Marijuana is 114 times safer than alcohol

Study finds that marijuana is 114 times safer than alcohol
(Image credit: iStock)

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that marijuana is, by far, the safest recreational drug.

Researchers judged the risk of death associated with commonly used substances, including alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, tobacco, ecstasy, and meth. They found that alcohol is the most deadly of the substances studied, while cannabis is about 114 times less deadly than alcohol.

The study's authors recommend U.S. law enforcement should focus more on alcohol and tobacco risks, rather than marijuana-related crimes. The researchers suggest a "strict legal regulatory approach, rather than the current prohibition approach" toward marijuana.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.