The other drugs are worse argument

This is an argument that I have encountered many times in regards to marijuana and one I myself use to use when I had a marijuana habit, in order to convince myself it was ok. You know the one, alcohol is worse, tobacco is worse, etc. Well worse in what way? If you’re talking about permanent damage to the lungs, alcohol is not worse than marijuana for that and if you’re talking about short term memory loss and brain damage, then tobacco isn’t worse than marijuana in that respect either. If you’re talking about mental health problems then tobacco and alcohol aren’t necessarily worse than marijuana. I have never heard of anyone’s mental health problems being triggered or made worse by smoking cigarettes. So when people start saying that this drug is worse than that, it’s a bit of a silly argument because different drugs affect the human body in different ways. When you start saying which is “worse”, I think you have to ask yourself the question worse for what? Not only that but different drugs affect different people in different ways, for someone with a vulnerability or predisposition to mental health problems, smoking marijuana can be worse for their mental health than taking heroin. And before I get all the pro marijuana Rottweiler’s jump all over me crying “he said marijuana was worse than heroin” let’s burn him, well for certain peoples mental health it can be. So before you go convincing yourself of which drug is “worse”, just ask yourself worse for what. The all have their risks and side effects, even if they are different and one type of drug may be worse for a certain individual than another. So you can’t always really say that this or that drug is worse for everybody, because it isn’t always the case.

And for the record please don’t take this as me defending alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, either legal or illegal in comparison to marijuana, that’s not the purpose of this post. All I am saying is that all drugs can have different potential side effects and the only reason I am making this post is because there are some who believe that marijuana, is the exception to the rule and has no negative side effects. Which from firsthand experience I know isn’t the case.

Anyway the whole argument of which is worse than what, is a bit irrelevant when considering the negative effects of marijuana anyway, maybe there are other drugs that are worse for certain things, that doesn’t make marijuana any less harmful. Maybe smoking cigarettes is worse for the lungs than smoking marijuana, although there is plenty of evidence to say that it’s not, but let’s for arguments sake say they are, that doesn’t mean marijuana isn’t bad for the lungs too, it doesn’t make the negative effects marijuana has on the lungs any less worse.

Maybe it’s worse to get hit by a truck than a car, you still don’t want to get hit by a car. Can you see how irrelevant the “that’s worse” argument really is. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

I run a forum that offers advice and support to those who are trying to quit marijuana. To speak to others who are there, or have been there visit the Marijuana Addiction Forum.