Mary Jane VS Jack Daniels

Here’s a little something a friend of mine put me up on. Back in the day I used to have debates with people who criticized marijuana but drank alcohol. I would argue that just because it’s illegal it doesn’t mean it’s worse than alcohol, in fact quite the opposite. I always hear of people dying of alcohol poisoning and drunk drivers but never any deaths from “high drivers” (shit whenever I was high I used to sit my happy ass down and know for sure I couldn’t drive, but you always seem to think you can drive no matter how much liquor is in you…) I no longer “partake” in the Sweet Leaf - not for moral issues but because I didn’t want to get fat from the munchies and I never did anything other than play video games while I was high - but I’m not opposed to it’s use or legalization.

Below is a graph comparing the dangers of popular drugs including marijuana and alcohol. It is followed by definitions of each of the dangers charted. You can find this chart and 10 other reasons why alcohol is worse than marijuana at this Current.com page. One interesting factoid I found out is that there has been no recorded instance of lung cancer being found in non-tobacco smokers, yet alcohol has been known to cause cancers and cirrhosis of the liver.

Dependence: How difficult it is for the user to quit, the relapse rate, the percentage of people who eventually become dependent, the rating users give their own need for the substance and the degree to which the substance will be used in the face of evidence that it causes harm.

Withdrawal: Presence and severity of characteristic withdrawal symptoms.

Tolerance: How much of the substance is needed to satisfy increasing cravings for it, and the level of stable need that is eventually reached.

Reinforcement: A measure of the substance’s ability, in human and animal tests, to get users to take it again and again, and in preference to other substances.

Intoxication: Though not usually counted as a measure of addiction in itself, the level of intoxication is associated with addiction and increases the personal and social damage a substance may do.


I also remember reading in college how "yellow journalism" was used to make hemp illegal because of it being a cheaper alternative for many things, and thus marijuana was made illegal by association. Below are just some of the many uses for hemp:

Hemp uses (from greenlivingtips.com)
-Hempseed oil comprises nearly a third of the seeds' weight; making it a viable source for cooking oil, lighting and bio-fuel.

-The stalk provides an incredibly strong, durable and rot resistant fiber that's been used in the shipping industry for centuries. As hemp can grow over ten feet tall, the long fibers are perfect for rope.

-The short fibers of the stalk can be used in textiles as a replacement or blender fiber for cotton.

-The core of the stalk can be used to make paper and organic plastics.

-The woody core, known as hurds, can be mixed with lime, sand, plaster and cement to create a very strong concrete or building bricks.

-The core fiber can also be utilized in producing a fiberboard that is twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard.

-Given its fast growth, hemp may also be useful in carbon sequestration - taking carbon out of the air and putting it back into the earth.

-Hemp is a great insulation material that can be applied in the wall cavities and roof spaces of houses as a replacement for fiberglass.

-The flowers and leaves are used to make medicines for treating many ailments such as glaucoma and cancer sufferers can be prescribed it to ease pain.

Fuel uses (from jackherer.com)
-Hemp is Earth's number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months.

-Biomass can be converted to methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost comparable to petroleum, and hemp is much better for the environment. Pyrolysis (charcoalizing), or biochemical composting are two methods of turning hemp into fuel.

-Farming 6% of the continental U.S. acreage with biomass crops would provide all of America's energy needs.

-Hemp can produce 10 times more methanol than corn.

-Hemp fuel burns clean. Petroleum causes acid rain due to sulfur pollution.

-The use of hemp fuel does not contribute to global warming.