Alcohol or Marijuana? A Pediatrician Faces the Question

[Logical]

These four paragraphs are powerful........

When I’m debating my answer, I think about health as well. Once again, there’s no comparison. Binge drinking accounted for about half of the more than 80,000 alcohol-related deaths in the United States in 2010, according to a 2012 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The economic costs associated with excessive alcohol consumption in the United States were estimated to be about $225 billion dollars. Binge drinking, defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on a single occasion, isn’t rare either. More than 17 percent of all people in the United States are binge drinkers, and more than 28 percent of people age 18 to 24.

Binge drinking is more common among people with a household income of at least $75,000. This is a solid middle-class problem.

Marijuana, on the other hand, kills almost no one. The number of deaths attributed to marijuana use is pretty much zero. A study that tracked more than 45,000 Swedes for 15 years found no increase in mortality in those who used marijuana, after controlling for other factors. Another study published in the American Journal of Public Health followed more than 65,000 people in the United States and found that marijuana use had no effect at all on mortality in healthy men and women.

I think about which is more dangerous when driving. A 2013 case-control study found that marijuana use increased the odds of being in a fatal crash by 83 percent. But adding alcohol to drug use increased the odds of a fatal crash by more than 2,200 percent. A more recent study found that, after controlling for various factors, a detectable amount of THC, the active ingredient in pot, in the blood did not increase the risk of accidents at all. Having a blood alcohol level of at least 0.05 percent, though, increased the odds of being in a crash by 575 percent.

....................................

When someone asks me whether I’d rather my children use pot or alcohol, after sifting through all the studies and all the data, I still say “neither.” Usually, I say it more than once. But if I’m forced to make a choice, the answer is “marijuana.”

More at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/upshot/alcohol-or-marijuana-a-pediatrician-faces-the-question.html?abt=0002&abg=0

[Brickbat]

1. When it comes to bad choices, some are worse than others.

Some actually aren't all that bad. It's important to talk to kids about that.

[B Calm]

14. It aids me and my arthritis. The bad choice here was some of the dumb

things I did when I was younger that screwed up my back.

[randome]

2. I get his overall point but comparing binge drinking to unspecified marijuana use is disingenuous.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Logical]

3. Have you ever binged on pot? How did that work out? nt

[Voice for Peace]

12. yes.. it worked out well.

Many creative projects, good appetite, deep sleep at night.

[Warpy]

8. Not really, his is a valid comparison

The only drug more damaging to body systems than alcohol is nicotine.

[Sarcastica]

4. Smash yourself in the face with a hammer or smash yourself in the face with a baseball bat?

So hard to choose....

[Logical]

5. Enjoy your short stay! nt

[Fumesucker]

7. Yeah, but the bat is a Nerf bat

[cyberswede]

9. Perfect!

[oneshooter]

17. Jury Results

On Mon Mar 16, 2015, 03:10 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Oh no. Someone doesn't think your clever, so you get hurt feelings?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6372128

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

Insult troll, been here before

JURY RESULTS

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Mon Mar 16, 2015, 03:17 PM, and the Jury voted 5-2 to HIDE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: A rude response to a rude post. Lets call it even.
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: The contraction for "you are" is "you're." "Your" denotes possession as in "Your post is going to get hidden because it is disruptive."
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given

[BigDemVoter]

10. This would not be a pleasant choice to have to make.

I don't have issues with people drinking or using pot. Nonetheless, I certainly wouldn't choose to have my (hypothetical) children smoke pot or drink.

If I were forced to choose between the two, I would probably say that I would prefer they smoke pot. Alcohol is physically addictive, and it also carries inherent health risks from abuse. Pot is not physically addictive, and no concrete physical risks have been identified. I suppose there are dangers such as driving under the influence, etc., but pot does not cause violent and aggressive behavior as does alcohol. I have never heard of anybody smoking a bowl and then becoming out-of-control and then looking for a fight.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

15. "no concrete physical risks have been identified"

Wasnt there some recent study about effects of pot on developing brains of teens? I could be wrong, but seems like I saw something.

[BigDemVoter]

18. I think you are correct. It seems

like I remember something about it. However, I still don't think that marijuana would be as bad on a developing brain as alcohol. . . .

It's interesting to see all of the different studies. I remember one 2-3 years ago that sought to determine a link between smoking pot and lung cancer. . . . It seems that there was an EXPECTED link that was not found. I was surprised.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. Have to smoke up a storm to get cancer out of it.

Dunno. Pot days are way behind me. Started at 18, off & on to 40. Laid that down, then the bottle.... What were we talking about again now?

[freebrew]

11. "Marijuana, on the other hand, kills almost no one."..?

Really?!! There has NEVER, EVER been a death attributed to marijuana.

Bullshit article. Why would one think about choosing? A couple beers or glasses of wine are beneficial.

More prohibitionist crap.

[Voice for Peace]

13. if one is a pediatrician, responsible for not only one's own children but

informing and advising parents of others.. it is a good idea to
have a thoughtful investigation. It's not a bullshit article, I guess
you didn't read it. He acknowledges basically no deaths from pot.
And the point that binge drinking is mainly a middle class and upper
middle class phenomenon -- this is worth making over and over.
Esp when the poor are so vilified for things like drug use, while the
rich kids are binge drinking and driving.

[callous taoboy]

16. I have a brother in alcohol detox and he may never be the same. :/

He was drinking a bottle of brandy every few days, as well as a couple of bottles of wine each night. He entered a 2 year period of binging when off for 4 days, then nothing for the 4 days he worked. He lost all sensation in fingers and toes, but when he stopped drinking it got worse and the worst pain he has ever experienced. Bad shit, alcohol.

[Logical]

20. Wow, tough situation. I am glad he is getting help. Good luck. nt