How scientists rank drugs from most to least dangerous and why the rankings are flawed

It’s also worth noting that field sobriety tests have a harder time picking up traces of marijuana and THC compared to alcohol. To offer a public-opinion snapshot regarding alcohol and marijuana, American Addiction Centers surveyed more than 1,000 people about whether alcohol or marijuana is more dangerous and if either’s legal status should change. Read on as we explore their answers and attitudes toward these substances.

1. These edibles allow THC to be taken up directly into the body rather than inhaled through the lungs.
2. Weed has also been linked to cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation; myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle; spasms of the heart’s arteries and a higher risk of heart failure.
3. While some consumers are chasing sobriety in its entirety, others are becoming “Cali-sober,” meaning they cut out alcohol but continue to consume other substances such as cannabis.
4. One of the most common ways to ingest cannabis is through smoking.

Americans’ Perceptions of Alcohol vs. Marijuana

Alcohol has been legal significantly longer compared to cannabis and some of these stigmas can impact people’s judgment about cannabis use. Prolonged alcohol use can lead to physical dependence, where the body becomes reliant on alcohol to function normally.This can cause the shakes and can affect your ability to lead a normal life. Now while cannabis deaths caused by disease, illness or drug interactions there are some data points regarding accidents, specifically car accidents. Legalization has provided data points about the potential increase in accidents related to cannabis.

Due to the production of edibles and how they’re presented, it can be difficult to understand dosage. Similar to alcohol, it’s possible to consume too much too quickly. Some people who use edibles experience a delayed reaction to the products. This can lead to consuming more edibles to make up for the delay, resulting in getting higher than they bargained for.

What happens if you drink alcohol before using weed?

“It’s important to make your doctor aware of any substance you’re taking, whether its an over the counter medication or herbal medicine,” Colvin said. “It can increase or decrease effectiveness or levels of medicine that you’re taking. Some compounds that are found in marijuana are using the same pathways to be metabolized as other common heart medications.” This includes blood thinners, anti-cholesterol medications and some blood pressure medicines. Our clinicians have all been hand-selected and personally trained by Dr. Amen, whose mission is to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. Over the last 30-plus years, ACI has built the world’s largest database of functional brain scans—over 250,000 SPECT scans on patients from 155 countries—related to how people think, feel, and behave.

Daily marijuana use raises the risk of stroke by 42% and heart attack by 25%, even if there is no prior history of heart disease and the person has never smoked or vaped tobacco, according to a February 2024 study. When it comes to substances such as alcohol and marijuana, there’s often more to consider than statistics and research. Overwhelmingly, the attitude toward marijuana was worse among respondents. On the other hand, the same people admitted they were more concerned about the dangers of alcohol and far more troubled by its addictive properties. The review looked at published data from nearly 600 studies that comprised data on 195 countries and territories between 1990 and 2016.

Weed Vs. Alcohol Feeling

This refers to a range of unpleasant physical symptoms that can result from a strong high. Read on to learn more about the potential reactions and what to do if you have a bad one. “Questioning one’s relationship with alcohol is a very healthy trend,” said Carol Boyd, founding director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. If you’re experiencing an emergency, please call 911 or visit our Resource Hub to view a list of 24-hour support services and hotlines. Through careful design and application of the self-report measures, we have tried to mitigate those issues.

Alcohol detox can take a significant amount of time and have heavy withdrawal symptoms, while cannabis withdrawal can last anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks. It can also be completely out of your system in 1-3 months with you returned to normal levels and function. Excessive alcohol use can cause brain damage and degenerative conditions like Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which can cause severe memory impairment and other cognitive deficits.

Gray matter is the tissue on the brain’s surface that primarily consists of nerve cell bodies. White matter is the deeper brain tissue that contains myelinated nerve fibers, which are branches protruding from nerve cells that transmit electrical impulses to other cells and tissues. Brandt says research has found cannabis use can cause blood vessel constriction, increase your sympathetic how old is demi lovato nervous system hormones and are also, in general, pro-inflammatory.