Preview

Alcohol vs Marijuana

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
618 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Alcohol vs Marijuana
Alcohol and marijuana are two drugs commonly used and abused in the United States. Alcohol is the number one abused drug, while marijuana is number one among illegal drugs. While alcohol remains legal, and marijuana illegal, this does not necessarily mean that alcohol is better for you. There have been many arguments where people suggest that marijuana should be legal because alcohol is more deadly. On the other hand, there are alcoholics who would tell a pothead that smoking weed is bad for you. Both substances are very bad for your health and should not be heavily used by anyone but we do need to be a little more piteous to the people that do drugs because you don’t know what they go through in life .
Although, Marijuana has such a bad reputation Marijuana is one of the most common drug today and its also arrant. But what exactly is marijuana? Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seed, and flowers of the hemp plants. There are a lot of names for this drug and they are: pot, herb, weed, grass, boom, mary jane, gangster, or chronic. Marijuana has been around for many years and has been thought to be illegal and harmful. But marijuana has been used for medical reasons, including: medicine, hemp rope, crude cloth and enjoyment.
Why do young people use marijuana? There are many reasons why they do that and most young people smoke marijuana because their friends or brothers and sisters use marijuana and pressure them to try it. others may think its cool to use marijuana because they hear songs about it and see it on TV and in movies. Some teens may feel they need marijuana and other drugs to help them escape from their problems at home, at school, or with friends.
Alcohol is a drug that is classified as a central nervous system depressant. There are three forms of alcohol, beer, wine and distilled spirits. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States and has more adverse effects that most other drugs

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    What many people do not understand about marijuana is that it is a safe drug and not all drugs are bad drugs. “Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose.” (NORML, 2015). Marijuana comes in third behind alcohol and tobacco as the most popular recreational drugs. There has never been a death due to marijuana due to the fact that is is nearly impossible to overdose and it is “nontoxic”. It is very confusing to many people as to why this drug is illegal when looking at how safe it is compared to things like alcohol and tobacco…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Marijuana, a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the plant Cannabis sativa, is the most common and used illicit drug in the United States. (Research Reports: Marijuana Abuse) Marijuana was banned by U.S. federal government in 1937, but it is estimated that 14.8 million Americans use…

    • 3453 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana is a mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems and flowers from a hemp plant better know as Cannabis sativa. Uses of marijuana can be recreational or medical and the earliest recorded uses date from the 3rd millennium BC. (Rudgley, “The Lost Civilizations”) Tetrahydrocannabinol also known as THC is the chemical responsible for marijuana’s psychological effects. THC stimulates cells in the brain to release dopamine and causes euphoria like feeling. While the most popular use is for recreational purposes, it is proven that it can help in the medical field also. Even medical marijuana is illegal in most states. Supporters of medical marijuana argue that it can be safe and effective against AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma and other conditions. Nonetheless, abusing marijuana can lead to problem with learning, memory and social behavior. It can also interfere with family, work and other activities. But there are many in favor for cannabis like Bob Marley a famous musician and known for his use of marijuana describes in an interview “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction”.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cigarettes vs Marijuana

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cigarettes are a mixture of the most dangerous substances for humans to consume and yet they are legal and mass produced so that everyone can smoke them. Marijuana on the other hand is nowhere nearly as harmful as cigarettes but is illegal and looked at as if it were far worse than cigarettes. It is long overdue that society recognizes the fact that marijuana is better for people than cigarettes by a mile. Cigarettes are extremely more addictive than marijuana, the usage patterns for marijuana cannot compare to cigarettes, and dozens of lethal chemicals are put into cigarettes whereas marijuana is a natural plant and doesn’t contain nearly as many chemicals.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Reefer Madness

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What is marijuana? marijuana, as most know it, is derived from the plant cannabis indica. The leaves and flowering buds of the female cannabis plant are harvested and dried. The product of this process is called, among many other titles, marijuana. Cannabis is a schedule 1 drug, considered illegal in the United States. The reason for this? Smoking marijuana gets you high. The sensation of a high is hard to describe. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, mimics the neurotransmitter anadamide, producing a slightly euphoric, stimulated, thought provoking high. Recently, marijuana has been a strong topic of debate, support for its legalization has been growing steadily. It has already been decriminalized in 18 states, and is now legalized in 2. It seems marijuana is on the fast track to social and legal acceptance, and for good reason. marijuana should be federally recognized as legal because of its relatively insignificant ill side effects, adversely positive medical value, and public support. Alcohol is one of, if not the most, popular drug in America, and its not exactly safe. Alcohol is linked to upwards of 75,000 deaths per year. To put that into perspective, thats twice as many deaths per year caused by firearms (suicide and homicide alike). This toll is accepted for a simple reason, we love alcohol. Bars and liquor stores line our city streets.. On weekend evenings, getting drunk with your buddies is a social norm. As a nation, our government attempted to end this statistic via prohibition. Making alcohol illegal didn’t stop Americans from drinking, crime…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marijuana is described by the National Institute of Drug Abuse as the dried leaves of the Cannibas Sativa plant. It has been used worldwide for its many benefits from medicinal to industrial up until the 1930s. Common misconceptions about marijuana have been established by the government, at times for personal and political gain, or to just discourage the use of marijuana. Even now it is one of the most commonly used illegal drugs with over 17 million Americans 21 and older admitting to recent use according to a 2009 National Survey by SAMHSA.…

    • 1830 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leagalizing Marijuana

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages

    According to the Webster definition, Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and is smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect. The main ingredient to marijuana is THC, and this is what causes the intoxicating effects to the user. The side effects of smoking marijuana range from delayed judgement, increased appetite, and a slight feeling of euphoria (Webster). These are the side effects of using marijuana called the "high". The level of 'high' will vary from person to person and the amount of marijuana…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Marihuana

    • 611 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Marijuana is considered one of the drugs most used in the whole world and is seen as one of the biggest enemies. ¿What is marihuana? This is a dry herb that is cut into small pieces and it can be smoked like a cigarette, better known as “porro”. Regardless of the name, this drug is a hallucinogen substance which distorts how the mind perceives the world in which they live. The possession of marihuana in many places are considered illegal, while in other countries and cities such as Amsterdam, they have legalized marijuana as a free consumption of these product. Small quantities of marijuana have been allowed in regions such as South America, Europe and North America and in the United States some places such as Washington, legalized as a medial purpose the consumption of this product. The Bad use of marihuana, may have high risk personal and legal level.…

    • 611 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    What is exactly marijuana? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2014), marijuana, which also called weed, is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds form the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. In addition, the main chemical in marijuana is produced by leaves and buds primarily of the female cannabis plant, the plant is also contains more than 500 other chemicals, including over 100 compounds that are chemically related to cannabinoidsa (“Marijuana,” 2014). Marijuana has been used for medical purposes for a long period of time. This is one of the main reasons that many people think marijuana should be legalized. The idea is not entirely wrong. The article by Watisla and Palumbo (2013) supports that doctors sometimes prescribe medical marijuana to treat: muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea form cancer chemotherapy, poor appetite and weight loss caused by chronic illness, such as HIV, or nerve pain. Moreover, marijuana is able to make people…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    What is marijuana? Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other related compounds. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Marijuana is used in many ways with different tools. Some include hand-rolled cigarettes known as a joint, a pipe which is better known as a bong, or using vaporizers. Also users sometimes mix it in with their food or even brew it as a tea. If the user…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana vs. Alcohol

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Everyone that lives in California knows that there is a drug war going on in our state. In America today, marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug. On the news or newspapers you see stories being done on the raided medicinal marijuana clinics. Even though pot is legal to the state, the FDA doesn’t approve of it, and will tear down any major clinics they find. I feel as though this is unfair. There are multiple people with green cards, and need marijuana for illnesses such as, glaucoma, depression, anorexia, and cancer; and they’re getting it taken away, and a lot of the reason they need it, is because their original prescribed medicine is costing them too much, and they need a cheaper alternative.…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conditions that marijuana is typically prescribed to treat are cancer, AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. Medical cannabis is a highly controversial subject because cannabis is still considered illegal under federal law. In fact, Federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, which means that it has no safe medical use and a high potential for abuse. Both of these statements are completely false. Marijuana has been proven to be beneficial as a form of medical treatment. Also, marijuana is not physically addictive and therefore, has low potential for abuse. Some people can develop minor dependence issues from a psychological standpoint. When comparing marijuana's drug classification to the most popular drugs in the United States it is illogical. Alcohol and Tobacco are both far more addictive and harmful than cannabis is. Each year new research is released documenting the harmful effects that tobacco and alcohol have on the body. Including direct links to cancer and death. Unlike tobacco marijuana has never been linked to cancer. In addition, there has never been a single documented death from cannabis usage. Alcohol causes people to use poor decision making and it causes people to become violent and aggressive. When comparing marijuana to modern day pharmaceuticals one again is forced to conclude that marijuana's classification is unjustified.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana Legalization

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Marijuana is the dried blossom of cannabis sativa and cannabis indica plants, leafy annual plants with parts that are used for as herbs, animal food, medicine and as hemp for rope-making. "The flowers... contain psychoactive and physiologically active chemical compounds known as cannabinoids that are consumed for recreational, medicinal, and spiritual purposes," (White, 2013)…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alcohol and marijuana are both substances that are despised by many individuals- especially the older generations. Many believed and still think that alcohol and marijuana, among various drugs and substances, cause people to lose their sound judgment and behave irresponsibly- occasionally reaching a point of violence if a high amount of the substance is consumed. In fact, they are thought to be a key factor in a person’s downfall occasionally. Several individuals support the ban of these substances at any cost.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many sedatives to disconnect from reality in the modern world of today. All of them are used everyday but there are two main drugs that are affecting modern day America, that is between marijuana and alcohol. Which is better? Are the two different? We can't disconnect these two completely from the world, we've tried prohibiting alcohol for a solid 13 years. That didn't last too long. The first documented date marijuana became illegal was 1906. ( Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience) For the better sake of our future I am to believe it's important to learn more on the truth of this predicament so we can focus more on poverty and taxes. It'd be more beneficial to find the better of the two for the safety of upcoming generations, since completely being secluded from it will be practically impossible.…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays