Legalize Cannabis to Reduce the Harms of Teenage Binge Drinking, Says Researcher

Legalize Cannabis to Reduce the Harms of Teenage Binge Drinking, Says Researcher

Robin Room, Director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research in Australia, has come out in favor of legalizing cannabis, claiming it could reduce the harms associated with teenage binge-drinking. Room has concluded that the harms associated with cannabis consumption are significantly less than that of alcohol consumption; not only has cannabis use been determined to be safer than alcohol, Room says that those using cannabis while drinking, especially teens, were “better off”.

“If you are adding the cannabis to an equal amount of alcohol, then in some ways you’d be probably less likely to be aggressive”, said Room, emphasizing that alcohol increases aggression and violence and causes loss of coordination.

Room thinks the best solution is to establish stores to sell cannabis legally. “It makes sense to legalise marijuana in a controlled market,” he told Australia’s Herald Sun. “We are in a situation where we need to look ahead. I think we need to have the discussion and it makes a lot of sense in terms of, among others, cutting down government costs”.

Room’s research is funded by the Department of Human Services, and while he says he knows some may be surprised by his stance on the subject, he says that statistics back him up.

– TheJointBlog