2007-03-14 23:40:05 · 10 answers · asked by achronicfan 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I believe that a lack of moderation on the part of the user is what is harmful to society, whether the substance being used is alcohol, or pot.
No one is going to have a problem with the guy that goes home, has a couple of beers, eats dinner, tucks the kiddies in with a bedtime story, and spends a little quality time with the wifey before hitting the hay and doing it all again tomorrow. Everyone has a problem with the guy that has a couple of six-packs on the way home, runs over the neighbor's dog, stumbles in the door, and beats the wife and kids before passing out on the living room floor. There's also a big difference between a guy that smokes a joint on his day off, and spends the afternoon eating Twinkies and potato chips instead of cleaning out the garage, and a guy who's stoned fully half his life and can't find enough ambition to get a part-time job, so at 37, he can finally move out of his mother's house and stop buying video games with her social security.
2007-03-15 00:55:19 · answer #1 · answered by Naomi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both of these substances have different capacities for harm. They are two different types of drugs, even though they are both depressants.
While alcohol has a more severe addiction quality, marajuana is a gate way drug among teens/children. Kids who smoke marijuana are more likely to try cocaine and heroin at any later age--which have a much higher addictive quality than alcohol.1
Alcohol can distroy lives, because of addictive quality. Marijuana has the same potential, but in a more subtle way. It has shown to cause problems with personal and working relationships. Marijuana, under long term and cronic use, potentially becomes psychologically addictive and an individual has as much of a difficult time quiting this substance, as an alcoholic does in quiting alcohol.
Because of the type of substance that it is and because of its LONG history of use within cultures (tied even to religious affiliation), and because of its addictive quality, alcohol cannot become illegal, nor should it (the US attempted this before and it was a disaster). It can only be controlled. Marijuana, could be deemed the same, in that it could effectively be controlled...but, it has been taken out the market because it is more subtle, doesn't have the great addictive prowess as alcohol, doesn't have deep rooted culture ties (except for initiatory peer involvement among the young), and companies have solicited its sanction in order to manufacture and sell other products that would replace other goods that hemp can produce.
Harm to society depends on circumstances of the situations of harm and interpretation. A super ball could be potentially hazardous in the wrong hands.
2007-03-15 07:10:01 · answer #2 · answered by What, what, what?? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alcohol makes people (some) agressive if used too much. Pot does the opposite.
You will end up with 2 groups of people aggresive and extremely relaxed and paranoid people. The biggest group is the most harmful.
My guess is that this will be the alcohol group, since it seems easier to get hooked to alcohol than to pot.
2007-03-15 06:49:05 · answer #3 · answered by gjmb1960 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think both are equally as harmful, especially if pot became legal. It doesn't matter what you've got in you..once you get into a car under the influence of anything you put you and everyone around you in danger. You act differently (more agressive, use poor judement) no matter what you are under the influence of, so I feel that both are equally are harmful.
2007-03-15 06:51:46 · answer #4 · answered by ♥Mommy to 3 year old Jacob and baby on the way♥ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You won't get a fair analysis to this. most folks haven't experienced pot to understand it's effects. By far, alcohol is more harmful.
2007-03-15 11:31:39 · answer #5 · answered by Baw 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
alcohol is more harmful to society for its effect on people. Alcoholics are not productive people, they are more abusive, they are killing innocent people on the road by driving intoxication and the list goes on.
2007-03-15 06:46:26 · answer #6 · answered by GiGgLeS 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alcohol by a long shot. Hundreds of millions addicted and hundreds of thousands dead every year.
Billions in profit.
2007-03-15 06:44:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion, alcohol is far more harmful.
2007-03-15 06:50:08 · answer #8 · answered by pepper 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
personally i don't think that one is more harmful then the other, they are both destructive to society and both should be illegal in my opinion.
2007-03-15 06:47:02 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alcohol. It is more addicting, and its effects are more destructive.
2007-03-15 06:51:09 · answer #10 · answered by Wyoming Rider 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋