7 Science-Backed Stats Showing Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol and Tobacco

It’s a common scenario when you’re trying to convince a cannabis-skeptic that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco. No matter what you say, skeptics will always say that you don’t have any proof to support your claims. Now, you can pull from these science-backed stats to prove that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco.

Cannabis is A Low-Risk Drug Compared to Alcohol and Tobacco

In this 2015 study, scientists studied the various risk assessments of cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, and other substances. The overall point of this study was to determine each compounds’ lethal threshold. What this means in lay man’s terms is which of these compounds would kill a person at a certain dose.

It was found that cannabis tested well above the mark for safety thresholds. These results show that it’s incredibly difficult to overdose from cannabis, whereas it’s very possible to reach the lethal threshold with alcohol or nicotine from tobacco.

Cannabis Does Not Induce Cancer

In this 2018 study, researchers went in-depth to analyze how cannabis has anti-cancer properties, rather than cancer-inducing effects, such as tobacco.  This study compares the high instance of lung cancer that’s caused by tobacco with cannabis’ unique ability to fight against it.

This study shows that cannabis does not cause cancer like tobacco does, which is responsible for the death of nearly 500,000 Americans each year.

Alcohol is Responsible for Over 3 Million Deaths Per Year

When it comes to one of the leading causes of death in the United States, you don’t need to look any further than alcohol. In a study by the World Health Organization, researchers found that 1 in 20 deaths globally is alcohol-related. This is a massive number that’s directly caused by a substance that’s globally accepted.

Compare 3 million deaths caused by alcohol with the zero deaths associated with cannabis. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), it’s practically impossible to overdose from cannabis consumption.

It’s Unlikely You’ll Ever Consume Enough Cannabis to Overdose

For most people, it’s challenging to believe that it’s impossible to overdose from something, yet, cannabis fits this description. Just as the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization concluded, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever consume enough cannabis to overdose.

After extensive research, scientists have come to the conclusion that you would need to ingest 15,000 pounds of raw cannabis in 15-minutes to overdose. You would pass out long before making a dent in this amount, so it’s safe to say that it’s technically impossible to overdose from cannabis.

Cannabis is Less Carcinogenic When Compared With Tobacco

Have you ever had a conversation with a cigarette smoker that claimed there are more carcinogens in cannabis smoke? Well, according to this 2005 study, it goes to show that cannabis is far less carcinogenic than tobacco.

Cannabis smoke contains cannabinoids, whereas nicotine contains cancer-causing carcinogens. Numerous studies besides this study clearly show that cannabis’ cannabinoids battle against cancer that’s caused by tobacco’s carcinogenic smoke.

Alcohol Hurts The Liver, But Cannabis Protects It

It seems that everyone drinks alcohol without thinking about the repercussions it has on your liver. Your liver is responsible for cleaning out your system, and when it stops functioning, your body becomes less efficient and produces less energy.

In this recent study by Healthline, researchers found that while alcohol damages the liver, cannabis can actually protect it. Multiple drinks per day can cause liver cancer by infaming liver cells. Researchers found that cannabis’ anti-inflammatory properties help to relieve inflammation in the liver, thus reducing the risk of liver cancer.

Cannabis is Less Damaging To The Lungs Compared To Tobacco

Another major study conducted by UCSF and the University of Alabama at Birmingham showed that cannabis causes less damage to the lungs compared to tobacco smoke. Researchers found that prolonged exposure to tobacco smoke led to a loss of lung function; whereas, cannabis smoke didn’t.

The reason behind this, according to scientists, is because tobacco smokers consume a more significant number of cigarettes per day compared to cannabis users. Since cannabis smokers consume less marijuana per day, they are less at risk for damaged lungs.

Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol and Tobacco

Once you’ve read through these science-backed studies, you’ll be equipped to debate a cannabis skeptic that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco.