Re: What are the effects of marijuana opposed to alcohol?

I would say that alcohol is much more dangerous than marijuana.

Marijuana is a hallucinogen.  It causes a dream-like state and makes most 
people "mellow out."  It is also notorious for causing increased appetite.
I don't know of any long-term complications or medical problems from 
marijuana.  It is most similar to smoking cigarettes as far as toxic 
effects.  The smoke can cause some irritation of the lungs, but most 
people don't smoke as many joints as smokers do cigarettes so nobody knows 
if marijuana causes lung cancer or emphysema or heart disease.

Alcohol, on the other hand, basically dulls the senses, slows down the 
functioning of the brain, and decreases inhibitions.  Acutely, it causes 
many effects:  Some people get violent and hurt themselves or others.
Alcohol intaoxication is responsible for up to 50% of traffic collisions.  
Some people get depressed and attempt suicide.  

It also cause many effects directly on the body:  it lowers the body 
temperature, it causes the heart to race, it can cause seizures or coma, 
and it makes some pass out and gag on their own vomit or get pneumonia.

Also, in terms of the burden on society, alcohol is much more of a problem 
than marijuana.  Huge numbers of people are disabled and chronically ill 
from liver cirrhosis, heart disease, seizures, and stomach ulcers, all 
from the long-term effects of alcohol.

Here are some related Mad Scientist previous answers:

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec97/875400410.Ns.r.html

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/oct98/909444073.Ns.r.html

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jul99/933184165.Ns.r.html