Alcohol far more dangerous for teens than cannabis

[Forkbender]

Marijuana's Impact On Adolescent Brain "Subtle" Compared To That Of Alcohol

San Diego, CA: Chronic marijuana use by adolescents may subtly impair certain neurocognitive skills, but this impairment is far less severe than the adverse effects associated with the use of alcohol, according to a review published in the January issue of the scientific journal Clinical EEG and Neuroscience.

Investigators at San Diego State University and the University of California at San Diego wrote: "Recent research has indicated that adolescent substance users show abnormalities on measures of brain functioning, which is linked to changes in neurocognition over time. Abnormalities have been seen in brain structure volume, white matter quality, and activation to cognitive tasks, even in youth with as little as one to two years of heavy drinking and consumption levels of 20 drinks per month, especially if [more than] four or five drinks are consumed on a single occasion. Heavy marijuana users show some subtle anomalies too, but generally not the same degree of divergence from demographically similar non-using adolescents."

By contrast, studies have demonstrated that marijuana use by adults, even chronic use, is seldom associated with any long-term residual impact in cognitive skills.

Commenting on the UCSD/UCSD study, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: "This review affirms once again that cannabis, though not harmless, poses far less risk to the consumer than does alcohol. Given this premise, it is counterintuitive that our state and federal laws embrace the use of booze while stigmatizing and criminally prohibiting the use of marijuana by adults."

Thanks to NORML for this info.

 

[Jelleb]

nice picture :D

 

[Jeniger]

nice picture :D

it's amazing! :D

 

[magickmumu]

Young Scandinavian kids hang around my neighborhoods coffee shops. (also non Scandinavian I must ad) And they ask me and others to buy weed for them. Even when i am not going to the coffeeshop they ask me to go there to get weed for them. I am like, no way man. I can get arrested for such a thing.

 

[restin]

how often?? If alcohol is dangerous once a week, then humanity will die out.

 

[Forkbender]

"Abnormalities have been seen in brain structure volume, white matter quality, and activation to cognitive tasks, even in youth with as little as one to two years of heavy drinking and consumption levels of 20 drinks per month, especially if [more than] four or five drinks are consumed on a single occasion. Heavy marijuana users show some subtle anomalies too, but generally not the same degree of divergence from demographically similar non-using adolescents."

Does that answer your question?

 

[restin]

shit I'm sorry. I overflew the text and didn't see the numbers.

5 drinks per week over two years is quite much and abnormal... From the experience of my environment, the chronic abuse of cannabis is more often than of alcohol (percentage). I am quite suspicious against such studies.

 

[Forkbender]

5 drinks per week over two years is quite much and abnormal

It is pretty normal for teens over here to drink that much or even more. Most people I knew around the time I was 16 used a lot of alcohol.

What are your suspicions about this article?

 

[endlessness]

"alcohol far more dangerous than cannabis"


oh really, captain obvious?

 

[GOD]

"oh really, captain obvious?"

Peanuts.......

5 drinks a week !!!!!!! The average German drinks at least 5 drinks a day .

The foto is Pippi Langstrumpf .

 

[restin]

the average German should not drink drinks but beer :lol:

Hmm, maybe there are idiots that drink so much, maybe you're right. But that's more than my environment drinks.

I don't know Fork, it just seems to me an article "our stuff is so cool, yours's so bad". Most people drink on the weekends and are still OK after years.

 

[Forkbender]

I don't know Fork, it just seems to me an article "our stuff is so cool, yours's so bad". Most people drink on the weekends and are still OK after years.

It doesn't say cannabis is cool/good and alcohol is not cool/bad. It says that the amount one uses is reflected in neural pathology a lot more with alcohol than with cannabis. Being "OK" doesn't mean your brain is functioning. A sample from your environment is also not really scientific, you know. Maybe you tend to associate with people who don't abuse drugs or only abuse cannabis. I do think there is more at stake and that we should look at long term behaviour to see what is really going on and if the abnormalities are irreversible (my guts tell me they are if they keep drinking at the same level).

 

[restin]

Indeed. But from my experience (!) alcohol abuse is smaller than cannabis. I did never claim bein scientific, it was based on personal experience and "the guts". It is just that I know several people that use cannabis, and they indeed abuse it - they don't look good, it is sad to see such people, most of them are, unfortunately on goa parties, for me a proof that drugs don't induce "higher consciousness". On the other hand, I know people that use alcohol and are OK, a very few of them really abusing it.

I do not say against the scientific results of the experiment, but I just doubt its relevance to reality. I know about the medical use and advantages of weed.

 

[Forkbender]

I know what you want to say and I agree with it mostly. I do think they do not look at the whole abuse thing in a holistic fashion and only look to physical evidence thereof, which seems to be 'subtle' with cannabis and 'severe' with alcohol. The conclusion would be that abuse of cannabis is less damaging physically than abuse of alcohol.

 

[endlessness]

Indeed. But from my experience (!) alcohol abuse is smaller than cannabis. I did never claim bein scientific, it was based on personal experience and "the guts". It is just that I know several people that use cannabis, and they indeed abuse it - they don't look good, it is sad to see such people, most of them are, unfortunately on goa parties, for me a proof that drugs don't induce "higher consciousness". On the other hand, I know people that use alcohol and are OK, a very few of them really abusing it.

I do not say against the scientific results of the experiment, but I just doubt its relevance to reality. I know about the medical use and advantages of weed.

I would say I feel the opposite. Everywhere I lived I saw more people abusing alcohol, because it is legitimized socially. Plus many times putting others at risk too. It is quite obvious that in direct terms (liver and so on) alcohol is much more physically destructive than weed. killing 2,5 million people a year isnt a nice numbeer either.

Im not saying weed is harmless... I do think just as it lowers blood pressure, it also can take one's energy away, and some people can become lazy .. But the danger/disadvantage of being low energy is not comparable to the direct real dangers of alcohol.

The ideal to be moderate, of course, and not abuse anything.

 

[magickmumu]

I never heard of people ending up in hospitals in a coma state because of smoking weed.

 

[toogoodforyou]

Indeed. But from my experience (!) alcohol abuse is smaller than cannabis. I did never claim bein scientific, it was based on personal experience and "the guts". It is just that I know several people that use cannabis, and they indeed abuse it - they don't look good

I know a few people who abuse cannabis often. They are lazy, but they do their stuff in the end. They go for work, they complete their school work.
Are the people who you are talking about abusing alcohol also??

I know several people who use alcohol, and are very unhappy with their lives, work and what not.

Myself i believe in doing everything in moderation and staying in balance.

Goa parties?? Lol, i know several people who are into it and are doing well with their lives. Just cause they dance different or look different does not mean they are nuts.

On the other hand, I know people that use alcohol and are OK, a very few of them really abusing it.

Define Ok?? You mean they are a part of mainstream society?? Talk about ambition? Business?? Money?? Celebs??

I know young idiot who have abused alcohol in their youth & ran over functional people.

 

[Ganesha]

My father abused alcohol (and probably still does) and I can still feel the consequences. I only touched it on a few occasions because I never felt comfortable doing it. Most cannabis users I know are university level educated people, but that's because that is my own background and I tend to associate with smart people. My view on this is disqualified by partisanship, but I know that people who stop using cannabis can regain a lot of the 'damage' taht has been done, while people who drink find it generally harder to quit and have more permanent problems.

 

[restin]

I know a few people who abuse cannabis often. They are lazy, but they do their stuff in the end. They go for work, they complete their school work.
Are the people who you are talking about abusing alcohol also??

As already stated, this is a matter of ratio. I know someone who abused alcohol A LOT and I will never forget this figure, this sadness, this ruin. But if you please really read what I wrote, it is that I know of more people abusing weed than alcohol. Not everyone will complete the school work and this is not about that.

Goa parties?? Lol, i know several people who are into it and are doing well with their lives. Just cause they dance different or look different does not mean they are nuts.

Oh c'mon, you can do better than accusing me of xenophobia. I have been and am going to goas myself. That doesn't change the fact that I know several people that blew their heads off, people that stare dumbly into the fire and say "wooooow how coooool" and are dropping acid and smokin' weed like I won't say what.

Define Ok?? You mean they are a part of mainstream society?? Talk about ambition? Business?? Money?? Celebs??

OK means, that alcohol does not affect the daily life.

 

[endlessness]

Oh c'mon, you can do better than accusing me of xenophobia. I have been and am going to goas myself. That doesn't change the fact that I know several people that blew their heads off, people that stare dumbly into the fire and say "wooooow how coooool" and are dropping acid and smokin' weed like I won't say what.

I would say that your average nightclub/bar has much more examples of human stupidity, not to mention way more fights, than any 'goa party'.