Individuals can become addicted to all manner of substances – alcohol, cocaine, heroin, cannabis and even prescription drugs. What’s more, addiction of any type can have an impact on health, finances, relationships and more.
Not to mention, become fatal in worse-case scenarios. With this in mind, you might be wondering why some substances are illegal and others, like alcohol, are readily available – despite having the ability to ruin lives. Here, we explain the topic in more detail.
What is Weed?
Also known as Cannabis, Weed is a plant-based substance that is smoked, vaped or even eaten. In appearance, it looks a dark green and is soft to touch.
Depending on the strain of the drug, there are a few different types of it though. Grass, which looks like dried herbs, is made from drying out the Cannabis plant. Skunk is a particularly strong strain and can be covered in crystals, and Hash is made from the resin of the plant and can come in a variety of forms.
What is Alcohol?
Alcohol comes in lots of different forms and strengths but is used to describe a drink that has ethanol in it. This is a type of alcohol that’s produced during the fermentation process and acts as a drug. Alcohol isn’t just in drinks though. You can commonly find it in mouthwash and anti-bacterial hand gels as alcohol works to kill off any harmful bacteria.
Illegal vs Legal Substances
Hundreds of thousands of individuals suffer from alcohol addiction or prescription drug addiction every year. But both of these substances are still legal in the UK. In contrast, there are a huge number of drugs that are classed as illegal, including weed. The main reason why drugs are illegal is that they’ve been proven to cause psychological and physical harm.
The government has therefore decided to put laws in place to prevent them from being misused.
There’s also the fact that drugs can cause bad and criminal behaviour so often laws are created to protect the wider public too. Many illegal drugs can also cause death via overdose, even the first time that someone uses them, which is another reason why they are classed as illegal. Put simply, the law is there to try and prevent individuals from harm.
You might still be wondering why some drugs are legal, like alcohol and nicotine. This is because a team of experts have found that, although negative side effects can occur, when consumed in small amounts, they are relatively safe for humans.
Which is More Harmful? Alcohol or Weed?
For years, people have debated whether alcohol is as bad as weed. More specifically, research has shown that weed brings with it fewer risks but that’s not to say that it’s a good choice. Both are unique substances that have varying effects which therefore makes comparisons very difficult. Despite this, below we round up the biggest factors:
- Research: we know more about alcohol than we do weed so we might just not know about the long-term effects of weed just yet.
- Short-term effects: while these will vary from person to person, alcohol causes drunkenness, relaxation, giddiness, slurring of words, nausea and vomiting. Weed can cause drowsiness, nausea, headaches and increased hunger.
- Lingering effects: while alcohol can cause a hangover the next day, including headaches, sickness and fatigue, weed can cause headaches and brain fog the next day.
- Long-term effects: if misused regularly, alcohol can cause liver disease, digestive issues, heart damage and infertility to name a few. The long-term effect of weed, on the other hand, aren’t as known but some suggest it causes issues with brain development and mental health concerns
It’s also important to remember that every person is different and individual tolerances will be different too. What’s more, both substances have addiction potential and there’s a possibility that individuals could develop an emotional or physical dependence on both weed and alcohol. Cannabis addiction can be treated at rehab.
So, to Answer Your Question…
One of the most confusing aspects about weed is that it’s legal in some countries and is actually used in CBD oil as pain relief. But if you want to know the real reason why weed is illegal, the answer is simple. Cannabis can do a lot of damage to your body and experts just don’t know what the long-term effects of it are yet.
What’s more, studies have shown that drug abuse is closely linked to anti-social behaviour and crime which is another reason why the government are taking steps to combat the risk.
That’s not to say that there aren’t associated issues with alcohol use, however. What’s more, both alcohol and drug addiction should be treated with the same severity.
At Asana Lodge, we provide leading rehab centres for addiction and mental health concerns. Our team of medical professionals include doctors, mental health specialists, nurses and counsellors and we use a range of treatments and therapies to help individuals to get to grips with their emotional and physical addictions.
Any addiction is hard – whether drug or alcohol – and recovery isn’t a straight road. For this reason, rehab is often the only way forward.
All you need to do is get in touch with us and start off the conversation. Our friendly team of advisors will get to know you, ask a few questions and outline exactly what you can expect from rehab. If you have any questions, they’ll answer them and we can also begin the admissions process.
Even if you don’t know whether rehab treatment is for you, why not pick up the phone and discuss your concerns with one of our advisors? Call us on 01908 489 421.
Drug or alcohol use doesn’t need to have control over your life, and we’re determined to show you how.
