A 2023 Gallup study found that most American adults consider cannabis to be less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes; 95% of adults found cigarettes to be the most harmful of the three, while 80% of adults chose alcohol as the most harmful.
In terms of how cannabis is ranked, 58% of Americans consider it as the most harmful substance.
Yet, alcohol remains the substance that is most used out of the three; 16% of Americans consume marijuana, while 67% of Americans drink regularly, according to Gallup data. But if we collectively understand the harms from each respective substance as intrinsically different, why do antiquated stigmas hold so much weight over American cannabis laws?
hat’s Tnot to say that cannabis poses no risks at all; studies have highlighted the risks that come with consuming cannabis; such as a heightened risk of stroke, heart disease and other vascular illnesses. Inhaling smoke of any kind will never be 100% safe; and it irritates the lungs.
But it’s almost as if we have an accepted cultural and social understanding that allows tobacco and alcohol to exist outside of a moral code; we understand the risks that they pose, yet comfortably integrate them into daily parts of our lives — like grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants.
A 2022 study from the journal Drug Science, Policy and Law assessed the harm of alcohol, nicotine and cannabis, with a focus on traffic accidents, psychosis, and cognitive impairment. The study found that, in terms of impairment and psychosis, moderate cannabis use “is no stronger, and often considerably weaker, than the corresponding association for moderate tobacco use. The same holds for associations with cognitive impairment.”
And, in terms of traffic accidents, the review’s findings were similar, writing “alcohol use is substantially stronger than the risk from cannabis use, while the corresponding risk from tobacco use appears to be almost as strong as that from cannabis use. It thus appears that the risk for psychosis, cognitive impairment and traffic crashes associated with cannabis use is generally comparable to that from tobacco use.”
If history teaches us anything, it’s that making something illegal does not erase a desire to partake; arguably proven most by Prohibition, when it was illegal to sell, produce and transport alcohol.
Contrary to popular belief, consuming alcohol was not prohibited, allowing for legal loopholes to ensure that alcohol could be legally purchased or transported. Pharmacies, for example, could prescribe whiskey, and churches were able to serve wine, leading to a stealthy increase of churchgoers. People learned how to make moonshine on their own, and others found ways to illegally profit from alcohol.
As we all know, Prohibition did not last long and came to an end in 1933. However, just four years later, the Marihuana Tax Act was passed, and the country had a new method of scapegoating its citizens; particularly people of color. The War on Drugs would eventually take off in the 1970s, resulting in an eventual disproportionate mass incarceration of people of color, specifically Black Americans.
A 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union noted that “Black people are 3.64 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession, notwithstanding comparable usage rates. In every single state, Black people were more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, and in some states, Black people were up to six, eight, or almost 10 times more likely to be arrested. In 31 states, racial disparities were larger in 2018 than they were in 2010.”
Even though cannabis is legal in 24 states, it is still federally illegal. While cannabis may be rescheduled from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III, its current ranking still means that, in the eyes of the government, it holds no medical value and has high potential for abuse.
It is strange to be at a point in time where weed is legal, kind of, yet our collective understanding seems to be caught in limbo. If cannabis were to be rescheduled, it would still be more regulated than alcohol. While attitudes toward cannabis continue to change, we are still left with the damage that cannabis prohibition has caused. Even in states where cannabis is legal, some people are still serving time for cannabis-related charges.
And my question still stands — if we can admit that alcohol causes more harm than cannabis, why is it more socially accepted to drink than it is to smoke?
