Ganja more than 100 times safer than booze

| 27/02/2015 | 22 Comments

(CNS): In one of the most recent studies examining the risks associated with 10 substances, scientists have found that people are 114 times more likely to die from overdosing on alcohol than from ganja. A report, published in the journal Scientific Reports this week, revealed researchers tested doses of the legal drugs, alcohol and nicotine, as well as illicit substances, including cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and methamphetamines. Cannabis was the only substance on the list to be classified as ‘low risk’.

Alcohol posed the highest risk to individuals and was ranked alongside nicotine, cocaine and heroin as ‘high risk’. With booze at the top and ganja at the bottom, researchers say governments need to reclassify ganja as a medicine and increase risk management strategies regarding alcohol, which is far more dangerous to health than previously considered.

Governments continue to claim the restrictive policies towards ganja and other illicit drugs is based on the perception that they are more harmful than alcohol and tobacco, despite the mounting evidence to the contrary when it comes to marijuana.

“Specifically, the results confirm that the risk of cannabis may have been overestimated in the past,” the report said. “In contrast, the risk of alcohol may have been commonly underestimated.”

Professor David Nutt, chair of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and former chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, said, “The results make perfect sense. The ultra-low mortality of cannabis has long been recognised with health harms greatly exaggerated. I would recommend that cannabis be reinstated as a medicine as recognised by the House of Lords report in 2001, as the clear harms are well outweighed by the health benefits.”

The study suggested that alcohol and tobacco should be prioritised in terms of risk management and ganja should be legalised.

The news comes during the week when Jamaica’s parliament passed the final approval for its new ganja laws, Alaska became the third state to legalise recreational use of the drug and Washington DC’s mayor, in the face of threats by congress members, still implement the legalisation process there in line with the referendum results last year.

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Comments (22)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    More likely to die from alcohol than ganja? First of all. No one has ever died from ganja overdose. No such thing exists. This is more false information about Cannabis. You CAN’T overdose on cannabis. Impossible

    • Anonymous says:

      Mebbe so, but it can make a mess out of your life.

      Is it o.k. to drive after a “few” joints?

  2. Driftwood says:

    If only I could afford 100 times more weed…

    • Anonymous says:

      Ganja is BAD!
      “America still has a problem with underage drinking and use of prescription pills.
      “It’s not worse than alcohol,” said Bennett.
      “We know we have a problem, and we have not managed to keep those things from kids. Colorado was supposed to eliminate the marijuana black market, but it did not.” White concluded,
      “Why add a third problem?”
      READ ARTICLE: http://www.newsweek.com/problem-pot-306634

  3. Anonymous says:

    Alden better heed the warnings we alteady up sh*t creek and no paddles dog done eating our supper people sleeping on the street the Caribbean is all about tourism and escaping to paradise LEGALISE IT OR WE GONNA LOSE ONE OF OUR MAIN INDUSTRIES THE BANKS ALL PULLING OUT ONE BY ONE sign them papers and don’t bother spending tax dollars on no research / specialist to come down here nuff herb man and rasta can tell u the benefits ease the tension smoke a Lil splif in a de morning sa meditate free up ya mind clear ya conscience ONE LOVE GCM

    • Anonymous says:

      Legalize it and the remaining banks and financial companies will leave. Cayman is known as an island with a high standard of living. Legalize it and the entire country will smell and look like a ghetto.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Cayman does not have to move towards legalizing it, but they can certainly decriminalize posession in small amounts and consumption. No one is forcing you to smoke it, just like no one is forcing you to go to happy hour and get drunk.

    • Anonymous says:

      When the little Johnnies consciously flout the known laws of the land, are caught, and given a record, it somehow becomes a marijuana moral debate rather than a delinquency issue. Is the answer to legalize all juvenile delinquency, or should we rather strive for higher standards as a society?

  5. Raffaelle says:

    Yeah but those who ever try to ban the British Elixir Of Life “Likka” are going to end up in more than jail Dem Afi Ded!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Instead of trying to justify filling people’s brains with mood and mind altering substances how about convincing people to fill their minds with education and proper morals. There is a novel idea. Second is that there is room and a need for medical purposes for ganja, but do not shovel that all of these supporters are pushing for the decriminalization for the ill, and the stoners are a by product – me thinks it is the other way around. Disgusting is a word that comes to mind.

    • Anonymous says:

      That has been what they have been doing for the last 70 years and failed. what do you call doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result?

  7. Anonymous says:

    Smoking cigarettes or marijuana is still smoke in the lungs. Legalizing it means my child will smell it while playing in the backyard. My child will not have a choice. My child will be exposed to the second hand effects. Legalizing it does not mean that your employer will accept it if it’s in your system when tested. They still can refuse employment based on use of anything or ‘under the influence’ while employed. Legalizing it will mean if I go to the supermarket and get exposed I can lose my job because of the little idiots that don’t have a job and don’t care to have a job or the entitled ones are smoking publicly because they think it is cool and or because they can.

    Cayman as a society has a huge male population that are unemployable. Is legalizing it going to help them? No they will remain unemployable due to other social factors. Poor education, self esteem, mental issues, lack of ambition etc. The functioning successful drug users will legalizing it change anything for them? No – maybe the cost of purchasing and where to purchase. However, I see no real advantage. The poorly functioning society may expand with legalizing it since they may zone out for extended periods of time. Use for them is not a novelty it is a lifestyle not an ‘after work’ relaxation. It’s an island how much more relaxed can we get? The functioning/successful will continue to be successful. Though laws are in place to protect a society not to demolish a society.

  8. Anonymous says:

    As some others have already posted; anyone with any experience around (or using) marijuana as opposed to alcohol, can attest to alcohol causing much more damge and costing society much more troubles than marijuana. Time to stop trying to prohibit small amounts of marijuana!

    • D. Truth says:

      You can also cause your body less damage by shooting yourself with a .22 caliber handgun than using a .38 caliber handgun —— but I ain’t going to use either one.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Nobody moves… Nobody gets hurt.

  10. Caymans List says:

    Anyone who has drank liquor or been around an alcoholic. And also smoked marijuana or has been around people who do, already know this.. The only reason the powers that be have been holding back is because they want to make sure that when it’s legalized they get a good cut of the profit. In essence they want to make sure that they are the kingpins..

  11. LLAP - Without Drugs says:

    This is not exactly “news”. Just another propaganda “study” for those desperate to legitimize their vices and debauchery. Why not just title the article “Pick your Method of Early Death”?

    Ironic you should publish this article on the day that Leonard Nimoy – Mr. Spock dies. On January 10 he wrote this on his twitter account “Don’t smoke. I did. Wish I never had. LLAP”.

    Don’t let anyone try to make you or anyone you love into believing there is any difference between smoking “cannabis” and smoking anything else. Smoking is smoking.

    Here is a slice of reality to consume:

    http://www.healthline.com/health-news/study-concludes-2-in-3-smokers-will-die-from-the-habit-022415#2

    LLAP!!

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