Just this past weekend was Unofficial, a party holiday where people drink all day, and according to the all-knowing Urban Dictionary, “many citations and arrests are made, and sometimes a person or two dies.” While that may or may not be an exaggeration, it does point out an important issue: despite being dangerous and unhealthy, alcohol is deemed an acceptable intoxicant to use. In fact, many people even forget that they’re taking drugs when they drink.

Luckily, the legalization of cannabis has made it more acceptable. A 2021 Gallup poll by Jeffrey Jones indicates that 49 percent of adults have tried marijuana, and 12 percent say they smoke cannabis regularly. In my experience, it is uncommon for someone to be adamantly against smoking, even if they don’t do it themselves.

With this in mind, we should wonder whether we’d be better off all switching to cannabis instead of alcohol.

A controversial 2010 research study, “Drug Harms in the UK” by Nutt et al., found that, while “heroin, crack cocaine, and metamfetamine were the most harmful drugs to individuals…alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine were the most harmful to others.” They conclude that, “overall, alcohol was the most harmful drug.”

What this shows, if the research is correct, is that it may not only be in our best interest to switch to cannabis, but we may have moral considerations for doing so too.

Doug Sellman, Professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at University of Otago contrasts some health effects between cannabis and alcohol in his 2020 article, “Alcohol is More Harmful than Cannabis.”

He cites that, while the risk of overdose for cannabis is virtually zero, for alcohol it is relatively high. Furthermore, alcohol is known “definitely” to cause major depression and cancer, while for cannabis it is possible.

While sometimes cannabis and alcohol score the same in effect, such as in risk of irritability in withdrawal and risk of addiction, it is fair to conclude that cannabis is safer for the individual all things considered.

However, there are strong reasons to consider switching use simply for the sake of others.

One consideration is driving while intoxicated: The website for American Addiction Centers lists cannabis as increasing one’s chance of being in a car accident by 83 percent, while alcohol increases one’s chances by more than 2,200 percent.

Second, research shows that alcohol increases aggression in its users much more than cannabis does.

Yet, one may object and say, “But I won’t drive intoxicated or become aggressive when drinking, so I won’t hurt other people.” While this may be true, we can consider the larger cultural impact. If more people tend to approve of cannabis and disapprove of alcohol, this may dissuade people from drinking alcohol.

We can imagine a better world: hundreds of people on Unofficial hot-boxing cars and bedrooms alike–and not one of them overdosing, jeopardizing their mental health, or putting others at risk. Put down the bottle, and (if you have to use a drug) pick up a joint instead.

Ian Palacios is an English and philosophy major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or at impalacios@eiu.edu.