Most individuals do not see alcohol as a drug, but it is actually one of the most dangerous drugs because it is so commonly used. I 'm not meaning that alcohol is more dangerous than heroin or cocaine, I mean that since alcohol is consumed so much more frequently and in larger quantities than other drugs more people are affected by it than other drugs. Last year in the United States alone nearly 88,000 people died from alcohol poisoning or from other alcohol related accidents (niaaa.nih.gov). People who have been killed in alcohol related accidents are not always individuals who are drinking, people die every year because of someone 's actions and that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Look at drunk driving accidents, in 2013 10,076 individuals were killed in drunk driving accidents. That is roughly 31% of all driving fatalities (niaaa.nih.gov). Of course driving while under the influence of alcohol is illegal, but still people do it everyday and bystanders are usually the ones who pay the price these individuals mistakes. Alcohol plays a risk role in many cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive diseases (niaaa.nih.gov). Along with these diseases, one of the most commonly known is alcoholism which is the physical or psychological dependence for alcohol. Long term effects of drinking heavily can be life threatening, alcoholics can develop high …show more content…
But it is not happening as fast as it should be. Cannabis offers the United States billions of dollars in taxes and sales but has not been capitalized because people do not know the truth. Individuals with diseases such as cancer are not getting the help they need because cannabis is not yet legal. Cannabis has so many benefits in the medical realm but is not used to its fullest potential. Many counterarguments for this exist such as, it is dangerous, and it was legalized for a reason. But with research you can see that these claims actually have no validity and are not correct in the