@dynamicduo – The links are in all the related Fluther threads. When I said alcohol and THC are equally good or bad I meant their potential leading to addiction and losing control over your life. When it comes to losing control in specific situations like driving a car, alcohol is far worse. Even in relatively moderate doses alcohol will slow critical areas of the brain.
However people describing tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis) as harmless compared to alcohol send a very dangerous message to young inexperienced people and I will fight this with the power of my words. The scientific debate is ongoing. I think it’s wrong to make cannabis illegal. Prohibition was a folly too. But tetrahydrocannabinol is not chocolate. It’s a powerful chemical substance. Under supervision there might be positive medicinal value. More research is needed and we should apply the precautionary principle. The same for alcohol.
Moderate alcohol intake may reduce your overall risk of heart disease and decrease your chances of dying from a heart attack. It is believed that alcohol may prevent heart disease by reducing calcification of the arteries. Alcohol may also lower your risk for stroke when consumed in moderate amounts. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that alcohol has anti-clotting properties that may prevent clots in the blood vessels. Alcohol, and particularly red wine, has been linked to an increase in HDL cholesterol and a reduction in LDL cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some researchers believe that the resveratrol in red wine causes a reduction in LDL cholesterol. Moderate alcohol consumption may also prevent gallstones from forming, according to the results of the 2003 Nurse’s Health Study. However, excessive alcohol intake may contribute to gallstones, so researchers still need to determine the precise relationship (Source: Mayo Clinic).
Now, when reading all this, should we tell young and inexperienced people: Hey, getting drunk is great. It will be very good for you. Live long and prosper. Of course not.
Hey, smoking cannabis is great. Get stoned. It will be very good for you. Live long and prosper. Really?
No powerful psychoactive substances are harmless! People need to understand what they are doing.