Yesterday the National Institute on Drug Abuse released a statement denying that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol. How a federal agency can look at all the science and facts and make such a claim is beyond me, and I’m sure TWB readers are pretty blown away by the blatant disregard for the facts too.
“Claiming that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol cannot be substantiated since each possess their own unique set of risks and consequences for a given individual,” According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The fine people at Politifact.Com researched the claim by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and concluded the following:
- Deaths or even trips to the hospital are much more likely due to alcohol;
- Scientists could not find any documented deaths from smoking marijuana;
- A study found the safety ratio for marijuana (the number of doses to cause death) is much greater than compared to alcohol. Put another way, marijuana is 100 times less toxic than alcohol.
“Overall, we rate this claim Mostly True.”
PolitiFact cited a study by Robert Gable, an emeritus professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University, which showed that “marijuana is about 100 times safer than alcohol….”
“Our federal government has been exaggerating the harms of marijuana for decades, but at this point it has gone off the deep end,” Tvert told The Huffington Post. “NIDA’s statement that marijuana can be just as toxic as alcohol would be on par with the FDA announcing sushi is as fattening as fried chicken.”
“This is gross negligence on the agency’s part and should be addressed immediately by the White House,” Tvert continued. “It is one thing for our federal officials to convey their opposition to marijuana policy reform. It is an entirely different and more disturbing situation when they are conveying opposition to scientific evidence.”
Whenever I think that the federal government can’t get any worse with their approach to marijuana policy and science, things like this pop up and my opinion of the federal government sinks even lower. How do TWB readers feel about these statements? I look forward to reading your comments.
