Alcohol Use Vs. Cannabis Consumption: Which Is Worse?

Moderation is always key… but some have always wondered — which habit is worse, an affinity for weed or whisky? “Business Insider” examined the scientific evidence, and found there is indeed one clear winner.

The author presents research findings on the effects of each substance on obesity, overdose, cancer, violence and accident rates among those who consume alcohol and cannabis, and compared them. Here are some noteworthy points:

According to the CDC, more than 30,000 people die from alcohol overdose each year (this number excludes accidents and homicides). There remains no official overdose deaths from cannabis use in the US, states the DEA.

Furthermore, cannabis (which has an addiction rate of roughly 9 percent) is consistently cited as less addictive than alcohol (15 percent). When it comes to heart health, however, moderate drinking has far more benefits than using cannabis, which can speed up heart rates.

On the other hand, alcohol is a known carcinogen, cited the US Department of Health. Researchers have found that regular alcohol use is more commonly associated with higher risks of cancer. Cannabis consumption is not.

Alcohol is again shown to be the more risky substance when getting behind the wheel, as research from the National Highway Safety Administration found “when adjusting for other factors, having a detectable amount of THC in your blood did not increase the risk of being involved in a car crash. Having a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.05 percent, on the other hand, increased that risk by 575 percent.”

The article explores a few more examples, and in just about every case, cannabis wins out as the less harmful of the two. It’s worthy to note that the research on cannabis is limited, but the existing scientific evidence is clear: the effects of alcohol are inarguably more extreme.