addictive properties of alcohol are much worse than marijuana," he said."If you've been a heavy drinker for months or years, you need some medical supervision or de-toxing to quit. That is not true with marijuana."However, "taking the ganja" does not come without its own set of consequences.Frequent marijuana users usually suffer from a reduced short-term memory as well as difficulties in learning and retaining information.The effects, however, vary greatly from person to person, Quinn said.By discontinuing use, marijuana users can regenerate most damaged cells.Drugs such as alcohol and marijuana don't only affect the users. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1,900 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Texas in the year 2000. This number far surpasses the 1,400 alcohol-related deaths in the larger populated California.In fact, more than half of every fatal car accident in Texas this past year involved a drunk driver.Alcohol, a legal drug, can also kill users directly via overdose or alcohol poisoning. According to state hospital records, more than 1,000 children under the age of 15 are rushed to emergency clinics to treat alcohol poisoning each year. Nearly one-quarter of all those awaiting treatment don't make it off the operating table."To this date, there has never been a reported death related to cannabis use," said Rick D. Day, executive director of the Texas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.In fact, alcohol is the only drug recognized by the Justice Department as causing aggression in humans, and it s a factor in at least 60 percent of all homicides, according to Dorsey Zawitz and Middleton's book Drug and Crime Facts."Alcohol makes you stupid," Quinn said. "You're acting on impulses without evaluating, particularly sexually and aggressive ones. Alcohol users act without thinking; people who use pot tend to think without acting."Note: Decriminalization bill raises question of drug hazards. Source: North Texas Daily (TX)Author: Sean Jamison, Staff WriterPublished: March 06, 2003Copyright: 2003 North Texas DailyContact: mfm0001 unt.edu Website: http://www.ntdaily.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Texas NORMLhttp://www.normltexas.org/Activist Wants Drug Reforms, Not War http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15697.shtmlSpeaker Desires Legal Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15439.shtmlStepnoski Now Advocating Marijuana Legalizationhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15531.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment