Here's a question: what's more dangerous-smoking pot or drinking alcohol?
Can't answer for sure? You're not alone.
At the crux of the marijuana legalization discussion lies the debate over whether toking on a joint is more detrimental to overall health than taking a shot of Maker's.
A report by Politifact reveals there is no short answer, and that experts are largely divided over the health issues associated with weed.
For communications director of the Marijuana Policy Project Mason Tvert, there couldn't be a more open-and-shut case.
"If you consume too much alcohol in a sitting or over the course of your life, you can die. If you consume too much [marijuana] in a sitting or over the course of your life, you do not die," he said. "What more could be needed to prove marijuana is 'less toxic' than alcohol?"
For Dr. Scott Teitelbaum, professor and vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and chief of the Division of Addiction Medicine at University of Florida, both drugs could potentially cause harm.
"It's like trying to compare different weapons," he said. "I don't know that there's a clear answer."
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a government-funded research group, told Politifact that weed might be less toxic than alcohol for some, and more for others.
"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," a spokesperson for the group said.
An oft-employed argument for marijuana is that no documented deaths have ever been reported as a result of weed smoking, yet tens of thousands die each year due to alcohol-related issues.
In 2010, 41,682 deaths were attributed to alcohol use in some capacity. 15,990 people passed away from liver disease, and 25,692 died as a result of other liquor-related accidents and ailments.
Former professor of psychology Robert Gable told Politifact that marijuana is around one hundred times less toxic than alcohol or cocaine.
At the end of the volley, Politifact deemed the claim that marijuana was "less toxic" than alcohol to be "mostly true."
What do you think? Is marijuana more harmful than alcohol in terms of toxicity?
