Alcohol vs Marijuana

By: The Party Guru

Everyone knows that college students drink and many of them smoke. Its practically ingrained in the college party culture. Whether it be drinking at a party after a hard week or taking a hit with some friends after class, its bound to happen. The real question is, whats better and which do college students prefer?

College Culture

Its widely accepted that students don't just go to college for an education but for the whole experience to "find themselves." This plays out in many ways including different types of experimentation. According to a study by Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 80% of college students are drinkers with 31% of students being bing-drinkers. Another 30% reported using marijuana, even though we know in many cases its even higher than that. This begs the question of, whats better for you?

Pros and Cons

The evidence is overwhelming that weed is better for you than alcohol. When looking at the toxicity of the two substances marijuana is less toxic since it does not require the same "break down" as alcohol does. Also, alcohol leads to over 5000 deaths a year while weed has never directly killed anyone. College life is filled with teen alcohol abuse whether we like it or not. When mixing the two called crossfaded, can have different reactions for everyone so be careful when doing that.

One thing alcohol does win on is the length of time a substance stays in your system. Weed tends to stay in your for weeks, unlike alcohol. Although the long term effects of alcohol usage have been shown to be worse for you than marijuana. Also, alcohol often triggers aggressive behavior while weed has more of a calming effect. You be the judge, just be safe and remember that both there substances effect everyone differently. We know weed and alcohol are paired for eternity as an essential part of college culture.