There’s no doubt that marijuana has become one of the most popular intoxicants of the modern day. Between socializing with friends or going to see a new movie, weed has been the drug of choice for many decades at this point. With all this, however, will marijuana be able to compete with alcohol for big festivities as legalization is on the forefront?
Marijuana may have been sitting in the woodworks for some time now as its legal standing has scared many out of using it. As more and more states, 31 in total have legalized the use of cannabis in one form or another, it seems as though its popularity is off the charts. With New Years coming up as the favorite holiday for people to become intoxicated, is marijuana a viable choice as an alternative to alcohol?
One of the most important factors to note is that of the healthy aspect. Cannabis is widely known to have little side effects. When one overuses weed, the majority of the time they end up eating too much food and then going to bed. Doesn’t sound too bad right? Alcohol, as many know can often be deadly in high amounts, and at the best can end up causing that food to come right up, along with a nasty hangover the next day. But alcohol is considered to be quite socially acceptable whereas cannabis is still working its way into the social sphere.
Places like Canada and Uruguay have legalized weed on a wide scale for recreational use. Some have stated that the U.S. may be able to legalize cannabis’ use nationwide in the coming years, but will this be able to take back its aura as a somewhat taboo substance?
New reports have shown that cannabis may, in fact, be the drug of choice for those who don’t have access to alcohol, which some have stated may actually be a good thing. Information collected recently shows that in the past thirty years, the average age of consuming a cigarette rose by about a year. One study states that “alcohol and cigarette use have precipitously declined in adolescent populations for 20 years.
One of the most positive effects of this increase in age is that we have also seen a decline in the amount of drunk driving from those at such a young age. This is not to say that it doesn’t exist, but rather that the age of intoxicated driving has risen. Some studies have shown that cannabis may be as much as 114 times safer than alcohol consumption in terms of mortality rates. And given that the deaths from cannabis are still at zero, this number makes all too much sense.
As we move toward a future where weed is legal, the hopes are that it may be able to lessen the dependence of society on alcohol. Only time will tell, however, how safe marijuana can continue to be, and how much of an alternative it remains when considering alcohol as a much less safe substance to use. For now, remember to be smart and take a cab.
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