Two Similarities Between Marijuana And Alcohol

Often, people compare alcohol and marijuana, but how closely are the two related? They both change bodily functions. However, these change the body in different ways. They can also change how a person looks or acts. The differences between alcohol and marijuana can be measured by how they affect the body, drunk or high, and driving statistics.
Alcohol and marijuana have similar effects on the body. For example, they are both easily absorbed into the blood stream. However, when alcohol gets in the bloodstream, it dilates the blood vessels. This makes the blood flow at a greater rate to the skin; this leads to an individual getting warm while drinking. Also, a loss of heat and a quick drop in body temperature and blood pressure happen after
Once this gets into the bloodstream, it heads straight for the brain and effects the brain’s normal functions.
Secondly, they have can have different uses. Alcohol is most commonly used for recreation, and sometimes people use it to fill a void in their lives. Even though marijuana can be used for personal recreation, it can also be a therapeutic drug. In fact, many use it to treat chronic pain, spasticity and muscle spasms (from multiple sclerosis), short-term sleep problems caused from an illness or other pains, and chemotherapy side effects. Another difference between them is how the two affect the body. They both have numerous effects, and some may be similar in nature. Anderson and Baumberg (2006) said that alcohol affects the brain by changing its ability to control the person’s behavior and body functions. Marijuana causes the brain to make the individual feel unbalanced, uncoordinated, or even effect posture. It also makes it hard to remember different events (Wilcox, 2017). However, someone may experience similar effects from the opposing drug. If someone were to drink on a regular basis, then they could give themselves a
By understanding that one of the leading causes of death in the United States in motor vehicle accidents, it makes sense that impaired driving is a major cause of these accidents. According to O’Malley and Johnston (2013), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a research project in which they surveyed drivers in different years. The years that they did this survey were the years 1973, 1986, 1996, and 2007. They wanted to see how drug usage compared to driving. They found that the number of drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above the legal limit of 0.08 percent, has declined from 7.5 percent to 2.2 percent of drivers throughout the years. Within this survey, they had individuals take a drug test and 16.3 percent of drivers tested positive. Marijuana users made up 8.6 percent of these drivers (O’Malley & Johnston, 2013). Also, the Fatal Accident Reporting System conducted research, and they found that marijuana consumption links to a rise in motor accidents. They looked at high school seniors from the years 2001-2006 and analyzed the data from 2001-2011. Within this project, they surveyed 17,000 students from 135 schools across the nation. Then, they compared driving under the influence of marijuana and alcohol to riding with someone under the influence. In 2001, those who drove after doing marijuana