SOCIETY DANGERS OF MARIJUANA VS. ALCOHOL USE

Dear Answer Girl, What do you think is more dangerous to individuals and
society, smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol? High and Mighty

I have always thought it was weird that we say "drinking alcohol." I know
it's not even the same usage, but it makes me think of "rubbing alcohol,"
which then gives me the strange mental picture of someone dabbing at an
abrasion with some rubbing alcohol on a gauze strip, wincing with pain,
realizing that he meant to grab the peroxide instead, and then shrugging as
he takes a swig from the rubbing alcohol bottle. But as far as the question
(oh yeah, the question .), right this minute, I think smoking marijuana is
more dangerous to the individual and drinking alcohol is more dangerous to
society. As far as physical health, I am unconvinced that marijuana smoke
is any less dangerous to the lungs than cigarette smoke. That means cancer,
cancer, cancer. Of course, for the most part, people don't smoke marijuana
like cigarettes (a pack per day), but maybe that is because joints don't
come in packs. No, it is probably because smoking marijuana results in a
"high" that many compare to the effects of drinking, and it is
prohibitively expensive and physically challenging to smoke joint after
joint after joint. So, as far as danger to individuals, while drinking too
much can make you fat and give your internal organs lots of cancer as well
as killing brain cells ... oh wait, did I mention get you in car wrecks or
get you pregnant (females only) or get you into precarious predicaments
that you would not otherwise get into? Anyway, so while drinking does all
this, marijuana is more hazardous to the individual because it is illegal
and can result in jail time with some pretty unsavory cellmates. Of course,
it also kills brain cells and can get you into those predicaments I was
mentioning. But mostly, it is illegal. Drinking is more dangerous to
society because many more people currently have bad-for-society drinking
problems than have similar marijuana problems. This may have to do with the
nature of drunken behavior or it may have to do with the fact that alcohol
is legal and marijuana isn't, and so alcohol is more available. Whatever
the reason, that's my answer. Thanks for the question.