When the President talks, people listen. So, when Obama told The New Yorker that he doesn’t think marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol, we wondered: Is he right?
“I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol,” President Obama told the mag. It’s less dangerous, he said, “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer. It’s not something I encourage, and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy.”
We checked in with two experts—one on alcohol, and one on weed—to put the Commander-in-Chief’s statement to the test.
ON MARIJUANA, Peter Friedmann, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Medicine & Community Health at Brown University: “The President said that—on an individual basis—alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis, and that may be true. Certainly, the epidemiologic data support that alcohol produces more societal harm than does cannabis, but it remains to be seen whether cannabis will catch up.”
On a daily habit: “A safe level or frequency of cannabis use has not been established.”
On overdoing it: “Cannabis today is not the same as that which President Obama smoked in terms of potency or addiction potential.” (Today, weed is stronger, and addiction potential is higher.) “On the other hand, the delivery systems have changed, with vaporizers producing less of the harmful tar from combustion.”
On getting behind the wheel: “Any level of impairment could prove harmful, especially if you drive under the influence.”
ON ALCOHOL, Eric Rimm, Sc.D., and Associate Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health: “In moderation, alcohol is a lot better. Marijuana does not lead to longevity when smoked in moderation.”
On a daily habit: “Up to two drinks a day is not a bad habit and is associated with better longevity.”
On overdoing it: “Consumed at greater amounts, alcohol is likely more dangerous than marijuana. Although it’s hard to compare the two: Right now, there are a lot more people who abuse alcohol than marijuana.”
On getting behind the wheel: “Even two drinks can be bad if consumed before driving.”
The jury’s still out regarding weed and its health impacts. That's why we visited the federally funded pot farm at the University of Mississippi recently to find out The Truth About Medical Marijuana.
