Alcohol or Marijuana? A Pediatrician Faces the Question

Since many of our FM readers are fathers, we found this NYT article particularly pertinent. A pediatrician answers the question: Which would he rather his children use – alcohol or marijuana?

While his immediate answer is “neither,” Dr. Aaron E. Carrol, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, walks us through the research and the pros and cons of using each substance, before ultimately coming to the conclusion: marijuana.

Here’s his thought process:

Crime
Because marijuana is illegal in most states, being caught with it is much worse than being caught with alcohol while underage.

But Carrol says that ignoring the relationship between alcohol and crime is a big mistake. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence reports that alcohol use is a factor in 40 percent of all violent crimes in the United States, including 37 percent of rapes and 27 percent of aggravated assaults.

There is no such association among marijuana users; people who are high are not committing violence. Although there are studies that link marijuana to crime, it’s mostly centered on its illegal distribution.

It’s substance abuse that’s worrisome for crime. A recent study found that about 19 percent of delinquent males and 11 percent of delinquent females had an alcohol disorder. Further, it found that even five years after detention, those with an alcohol use disorder had almost a 5 times greater risk of death from external causes, like homicide, than those without an alcohol disorder.

Health
Carrol says, again, there’s no comparison. Binge drinking (four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on a single occasion) accounts for about half of the more than 80,000 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. in 2010.

Marijuana, on the other hand, kills almost no one.

In terms of driving, a 2013 study found that marijuana increased the odds of being in a fatal crash by 83 percent. But adding alcohol to drug use increased the odds of a fatal crash by more than 2,200 percent.

Substance abuse
While 9 percent of pot users eventually become dependent, more than 20 percent of alcohol users do.

Carrol’s final thoughts
“When someone asks me whether I’d rather my children use pot or alcohol, after sifting through all the studies and all the data, I still say “neither.” Usually I say it more than once. But if I’m forced to make a choice, the answer is “marijuana.”

Curated Article from The New York Times

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