The analysis may be flawed, but its simplicity and accessibility have won over many policy circles. The individual scores account for a host of variables, including mortality, dependence, drug-related family adversities, environmental damage, and effect on crime. Sian Ferguson is a freelance health and cannabis writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. She’s passionate about empowering readers to take care of their mental and physical health through science-based, empathetically delivered information.
How to handle a bad reaction
Something in the cannabis could actually be increasing fatty liver disease and fibrosis,” he said. “My research group is currently working to discover which cannabinoids or cannabinoid formulations will provide the best therapeutic benefits for specific liver diseases,” Bukong said. But if you’ve been drinking a lot, it might be hard to tell the difference between a green out and alcohol poisoning, which can be life-threatening if not treated. If you take medication, talk to your doctor before using weed, alcohol, or both.
De Gennaro L. Sleep Loss, Learning Capacity and Academic Performance
And looking at deaths or other harms caused by certain drugs doesn’t always account for substances, such as prescription medications, that are often mixed with others, making them more deadly or harmful than they would be alone. “In addition to cannabis, use of some substances, including tobacco and excess alcohol use, are established risk factors for cardiovascular disease and could impact glucose metabolism,” they explained. “Additionally, cannabis may complicate diabetes management, adversely affecting glycemic control and self-management behaviors.” Use was nearly three times more likely if people lived in a state where marijuana was legal, and a history of major depression also increased the odds that a person with diabetes would use the drug. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior.
Alcohol Deaths Vs Weed Deaths
There is also a need for more research into the interaction between alcohol and cannabis, Hutchison said, especially because people who use these substances tend to use both. In contrast, “we don’t see any statistically significant effects of cannabis on gray matter or white matter,” Hutchison said. On the other side of the coin, researchers have found that cannabinoids — which are the active compounds in marijuana — could help to prevent migraine, and a more recent study linked marijuana use to an increased sex drive.
That study has drawn widespread media attention, appearing in outlets like the Washington Post, the Guardian, the New Republic, and here at Vox. Both weed and alcohol can carry a potential for misuse and addiction, but this appears to be more common with alcohol. The way you consume weed can have a big impact on its short- and long-term effects. For example, smoking is rough on your lungs, but this risk doesn’t apply to edibles.
Heart Health
Unlike alcohol, which slows your heart rate, marijuana speeds it up, which could negatively affect the heart in the short term. Still, the largest-ever report on cannabis from the National Academies of Sciences, released in January, found insufficient evidence to support or refute the idea that cannabis may increase the overall risk of a heart attack. Meanwhile, no deaths from marijuana overdoses have been reported, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. A 16-year study of more than 65,000 Americans, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that healthy marijuana users were not more likely to die earlier than healthy people who did not use cannabis. Moderate alcohol consumption may have cardiovascular benefits but excessive drinking can put you at an increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmias. Caulkins and Peter Reuter, a drug policy expert at the University of Maryland, suggested a model in which all the major risks of drugs are drawn out and each drug is ranked within those categories.
Additionally, heavy cannabis use from an early age might have its roots in underlying psychopathology or preexisting social or economic problems at home. Alcohol abuse is more likely than cannabis to play a role in events such as traffic accidents and violence. However, when cannabis and alcohol’s effects on relationships, delinquency and education are measured, results are less conclusive. Despite these controversies, a study team, led by Magdalena Cerdá at the University of California, recently conducted a thorough investigation into the social and economic aspects of heavy cannabis use. Marijuana use, however, appeared to have no impact on the structure of gray or white matter in either teenagers or adults. I’m also concerned about older patients who take multiple medications and use cannabis, given limited data on how the two interact.
Researchers will always need to balance making information simple and accessible for policymakers and the public with the inherent complexity of drugs and their effects. This makes the task of building scientific drug policies very challenging. Alcohol and marijuana are both intoxicants, but one study from Columbia University researchers estimated that alcohol multiplies the chance of a fatal traffic accident by nearly 14 https://sober-home.org/ times, while marijuana nearly doubles the risk. The drug policy experts I talked to about Nutt’s study generally agreed that his style of analysis and ranking misses some of the nuance behind the harm of certain drugs. The analysis doesn’t fully account for a drug’s legality, accessibility, or how widely a drug is used. If heroin and crack were legal and more accessible, they would very likely rank higher than alcohol.
It is estimated that around 22.2 million people in the United States have used marijuana in the past month, making it “the most commonly used illicit drug” in the country. The use of marijuana, however, seemed to have no significant long-term effects on brain structure. It’s too soon to say what effect commercialized https://sober-home.org/how-does-alcohol-affect-your-skin-long-and-short/ cannabis — and its pervasive use — will have on our health. But we shouldn’t conflate the potential therapeutic uses of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis with products sold in dispensaries. Many products in dispensaries may have contaminants, may not actually contain CBD and may be high in THC concentration.
The team notes that any reduction in the size of white or gray matter or a loss in their integrity can lead to impairments in brain functioning. Gray matter is the tissue on the brain’s surface that primarily consists of nerve cell bodies. White matter is the deeper brain tissue that contains myelinated nerve fibers, which are branches protruding from nerve cells that transmit electrical impulses to other cells and tissues. For this latest study, Thayer and colleagues sought to learn more about how marijuana use affects the brain. According to the National Institutes of Health, cannabis use among young adults reached an all-time high in 2021. “You’re cumulatively impairing your cognitive function. What’s going to be the ultimate result, nobody can say.”
The harm score for marijuana would also likely rise after legalization, but probably not too much since pot use is already widespread. Cannabis addiction is surprisingly common, however, according to 2015 study. All of this means that doctors need to ask patients with diabetes about their use of marijuana and other substances. If a respondent said that he spent “a great deal” of his time using marijuana and that he sometimes used more than he planned, for example, that would be enough to qualify for the CUD label.
Although men have historically suffered more health problems from alcohol, a JAMA study published in July found that the rate of increase in alcohol-related deaths is rising faster in women than men, particularly for those 65 and older. The truth is, both alcohol and weed may cause negative health effects, including addiction. If you find that smoking weed starts to affect your life in unhealthy ways and leads to unwanted consequences, those are signs you might be developing an addiction and should seek medical care.
Though common marketing practices — and countless anecdotal reports — tout cannabis as a proven treatment for anxiety, pain, insomnia and more, all these claims require further research until we can make firm recommendations. Cannabis use may actually make the treatment of depression more difficult. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to become physically dependent on cannabis or develop a cannabis use disorder.
Marijuana and alcohol are no exception, so comparing their level of safety directly is difficult — each possesses the potential for unique risks and benefits. If you’re curious or concerned about how your body might react to either alcohol or marijuana, it may be wise to speak with a health care provider first. The number of potential factors to consider are vast, making results difficult to analyze and interpret. The researchers looked at brain scans from about 850 substance-using adults ages 18 to 55 and about substance-using 440 teens ages 14 to 19, all of whom reported varying levels of alcohol and cannabis use. It also seems to be at odds with a detailed 2010 analysis in The Lancet, which found that the dependence risks for marijuana and alcohol were similar while rating the overall harm attributable to alcohol more than three times as high.
Treatments can include medication and counseling, and it may be possible for you to moderate your drinking rather than quit altogether. More evidence that cannabis won’t help wean people with AUD off alcohol is demonstrated in research that found that people treated for AUD, who also used marijuana, relapsed sooner than people who didn’t use marijuana. “Patients with hepatitis C who used cannabis had way more liver scarring than those who didn’t and more progression of their liver disease.
He emphasized that the effect was very individual, with some people harmed by much lower alcohol intake than others. If you want to mix the two, pay careful attention to how much of each you’re consuming, especially if you’ve never mixed them before. In a 2015 study, 19 participants drank either a placebo or small amount of alcohol. Ten minutes later, they used a vaporizer to inhale either a low or a high dose of THC. Turns out, you might not need much alcohol to change the way your body absorbs THC.
If you’re out in a group, one person’s reaction might be very different than yours. Occasionally mixing alcohol and weed — also known as crossfading — likely won’t lead to major health problems. But there are a lot of variables to consider, including which one you use first and how you consume them. In contrast, Carroll says research shows rates of interpersonal or domestic violence are actually “lower in people who smoke marijuana than people that don’t.” The Well is Northwell Health’s commitment to the future of health care. In this time of information overabundance, much of which is inaccurate, unhelpful, or even difficult to understand, Northwell Health is on a mission to make a difference as an honest, trusted, and caring partner.
- Alcohol is also highly addictive and over time addiction can increase your chances of developing health issues and even a physical dependency.
- In total, 18% of participants were considered marijuana-dependent in at least one of the assessments, and 15% were classified as regular cannabis users in at least one assessment.
- Research highlighted by the National Cancer Institute suggests that the more alcohol you drink — particularly the more you drink regularly — the higher your risk of developing cancer.
- An intervention from loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help.
A 2017 review of existing studies notes that people who use alcohol and weed together tend to consume more of both. This can increase your risk for developing a dependence on alcohol, weed, or both. But if you’re sensitive to weed or don’t have much experience using it, it’s best to avoid mixing the two.