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Developing Brains: Alcohol Worse than Marijuana
PhysOrg.com ^ | March 26th, 2009 | Miranda Marquit

Posted on 03/30/2009 9:13:47 PM PDT by neverdem


Is marijuana less dangerous than alcohol?

(PhysOrg.com) -- It appears that when it comes to teen brain development, parents should be more worried about alcohol abuse than marijuana abuse. Two recent studies have been published showing that alcohol -- a legal substance (though not legal for teens in the U.S.) -- is considered more dangerous than marijuana, which is illegal in many countries.

One study has been published in the U.S., in the journal Clinical EEG and neuroscience: official journal of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ENCS), and shows that has a stronger effect on than . The other is a study published in the Lancet, offering the results of substance classification by a number of U.K. professionals, purporting that alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana to individuals and to society.

The U.S. study was undertaken by Squeglia, Jacobus and Tapert in a San Diego State University/University of California San Diego joint doctoral program. The study looks at teen for its uniqueness, as well as for the effects that substance abuse has on the brain during this time. Because alcohol and marijuana are commonly used by high school students, it is little surprise that the study is interested in the brain abnormalities stemming from abuse of these substances.

When the brain abnormalities were measured -- seen in terms of brain functioning and structure, cognitive tasks and quality of white matter -- it appeared as though alcohol had a great effect than marijuana. Heavy drinking was defined 20 drinks per month, and the abnormalities were detectable. In heavy marijuana users, abnormalities existed, but not to the same degree as those seen in alcohol abusers.

Findings from the U.S. study, showing that alcohol use in teens causes more irregular than marijuana, would seem to square with efforts in the U.K. to encourage new drug classification. In the Lancet, David Nutt at , along with his colleagues, asked psychologists and scientifically or medically trained police to rank different substances according to how harmful they are. The study purports that experts rank alcohol (and tobacco) as more harmful than marijuana. In a list of 20 substances, alcohol came in at number five, tobacco came in at number nine, and marijuana/cannabis came in at number eleven.

These studies are likely to add fuel to movements in both the U.S. and the U.K. to re-classify marijuana. Supporters of fewer restrictions on marijuana will undoubtedly point to scientific studies that show we already legalize less dangerous substances.

© 2009 PhysOrg.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Testing
KEYWORDS: alcohol; brain; drugs; health; marijuana; medicine; mexico; potheads; tobacco; wod
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To: Westlander
Oops!

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21 posted on 03/31/2009 7:13:06 AM PDT by I Buried My Guns (I just hope CW2 comes before my creaky knees give out completely!)
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To: tacticalogic

Think of the person who would not put taking Ecstasy and riding a horse on the same level.


22 posted on 03/31/2009 8:33:30 AM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: philman_36

Must have been high when he wrote that.


23 posted on 03/31/2009 8:35:34 AM PDT by Travis T. OJustice (Want to make a conservative angry? Lie to him. Want to make a liberal angry? Tell him the truth)
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To: count-your-change
Think of the person who would not put taking Ecstasy and riding a horse on the same level.

I'm not familiar enough with the risks and injury statistics involved in either one to know whether that's a valid comparison or not.

24 posted on 03/31/2009 8:42:37 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Travis T. OJustice
Must have been high when he wrote that.
If I hadn't corrected my error the same thing could've been said of me.
It was explained in reply #12.
25 posted on 03/31/2009 8:43:56 AM PDT by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
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To: tacticalogic

Apart from the question of whether a person would more likely end up dead or injured from one than the other is the question of how one could morally equate the riding of a horse with taking a drug like Ecstasy.
A moral danger is not something to be overlooked.


26 posted on 03/31/2009 9:34:37 AM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: count-your-change

Can you quantify “moral danger”, or is it just something that you allocate every possible significance to?


27 posted on 03/31/2009 10:04:53 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: philman_36; iowamark

I saw that explanation, I was just teasing Iowamark a little bit.


28 posted on 03/31/2009 10:17:25 AM PDT by Travis T. OJustice (Want to make a conservative angry? Lie to him. Want to make a liberal angry? Tell him the truth)
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To: tacticalogic

Drug use is not moral behavior. Period.


29 posted on 03/31/2009 11:28:42 AM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: count-your-change

And any discussion of the actual risk involved is over with.


30 posted on 03/31/2009 11:32:50 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic

Thanks for what you were able to contribute.


31 posted on 03/31/2009 12:26:14 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: count-your-change

It was but a simple demonstation of the futility of applying reason to dogma.


32 posted on 03/31/2009 12:32:34 PM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: count-your-change
Drug use is not moral behavior. Period.

Interesting, then, that Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine.

Was Jesus immoral ?

33 posted on 03/31/2009 12:43:08 PM PDT by jimt
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To: jimt

Do you equate drinking of wine at a wedding with drug use?
Were the disciples getting high at the last supper? Please!


34 posted on 03/31/2009 1:21:48 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: tacticalogic

What reasoning, what dogma?


35 posted on 03/31/2009 1:33:45 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: count-your-change
Reasoning - observation and comparison of the relative risk factors of different activities.

Dogma - any finding of "moral hazard" renders any discussion of physical risk factor irrelevant.

36 posted on 03/31/2009 1:50:12 PM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic

Recognition of moral hazard is one way to prevent physical harm. Not engaging in homosexual behavior need not be based upon fear of physical harm since often often the physical harm from a certain behavior isn’t obvious immediately and may not occur in a dramatic way but the homosexual behavior is still immoral.

Falsely reasoning might say comparing the risks of two behaviors is possible by only addressing physical risk but that’s like saying someone is good driver solely on the basis of whether they’ve been involved in an accident or not.

Simply put, immorality is physically risky and the physical harm done by it is becoming ever clearer.


37 posted on 03/31/2009 2:18:53 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: count-your-change
Drug use is not moral behavior. Period.

But there are many definitions of morality. For example, Mormons believe drinking coffee is immoral. Muslims believe drinking alcohol is immoral. Some evangelical Christians believe taking vaccines is immoral.

How do you reconclice these difference in a large society? Normally, if you were wise, you would only deal with those behaviors that harm others. Unfortunately, we are not wise, so we have the whole Drug War thing going on.
38 posted on 03/31/2009 2:37:42 PM PDT by microgood
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To: count-your-change

Okay. In any given risk assesment, “moral hazard” will be the first consideration. If there is any, it will be the only necessary consideration. Comparison of activites based on actual physical risk will be considererd only when any potential of moral hazard has been eliminated.


39 posted on 03/31/2009 2:40:28 PM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: neverdem

I wonder if it’s illegal to breathe second hand pot smoke — I love the way it smells...best I remember. It’s been years...when I lived in Houston.


40 posted on 03/31/2009 2:46:40 PM PDT by lonestar (Obama is turning Bush's "mess" into a catastrophe.)
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