According to a piece by Health Research Funding “Being drunk and being stoned are worlds different. Many people want to rope them in together, but the truth is that alcohol and marijuana are not even on the same planet when it comes to their effects. Below we break down the facts associated with being drunk from alcohol or stoned from marijuana.”
Some Statistics:
– Nearly 100,00 people die from alcohol related deaths every year in the United States.
– Alcohol Misuse and related problems cost the United States over 200 billion dollars every year.
-Alcohol causes over 200 disease and injury-related health conditions.
-10 percent of children in the U.S. Live with one or more parents with alcohol problems.
-1.4 million people are arrested every year for drunk driving.
-Young people that drink are 7 times more likely to try other drugs.
-40 percent of all violent crimes are committed while a person is under the influence of alcohol.”
https://healthresearchfunding.org/drunk-vs-stoned/
1. Eckhardt CI, Parrott DJ, Sprunger JG. Mechanisms of Alcohol-Facilitated Intimate Partner Violence. Violence Against Women. 2015 Aug;21(8):939-57. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4795825/
2. Gorman DM, Speer PW, Gruenewald PJ, Labouvie EW. Spatial dynamics of alcohol availability, neighborhood structure and violent crime. J Stud Alcohol. 2001 Sep;62(5):628-36. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11702802
3. Proescholdt MG, Walter M, Wiesbeck GA. [Alcohol and violence: a current review]. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr. 2012 Aug;80(8):441-9. https://www.thieme-connect.com/…/abs…/10.1055/s-0031-1282018
Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the US, outpacing even deaths from opioids. https://tinyurl.com/AlcoholVsOpioids
Marijuana is Safer So Why Are Driving People to Drink? by Paul Armentano, Mason Tvert, and Steve Fox is a great resource for anyone who wants to set forth a persuasive case for marijuana law reform. https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/marijuana-is-safer/
We also encourage people to let legislators know about the principles of responsible adult use: https://www.ncnorml.org/about/
Actions:
Email the article to your NC Rep and Senator and ask what they think about alcohol vs. cannabis. www.ncleg.gov/rnr/representation
Review the slides from our webinar about working with your Reps. https://tinyurl.com/ConstituentWebinar
As always:
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