Americans finally understand that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol

[Penny Lane 8,159]

A new Pew survey out today provides yet another illustration of the failure of America's drug war. By a nearly five-to-one margin, Americans agree that alcohol is worse for you than marijuana. However you slice the data up demographically, majorities say the same thing.

The elderly, Republicans and Hispanics are the least likely to agree that booze is more harmful than weed, but even among these groups respondents said that alcohol was more harmful by more than a two-to-one margin. At the other end of the spectrum, blacks say alcohol is more harmful by an eight-to-one margin, while those under thirty agree by nearly seven-to-one.

On the relative dangers of marijuana and alcohol, the public is now in line with what medical researchers have been saying for years. A 2010 study in the journal Lancet, for instance, graded common drugs on sixteen criteria relating to how harmful the drugs were to users, and how harmful they were to society overall. On both measures - harm to self and harm to users - marijuana scored significantly lower than alcohol.

In fact, alcohol was the most dangerous of all the drugs studied, vastly more dangerous than other drugs in terms of harm to society, and behind only meth, crack and heroin when it came to harm to users.

Other topline findings from the Pew survey: significant majorities approve of marijuana legalization, say that mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes are a bad idea, and want the federal government to focus more on providing treatment to drug users, rather than prosecuting them.

In short, it's hard to think of another arena in which federal policy is more at odds with public opinion and scientific consensus. The Pew survey suggests that in the upcoming national elections in 2014 and 2016, there's a real opportunity for candidates to distinguish themselves by taking up these issues.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/04/02/americans-finally-understand-that-marijuana-is-less-harmful-than-alcohol/?tid=rssfeed

[LibCampFireClub 635]

I wonder if you have any statistics that compare those taking bong hits to those who want a working wage? Under achievers perhaps?

Edited April 3, 2014 by ExExpat

[Sousuke 1,214]

I wonder what the results would be if you asked minors? They are going to probably go off of what the media / social programs tell them. For instance is DARE still around?

[Danno 1,228]

Your title word "understand" implies coming to the point of truth.

We have no such evidence to make any such claim yet.

And further more I am not so sure comparing something to Alcohol is much of a reassurance.

[Sousuke 1,214]

Your title word "understand" implies coming to the point of truth.

We have no such evidence to make any such claim yet.

And further more I am not so sure comparing something to Alcohol is much of a reassurance.

Yeah there only like 100s of scientific papers that come to such a conclusion…

[Danno 1,228]

Yeah there only like 100s of scientific papers that come to such a conclusion…

Don't be silly.

"Harmful" is a broad term.

We can't know the answer to it's effects on society for decades.

[Sousuke 1,214]

Don't be silly.

"Harmful" is a broad term.

We can't know the answer to it's effects on society for decades.

They aren't referring to society, they are referring to a person's health.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

I wonder if you have any statistics that compare those taking bong hits to those who want a working wage? Under achievers perhaps?

Yeah, I don't know any successful, well-paid marijuana smokers. Impossible!

[LibCampFireClub 635]

New York: According to a real shocker from the world of bona fide science, smoking marijuana is tied to less motivation at the office. The author of the study said it can't prove whether that's due to the drug's effects, the social environment in which it's used or whether pot smokers are just more likely to be laid-back from the get-go.

Though researcher Christer Hyggen suspects pot is the culprit, another possible explanation is that people who aren't so happy with their work situation or motivated on the job are more likely turn to drugs.

"There's a popular belief that people who smoke cannabis are slackers and that they don't want to work," Hyggen, from the Oslo-based social research institute NOVA said.

To see how well that perception held up, he analyzed data from a 25-year-long study of close to 1,500 Norwegians. Starting in 1987, when they were in their late teens and early 20s, participants filled out surveys that included questions on their recent pot use on five different occasions, into their 40s. They also rated their attitudes on statements that reflected work commitment, such as "It is very important for me to have a job" and "I feel restless when I have no work to do," ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 reflecting the most commitment.

People who reported smoking in the past year generally reported less dedication to work than abstainers, according to findings published in the journal Addiction. The pattern held after Hyggen took into account their mental health, satisfaction with their work environment, their economic background and how much alcohol they drank. He also found that those who only reported recent smoking on one survey -- the "experimenters" -- tended to be as committed as abstainers as they got older.

http://post.jagran.com/smoking-marijuana-tied-to-low-motivation-levels-at-work-1330057370

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

New York: According to a real shocker from the world of bona fide science, smoking marijuana is tied to less motivation at the office. The author of the study said it can't prove whether that's due to the drug's effects, the social environment in which it's used or whether pot smokers are just more likely to be laid-back from the get-go.

Though researcher Christer Hyggen suspects pot is the culprit, another possible explanation is that people who aren't so happy with their work situation or motivated on the job are more likely turn to drugs.

"There's a popular belief that people who smoke cannabis are slackers and that they don't want to work," Hyggen, from the Oslo-based social research institute NOVA said.

To see how well that perception held up, he analyzed data from a 25-year-long study of close to 1,500 Norwegians. Starting in 1987, when they were in their late teens and early 20s, participants filled out surveys that included questions on their recent pot use on five different occasions, into their 40s. They also rated their attitudes on statements that reflected work commitment, such as "It is very important for me to have a job" and "I feel restless when I have no work to do," ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 reflecting the most commitment.

People who reported smoking in the past year generally reported less dedication to work than abstainers, according to findings published in the journal Addiction. The pattern held after Hyggen took into account their mental health, satisfaction with their work environment, their economic background and how much alcohol they drank. He also found that those who only reported recent smoking on one survey -- the "experimenters" -- tended to be as committed as abstainers as they got older.

http://post.jagran.com/smoking-marijuana-tied-to-low-motivation-levels-at-work-1330057370

Reliable source!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Yeah there only like 100s of scientific papers that come to such a conclusion…

Danno doesn't do science.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Your title word "understand" implies coming to the point of truth.

We have no such evidence to make any such claim yet.

And further more I am not so sure comparing something to Alcohol is much of a reassurance.

My title?

More like the article's title.

I don't make them up as I go along. Maybe you do.

Don't be silly.

"Harmful" is a broad term.

We can't know the answer to it's effects on society for decades.

This article is mostly about the impact on one's health. In case you didn't read it.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Penny Lane

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This article is about the impact on one's health. In case you didn't read it.

You can bank on that!

[LibCampFireClub 635]

My title?

More like the article's title.

I don't make them up as I go along. Maybe you do.

This article is mostly about the impact on one's health. In case you didn't read it.

I can't read so well when I'm stoned.

[MacUK 983]

I've never understood why so much of America has a deep down fear of alcohol and social drinking.