Green Party

[Professor S]

Crono, there are hardcore drinkers and weed smokers much as there are casual drinkers and weed smokers. I work in a bar and its downright sad to see what alcohol has done to some of these people, but then again they are in the minority, much like the hardcore/addict weed smokers are. In fact, its my opinion that those we refer to as weed addicts are more addicted to the culture of weed than to the actual drug. Think about it. Crack addicts need to smoke crack everyday, but you don't see them growing dreadlocks, wearing ponchos, cut offs and flip flops, following Phish across the country and spraying pachulli stink all over themselves.

In fact, when ABUSED, alcohol is FAR more damaging to the human body than weed. It causes permanent loss of brain cells, unlike weed (studies done on marijuana cite than THC actually blocks receptors in the brain, but when use subsides these blockages dissappear over time. The time it takes corresponds with the amount/length of time the drug has been smoked.) And while weed when consumed through smoke does give the chance of causing cancer, a far shorter length of abuse of alcohol is much more likely to cause liver cancer and sclerhosis (sp?). A woman I worked with abused alcohol for 4 years, abuse meaning daily consumption of several drinks to the point of intoxication, joined AA and even went to rehab, and got liver cancer 9 years after being clean and sober.

In the end we are splitting hairs. The main point behind all of this is hypocrisy. Weed is illegal and sucks billions of our tax dollars down the drain while alcohol is legal and makes our countries tax revenue while it is more detrimental to our bodies.

Legalize it, regulate it through the state (like they do in PA with alcohol where it can only be purchased in state run stores), and tax the crap out of it. Plus, think of all the drug related crime that will be stopped. This is a win/win senario from whatever angle you look at it from.

In case you are wondering where I am getting all this information, it is coming from two places: Two psychology classes I took in college that dealt with the effects of drugs and alcohol on the function of the brain and a great documentary I recently saw on the Sundance Channel called Weed... no I'm not joking