Cannabis vs Alcohol

[WalrusAt3]

Why does it seem to be ok to smoke cannabis so it chills you out, makes you happier but not drink alcohol when the effects can be similar?

I’m not saying everybody has this view but it’s something I have recently come across

For example, I was at the shop a couple of weeks ago and bumped into a mum who I speak to at school. She was with her DD and she did seem a bit different, then she admitted she was ‘stoned’

If I went to the shop with my DC drunk that would be frowned upon

Errr- I would definitely frown on anyone going to the shop stoned and would be horrified that a parent was looking after a child stoned. That’s very worrying

Reason I’m asking is because when I got home I told DH about it and said how I thought it was out of order but he said it’s no big deal, it’s not like she was drunk

Newsflash. Being stoned in public with your DC is generally frowned upon...

Both of those examples are unacceptable.

I think you're oversimplifying and I have never met anyone who presents it in this black and white a fashion. Both alcohol and cannabis have significant health risks and anyone who presents cannabis as a 'safe' alternative to alcohol is an idiot.

However to the extent that you can do a like for like comparison I think the damage done to health by cannabis in most people is less significant than alcohol. A small subset of people can encounter cannabis-induced psychosis and a lot become mentally dependent on it. But alcohol is highly addictive to most people, a lot of people become dependent on it and it presents risks on multiple health fronts from liver disease to mental illness to cancer. It's physically addictive in a way cannabis isn't.

I also think its social effects of alcohol are far worse: given the choice between being in a room full of weed smokers or in a pub at chucking out time full of pissheads I know where I'd rather be. The damage done to families and children by alcohol-addicted parents is far worse than that by weed smokers.

I am not a fan of being around people who overconsume either, but I do think there's a grain of truth in this.

Cannabis has been known to cause mental health issues, in some people leads to them using harder drugs, there's often huge risks involved in growing, people will have dangerous set ups which are a fire risk, often stealing electricity from neighbouring houses. Children are regularly recruited in smuggling and dealing.

That's just off the top of my head, there's probably many other reasons.

I do believe it should be legalised for medical use, regulated and given as a prescription for pain though, I know many people who use it for chronic pain and it helps.

I think the difference is alcohol can ( not always ) lead to arguments, fights in bars / clubs where as you don't very often hear of people being stoned and causing arguments / fights with others.

Generally weed chills people out where as drink can do that, for some it has the opposite effect

It's absolutely frowned upon to go the shop with your child stoned?

But the immediate effects of alcohol vs marijuana are not at all similar. A&E is full, every weekend, with people who have consumed alcohol and have gone on to injure themselves or others because of its effects. You're never going to see a bunch of 'stoners' in A&E who have been injured in fights they've started, hurt themselves etc after smoking a few joints. Most that might happen is they fall asleep or get sick because of excessive consumption.

Now long term effects are different. Long term excessive use of marijuana can bring about psychosis and various MH disorders, but it's nowhere near as damaging as alcohol in the grand scheme imo.

Depends how stoned she was. Presumably you could go to the shop after a couple of drinks and not be completely wasted

Someone can sit and drink themselves silly in their home and the neighbours are none the wiser.

Someone can sit and smoke cannabis in their home and all the neighbours will be affected by it because of its vile smell.

Alcohol is legal, cannabis is not.

Cannabis is addictive, like alcohol is. Cannabis is known for causing mental health illnesses in smokers, especially young men who start it when their brain is still developing (ie before 25yo).

There are no modern day slavery, child abuse or county lines risking (mainly) young teens lives with alcohol.

I was peripherally involved in a case involving a woman who murdered someone while she was experiencing cannabis-induced psychosis. The victim was a stranger and she wasn't in any way provoked.

Is it? Round here cannabis is seen to be the substance of choice for the ne'er do wells who hang round outside the shop and the deadbeat dads who sit around in their pants. All the 'respectable' people are all 'wine o'clock' types.

There’s a weird attitude to cannabis in the UK. People act as though it has been decriminalised but it’s actually Class B. Holding a lot of cannabis is a proper crime - because it suggests an intent to supply.

The people who run cannabis farms are the scum of the earth. People think of cannabis growers as cheerful hippies supplying a few plants but they often take over a vulnerable person’s house (called cuckooing).

The young guys selling cannabis while on electric scooters are taking terrible risks and are paid nowhere near enough by the scumbags running them. They also aren’t going to be able to get normal jobs afterwards.