This almost points to the importance of regulation so people can use standardized dosages to track their usage of cannabis. Turns out, you might not need much alcohol to change the way your body absorbs THC. While this might be nice for some folks, it can cause others to green out. This refers to a range of unpleasant physical symptoms that can result from a strong high. Read on to learn more about the potential reactions and what to do if you have a bad one.
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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. Many cannabis users report the “munchies,” a phenomenon where pot users have increased appetites and cravings while high. Because cannabis affects cannabinoid receptors in the olfactory bulb in the brain, food can smell and taste more intense.
Health Effects Of Weed Vs. Alcohol
Chronic or excessive alcohol consumption is known to affect balance and disrupts normal walking patterns. This is because alcohol can damage parts of the brain responsible sunrock thc for coordination, including the cerebellum. Akin to this, cannabis use can also affect coordination and motor skills because THC can interfere with the functioning of specific sections of the brain like the cerebellum and the basal ganglia. “It’s important to make your doctor aware of any substance you’re taking, whether its an over the counter medication or herbal medicine,” Colvin said.
More than half of Americans live in states where recreational cannabis is legal. While alcohol remains the most-used drug in the US, daily cannabis use has actually outpaced daily drinking, according to a study following four decades of consumption trends. Unlike alcohol, Baler said, the effects of chronic marijuana use are not as well established.
Short-term effects
The immediate effects of weed can vary quite a bit from person to person. If you do get hungover, you might experience other effects, including headaches and diarrhea. Weed may appear to be safer than alcohol simply because we aren’t yet aware of certain risks. Before getting into comparing alcohol and weed, it’s important to understand some of the factors that make the comparison tricky. It’s important to understand the distinct difference between alcohol and cannabis addiction. That roughly translates to cannabis is not directly related to any increase in the chances of death or has a significant impact on your lifespan.
This means you might be tipsier than you feel, increasing your risk for becoming overly intoxicated. And while serving as a social lubricant, drinking alcohol actually leaves you dehydrated. The body needs a certain level of hydration and blood flow for sexual arousal.
- Alcohol detox can take a significant amount of time and have heavy withdrawal symptoms, while cannabis withdrawal can last anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks.
- This can increase your risk for developing a dependence on alcohol, weed, or both.
- Others have linked obesity and alcoholism; frequent drinkers seem to be more at risk.
- 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.
- Health risks are just one way to measure whether marijuana is safer than alcohol.
Alcohol is strongly linked with several types of cancer; marijuana is not.
Research has shown that patients who use medical marijuana experience less depression than patients who don’t use it, although scientists still don’t quite understand what makes cannabis effective at treating mood disorders. While there’s some research around the effects of drinking alcohol before using weed, there isn’t much about the opposite approach. Daily marijuana use raises the risk of stroke by 42% and heart attack by 25%, even if there is no prior history of heart disease and the person has never smoked or vaped tobacco, according to a February 2024 study. Approximately 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence, according to the NIAAA.
Another person might not have any issues with misusing alcohol but still find it hard to function without weed. There are countless cannabis products on the market and a number of consumption options, from vaping to edibles. Sure, research on the topic is ramping up a bit, but there’s still a lack of large, long-term studies. One thing that’s clear about the alcohol vs. weed debate is that both should be used responsibly and driving while intoxicated on anything should be avoided at all costs. That being said, alcohol still faces all of the same aforementioned tolls on your health and risks of addiction.