Marijuana Laws Kill Alcoholics

We generally shy away from using the word “alcoholic” at HAMS, but there are some severely dependent drinkers who experience severe and life-threatening withdrawals virtually every time that they drink. Many of these drinkers would prefer to give up alcohol and substitute marijuana instead–since marijuana does not induce similar withdrawal symptoms.

Research has shown that many highly dependent drinkers can successfully substitute marijuana for alcohol. We can see an example of this in Tod Mikuriya’s article Cannabis as a Substitute for Alcohol: A Harm-Reduction Approach

The problem is that for many homeless alcoholics the price of marijuana is just too high to make it a viable substitute for alcohol. Moreover there are many places in the US where possession of marijuana is still considered a highly criminal offense and results in jail.

It is past time that these archaic and puritanical laws were repealed. Lives could be saved.