Whats worse Booze or Weed?

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

the good news is that they have their situation sorted out and are still smoking up a storm.



That one kid still has no life but the pot and videogames though, which is a pretty sad state of affairs.

:(

[monkian]

the good news is that they have their situation sorted out and are still smoking up a storm.



That one kid still has no life but the pot and videogames though, which is a pretty sad state of affairs.

:(

See now pot and videogames doesnt seem sooooo bad to me

Sorry to be so abrubt in my earlier post but your story didnt seem particulary realistic to me. I would'nt have questioned it if you had subsituted pot with alcohol as that is a much more common story.

[Taffy_is_a_Taff]

it's ok, you're from GLC land.

Anyway, yeah, it's not the sort of thing you usually hear of.

[monkian]

it's ok, you're from GLC land.

Anyway, yeah, it's not the sort of thing you usually hear of.

Hehehe, used to work with one of them actually - the older bloke with the beard. Used work in Technical Support with me

[BDC]

Alcohol definately. By a long long way.

But it's legal, so you'll only go to prison for being drunk/violent/rude rather than for actually using it.

Ah, the logic behind the law...

[Red Harvest]

Do any of you know why most people check themselves into a rehab center for addiction. Its not for alcohol or pot or coke or even herion. Its for sex. The most addictive thing on the planet.

Imagine how surprised they are when they learn that the rehab clinic doesn't *provide* sex.

"Excuse me, there must be some sort of mistake. If I'm spending this much money I'm expecting a bit more action."

[Divinus Arma]

I voted alcohol. I've done it all and stopped long long long ago, but I understand the propensity to abuse either substance. I just drink now... in case you haven't noticed.

I believe alcohol is worse. The effects can take you to blackout. MJ alone cannot (and I know from exp.).

Alcohol impairs your judgement AND inhibitions at the same time, a nightmare combination that makes doing dumb thing seem like a great idea. On the contrary MJ makes you paranoid and affects your perception rather than judgment, resulting in you doubting an idea and being too inhibited to do it either way: much safer.

Alcohol does not MAKE people violent (though tequila would sometimes convince me otherwise), it makes you react more rashly due to the judgment/inhibition combo. I have NEVER seen someone on pot get violent (and I have seen aplenty); I instead see them whine and surrender the argument.

You can overdose on alcohol and die. You can overdose on pot and fall asleep comfortably.

The bottom line: Alcohol contributes to aggression but has less effects on material motivation. Marijuana decreases aggression and makes people fat and lazy. On any day of the week I would rather be surrounded by fat, lazy, stupid, happy stoners then a bunch of angry drunks spoiling for a fight.

edit: Addiction.
Alcohol is proven to be physically addictive resulting in the degenerative disease we all know and love called alcoholism.
Marijuana just feels so good that users want to do it all the time because they enjoy it so much. It is not physically addictive. They just like it. For some it is an occassional thing, for many it becomes a hobby shared with friends, for still others it becomes a lifestyle choice.

[Red Harvest]

The main problem with weed has been that it mellows folks out too much, sucks away their drive. Compared to alcohol, it is pretty mild, as the hardcore pot smokers I knew in college could still ace difficult engineering exams, while the alcoholics were lucky to pass their tests.

One answer for violent offenders: *require* them to smoke pot as a way of mellowing them out.

The really hardcore stuff like heroin, replaces everything else in peoples lives.

[Byzantine Prince]

Some of you guys are admitted criminals!

LOL!

Neither is good or bad. They are just there. If you feel like it you can try both and then decide if it's worth doing again. I find that things people call addictive are only addictive because those people are weak or are really sensitive to things like that. I've smoked cigarettes, cigars, I've drunk a lot of booze, and I would not crave any of it again until my crappy friends wanted to do it again because they are addicted.

As for me, I get high out of my own censory addiction to philosophy. I remember my first Nietzsche, it was so enthralling I almost thought I was God for a second.

[Geoffrey S]

I voted alcohol. In general that's the more destructive of the two options with regard to other people, whereas stoned people just tend to sit around and stuff. But on a personal basis both are bad in excess, as are most things.

[Byzantine Prince]

You guys don't get it do you? It doesn't matter what others do. Even if it affects you!

It's their choice to be the way they are, just like you choose to not drink to much or eat too much. It's all about personal choice.

Neither pot nor alcohol are destructive.

Now philosophy on the other hand can make people do some crazy things.

*Remembers time BP sprayed 'God is dead' all over church*

[Hurin_Rules]

They can both be very dangerous, but I'd have to say alcohol is slightly worse. I have two main reasons:

1. You cannot overdose on weed.

2. Alcohol makes some people violent, whereas I have never seen or heard of weed alone having this effect. Weed just makes you hungry. They actually did a study once where they were testing the effects of weed and alcohol on drivers. People who were drunk drove over the limit and took dangerous chances; the people on weed drove under the limit and hugged the curb :)

So, I'd have to go with alcohol, while recognizing that both can be dangerous: alcohol to the individual and society, weed more just to the individual.

[Del Arroyo]

To be honest, I can't honestly say I've ever witnessed an episode of alcohol-induced violence. And I've certainly spent plenty of time in places where you'd expect it to occur. Perhaps that's because the vast majority of my drinking experience has been in Mexico, with Mexicans and hippies, who are both very happy drunks.

So actually, I'm going to go out alone here and call rubbish on the alcohol-violence link. If you're not looking for a fight in the first place, no amount of alcohol will find you one. People who get drunk and get in fights have in most cases planned it that way, or were at least open to the idea.

DA

[Tribesman]

Alcohol is by far the worst , you have to pay tax on it .

[Tachikaze]

I agree with what Ah Dut said.

I voted that alcohol is worse. I'd rather be around stoners than drinkers, especially here where the young men are such angry, violent drunks. Marijuana tends to mellow people out and make them less violent and aggressive. Our government could use more of it.

On the other hand, I must say that this is one area where I disagree with Monkian. I have seen the longterm effects of Marijuana on my friends, and it's sad. They all have dull facial expressions, are slow, and are not nearly as quick in the mind. That's a real shame because almost all of them used to be such sharp, intelligent people.

There's one who used to be good competition in games. Now, he's easy to deceive and trick. He makes obviously bad moves. Sometimes, he has trouble thinking of simple solutions to daily problems, even though he designs radio-controlled airplanes. Other friends stare into space a lot. They are less aware of things around them and even when someone is speaking to them.

Ask them and they are completely unaware of their limitations, but it's obvious to the rest of us.

That said, I'd rather people used marijuana than alcohol. Neither are bad in small quantities. Alcohol has a perfectly good place in society.

By the way, I've never tried marijuana, even though I hung around with stoners all through high school. I have had contact highs, I'm sure, but never direct intake. I don't like the taste of any alcohol, so I get no pleasure from it. I just reluctantly drink it for ceremonial reasons, like weddings and Japanese customs.

What do I do for fun? I use music, exercise, good conversation, and good sensuality to get high.

[Craterus]

I agree with the people that have said alcohol is worse. It is.

But weed is not good either. Smoking (cigarettes) should be banned, if you were to ban alcohol.

[AntiochusIII]

I agree with the people that have said alcohol is worse. It is.

But weed is not good either. Smoking (cigarettes) should be banned, if you were to ban alcohol.

Considering I am a teetotaler and non-smoker, I advocate banning both. But since I am more liberal than many in terms of social issue, I could not bring myself to advocate banning both against my principles. See the paradox? Weed and alcohol are bad. Alcohol is worse in terms of it being more damaging to society (just observe all the drunk drivers out there.) I vote both are just as bad. Unfortunately, so many people are, sadly, relying on alcohol in everyday life that banning it could've caused another prohibition period.

However, considering the laws around these, I found them to be highly hypocritical, even if I understand the motives behind them. Why ban "weed" (different from cigarettes a bit, though I hate both, with cigarettes being more passionately so--it harms me with more nicotin in my lungs when it's them smoking the damn thing everywhere; I could've claimed that I feel threatened and stab them if I'm in Florida--pot I've been less exposed to) that can only really harm an individual (which many, including me, would argue for his/her personal liberty/responsiblity) while alcohol, which continuously causes side effect damages, are legal?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I voted for "pot" as the worse of the two -- but the both option was quite tempting.

My experience with alchohol is both personal and familial, with marijuana its familial and vicarious through friends and acquaintances.

As noted above, the long term physical effects of prolonged drinking at moderate or better levels can be devastating. Alcohol is more likely to kill through poisoning death than is marijuana. As a mood alterer, alcohol is more likely to trigger aggression and violence.

Both alter a person's physical reactions and judgement. Thus either can make it unwise to drive etc. Both are more problematic when used to excess than when used in moderation.

Marijauna use, since smoking is the primary form of use, can also be associated with lung cancer and other long term pulmonary problems, but does not trigger diabetes or some of the things alcohol does. The mood/attitude alteration effects of marijauna can last substantially longer than those associated with alcohol -- in part precisely because the physical side effects are less debilitating.

Which leads to my vote: I have known too many bright people who used MJ, and ended up trashing years of their life as a consequence. One example is a younger brother who started enjoying "weed" in college, and then "woke up" 6 or so years later realizing that he had accomplished absolutely nothing of worth in the interim. He received no lasting harm, he did not alter his genes, he even managed to get a degree (on autopilot as his grades indicated). But he managed to achieve zork toward having a useful and productive life and was playing "catch up" for years.
The clear majority of those getting drunk on weekends pretty much give up drinking after a few years, but the side-effects of drinking mean that most people do not stay drunk for long and get lots of stuff done when not -- not so the other "substance." Sadly, the one's who go on years-long "vacations" with marijuana tend to be the brighter ones, magnifying the loss for them and for all of us.

Seamus

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Weed.

First of all, it's illegal. That means it's bad, usually. 9 times out of 10 at least. Also, weed causes Cancer, and gives people around you cancer. It causes the munchies and makes people incredibly thin.

Alcohol, on the other hand, tastes good, is ok as long as you don't get smashed, only punishes the liver, and best of all, is at least semi-legal!

[Redleg]

In moderation neither is really a problem for the individual.

Achocol has a benefit of helping the blood system when used in moderation.

Pot has a medical benefit for easing some pain associated with several conditions.

Used in extreme or in excess both are bad. Because of this extremes society suffers because of it.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Actually (I don't smoke the stuff), weed is no more likely to cause cancer than cigarettes. Indeed, far less likely. And, it does not make one thin. It increases estrigen levels, and will actually make you chubby. Man boobs and all. It can also be linked to impotence.

Did I ever say Ciggerrettes were good for society?

Also, if it makes a chance of less babies (alcohol makes a chance for more babies), then it's bad when we have enemies like China!

[Togakure]

Abuse of alcohol is far more damaging to individuals and to society than the abuse of marijuana, imo.

"The sheer number of patients in my local mental-health hospital suffering from cannabis related break downs and other problems stemming from its missuse is testament to only one thing ... "

Can you provide any documentation to support this statement? Where is this mental health hospital? Is it public, or privately owned by a religious institution? The idea of "cannibis-related break downs" seems utterly absurd to me. It smells of brainwashing propaganda ... .

In uni we debated this topic at length. The overwhelming majority of the class accepted that thousands of deaths and serious illnesses can be directly attributed to alcohol abuse, and that this was not the case with marijuana abuse. We had a doctor come in and speak about it, and he affirmed this opinion.

Neither is good or bad. They are just there.

Agreed. It's abuse by humans--the lack of common sense and self-control--that is problematic. Kinda like the situ with guns ... but hey, so many get off on wanting to control others, "playing God" by dictating what others should or should not do. Is anyone surprised that the slower, more difficult path of evolving our sense of personal responsibility falls by the wayside?

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Quality over quantity. Although whoever is in charge of the military seems determined to shoot down all the good stuff with the excuse of "The Cold War is Over."

Tell the spartans at Thermopolaye that...wait...They're dead!

[Byzantine Prince]

Agreed. It's abuse by humans--the lack of common sense and self-control--that is problematic. Kinda like the situ with guns ... but hey, so many get off on wanting to control others, "playing God" by dictating what others should or should not do. Is anyone surprised that the slower, more difficult path of evolving our sense of personal responsibility falls by the wayside?

YEY! Toga is back!

How's everything going?

[Quietus]

Both are bad for your health.

Ironically, cigarettes are deadlier than both.

[Soulforged]

Actually (I don't smoke the stuff), weed is no more likely to cause cancer than cigarettes. Indeed, far less likely. And, it does not make one thin. It increases estrigen levels, and will actually make you chubby. Man boobs and all. It can also be linked to impotence.

What? The studies show the contrary even the ones that link marihuana at all with cancer. Here's one that shows the contrary: link.
Marihuana has no considerable or significant effect on cancer production.

[King Henry V]

Pot has a medical benefit for easing some pain associated with several conditions.

So does morphine. Should that be made readily available?

[Craterus]

So does morphine. Should that be made readily available?

Did he say that it should? I don't think so. He was just posting a good thing that weed does.

Alcohol, however, doesn't really have an advantage...

[Soulforged]

So does morphine. Should that be made readily available?

No it should be available wheter it causes pain or pleasure, or both, what's your point?

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Bad example. The Spartans didn't have tanks and airplanes.

True, lol, but it is a Quality over Quantity example. What if the Persians did have tanks
Now I'm just getting silly.