Here Are the Facts on Pot-You Decide

[Nasty Jack]

CNN asks whether marijuana is as safe or safer than alcohol. One of the headlines surrounding this headline is "High Profits" an indication of the exceptional revenue for states that have legalized it, particularly for recreational use. But this article is all about the medical benefits or disadvantages and there are a lot. As an opening, Pres. Obama said, "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol." That might do it for the Progressives but not for the conservative right. Anyway, here are the facts:

Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States.
Pot use is limited due to its designation as a Schedule 1 substance, the same category as heroin, LSD and Ecstasy, and also due to its illegal nature in most states.
The addiction of alcohol is proven with approximately 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults suffering from abuse.
Marijuana's addictive qualities are not yet fully understood, but estimates say 9% of people who use marijuana will become addicted to it.
Drunk drivers kill one person and injure 20 every hour.
The pot smoker effects while driving results--a slight impact on the psychomotor skills--are still questionable since most of the studies are lab tests.

There's more in this comprehensive article, such as how alcohol and marijuana affect your appetite and weight gain, how it can help or hinder the sexual drive and lower your inhibitions to the point you neglect safe sex, and what the long-term health risks are for each. The absolute downside is some 88,000 Americans die each year because of excessive alcohol use. Again the marijuana facts are limited on deaths but one study found pot users have a 4.8-fold increase in risk of a heart attack during the first hour after smoking because of the drug's effect on your heart rate.

But what do you want to bet it eventually comes down to the increased state income on the sale of pot. Legal marijuana state revenue (medicinal/recreational) in Colorado generated $63 million in 2014 tax revenue, with an additional $13 million collected in licenses and fees on $700 million in sales. Sales are expected to be $1 billion by 2016.

Nasty Jack

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. those aren't facts by any stretch of the imagination.

They are DEA talking points.

Crime and the need of ER care has dropped in Colorado, rather significantly since legalization. So have auto accidents, as people seem to prefer the healthier choice, pot over alcohol.

Given the positive impact on PTSD sufferers, people with chronic pain, and the general gentle disposition of people on pot, compared to the acts of violence and spousal abuse that is often connected to alcohol abuse, which would you prefer?

By the way, what on this flat earth constitutes as a Pot Addiction? It is not listed in the DSM-IV(R) , which is the hand book of all mental illnesses, addictions, etc. Again, you are hawking DEA talking points. I suggest you study real facts, instead of Reefer Madness crap.

[quickesst]

2. totally agree

...with you. Show me one instance of someone suffering from withdrawals of pot, and I'll show you a person who is addicted psychologically, not physically. I'm 63 and smoked pot up until the time I was 59. The only reason I don't smoke it now is because of my job. If it is legalized and i no longer have to fear losing that job because of testing, the first thing I'll do is go out and buy me a sack, and hopefully it will be legal. Having said that, I got caught up in the drinking because of personal problems. I thought it was an escape. It was not an escape. It was a trap, and I led myself into it. I spent one solid year in VA rehab kicking this thing. it wasn't easy, but I am now alcohol free, happy, and feeling good. When I quit smoking, I simply stopped. no ill effects, no withdrawals, just stopped. There are times when someone trying to help a cause don't really help. Promoting so-called helpful tidbits from the establishment still leaves people believing there are dangers that do not really exist.

[B Calm]

3. I haven't smoked pot in over two weeks and with no withdraw symptoms.

[mountain grammy]

4. I had a harder time giving up diet coke..

then I ever did giving up pot.. when I couldn't smoke because of my job.

[tridim]

5. Cannabis is NOT addictive and it is non-toxic.

I don't even think it's fair to compare Cannabis (not a poison) with Alcohol (a potent, dangerous poison).

Compare Cannabis to other safe medicinal herbs.

[hobbit709]

8. Self serving DEA BS talking points.

[hopemountain]

9. i would like a link to

the article. note: the only heart palpitations i ever experienced after inhaling was from street purchased weed. once i limited my consumption to homegrown or local grown, i had no problem.