Aspirin vs. Marijuana

17 Nov 2008

Written by nunya

This is a repost with a few edits…

When Bayer introduced aspirin in 1899, cannabis was America’s number one painkiller. Until marijuana prohibition began in 1937, the US Pharmacopoeia listed cannabis as the primary medicine for over 100 diseases. Cannabis was such an effective analgesic that the American Medical Association (AMA) argued against prohibition on behalf of medical progress. Since the herb is extremely potent and essentially non-toxic, the AMA considered it a potential wonder drug.

Instead, the invention of aspirin gave birth to the modern pharmaceutical industry and Americans switched away from cannabis in the name of “progress.” But was it really progress? There can be no doubt that aspirin has a long history as the drug of choice for the self-treatment of migraines, arthritis, and other chronic pain. It is cheap and effective. But is it as safe as cannabis?

History:

Marijuana has been used for over 5,000 years.
No one has ever overdosed on marijuana.
Aspirin has been used for 108 years.
Approximately 500 people die every year by taking aspirin
The Law:

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning the US government believes it is extremely dangerous, highly addictive, and of no medical value.
Aspirin is available for pennies and can be purchased by children at any drug, grocery, or convenience store. Often they are just handed out free by people with no medical education.
Marijuana side effects and dangers:

The dangers of marijuana include possible respiratory problems caused by the deposition of burnt plant material on the lungs. This danger can be eliminated with alternate forms of consumption such as eating or vaporizing the medicine.
For two to four hours, marijuana causes short-term memory loss, a slight reduction in reaction time, and a reduction in cognitive ability. (It makes you stupid for a little while.)These conditions DO NOT persist after the herb wears off.

Hunger
Paranoia
Depression
Laughter
Introspection
Creative Impulse
Euphoria
Tiredness
Forgetfulness
Aspirin side effects and dangers:

When taken with alcohol, aspirin can cause stomach bleeding.
Reye Syndrome in children: fat begins to develop around the liver and other organs of the child, eventually putting severe pressure on the brain. Death is common within a few days.
People with hemophilia can die.
People with hyperthyroidism suffer elevated T4 levels.
Stomach problems include dyspepsia, heartburn, upset stomach, stomach ulcers with gross bleeding, and internal bleeding leading to anemia.
Dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, vertigo, vision disturbances, and headaches.
Heavy sweating
Irreversible liver damage
Inflamation and gradual destruction of the kidneys
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain
Lethargy
Hyperthermia
Dyspepsia: a gnawing or burning stomach pain accompanied by bloating, heartburn, nausea, vomiting and burping.
Tachypnea: Abnormally fast breathing
Respiratory Alkalosis: a condition where the amount of carbon dioxide found in the blood drops to a level below normal range brought on by abnormally fast breathing.
Cerebral Edema: Water accumulates on the brain. Symptoms include headaches, decreased level of consciousness, loss of eyesight, hallucinations, psychotic behavior, memory loss and coma. If left untreated, it can lead to death.
Hallucinations, confusion, and seizure.
Prolonged bleeding after operations or post-trauma for up to 10 days after last aspirin.
Aspirin can interact with some other drugs, such as diabetes medication. Aspirin changes the way the body handles these drugs and can lead to a drug overdose and death.
If you think that cannabis is actually safer than aspirin, you are not alone. In October 2000, Dr. Leslie Iversen of the Oxford University Department of Pharmacology said the same thing.

In her book, ‘The Science of Marijuana,’ Dr. Iversen presents the scientific evidence that cannabis is, by-and-large, a safe drug. Dr. Iversen found cannabis had “an impressive record” when compared to tobacco, alcohol, or even aspirin.

“Tetrahydrocannabinol is a very safe drug,” she said. “Even such apparently innocuous medicines as aspirin and related steroidal anti-inflammatory compunds are not safe.”

So if safety is your concern, cannabis is clearly a much better choice than aspirin. If you eat it or vaporize it, it just might be the safest painkiller the world has ever known.

References: 1 2

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22 Responses to Aspirin vs. Marijuana

Olshan

November 17th, 2008 at 21:27

*grabs bong and lighter*

bob

November 18th, 2008 at 04:39

you need to mention how frequently the side effects occur
for marijuana it is about 100%, for asprin?? probably pretty darn low.

oh, and then there are a whole lot of scientific studies about how it impairs your memory long term

http://www.livescience.com/health/060313_pot_brain.html

meh, why speak up to, you’ll just forget what I said

November 18th, 2008 at 07:28

so how do none of the side effects that come from smoking [marijuana] get listed? i’m all for the better painkiller, but this article is misleading.

hah

November 18th, 2008 at 07:51

“so how do none of the side effects that come from smoking [marijuana] get listed? i’m all for the better painkiller, but this article is misleading.”

You dolt, didn’t you read the article? It clearly talks about vaporizing or consuming as an equally effective alternative to smoking. It’s a no-brainer that the medicine is still illegal when the majority of people in the world are sheep and easily swayed by scare tactics.

Cheryl

November 18th, 2008 at 07:54

Right – get a headache, smoke a joint and drive to work. That’s real safe and real stupid.

This article is irresponsible at best and possibly dangerous, certainly misleading.

I do not believe marijuana (without additives) is a dangerous or even addictive drug, but I do know it slows the reflexes, dulls reaction time, restricts air flow, and impairs thinking and no way should be used as a common everyday painkiller.

Aspirin is the safest otc painkiller we have – its possible side effects are well known and quite clear and for most people totally insignificant.

November 18th, 2008 at 10:01

Here’s Cheryl to throw things out of proportion. They already prescribe medications that read clearly on the label, “Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while on this medication”. What makes this any different? For people in chronic pain, why shouldn’t they be able to be medicated in the comfort of their home? This is not to say there aren’t circumstances where aspirin would be more useful, say, at the job. However, to deny a patient a treatment that is effective and has no long term side effects, as opposed to the many long term effects of much of modern medicine, is ridiculous.

November 18th, 2008 at 13:59

it’s not a scare tactic.

how many people are going to vaporize vs just rolling a quick joint or throwing a little pot into a bowl?
not many, im guessing, especially since vaporizing it makes the drug more potent. i’m not for or against legalizing it, i honestly couldnt care less. the point is this article does not take into account the most common way that people choose to administer the drug. there’s no need for name calling when i brought up a valid point that you didn’t understand.

November 18th, 2008 at 16:21

Yeah, I heard ecstacy works too.

November 18th, 2008 at 21:49

Isn’t that their choice? Whether they smoke it, vaporize it or cook it into food is completely up to the user. There are tons of ways to use it that are far more convenient than “rolling a quick joint or throwing a little pot in a bowl”. Your point wasn’t misunderstood, it was complete garbage and unrelated to this article. For Christ’s sake the last sentence was even “If you eat it or vaporize it, it just might be the safest painkiller the world has ever known”.

‘The pill may also scratch or cut your throat on the way down, why did they not cover that?!’ Oh right it was about the effect of the drug on the body, not the effect of the method of receiving it.

All hail Pot! King of medicine! - Perchance to Dream

November 21st, 2008 at 22:40

[...] Kelvin on Nov.19, 2008, under musings From this article : Marijuana has been used for over 5,000 years. No one has ever overdosed on marijuana. Aspirin has [...]

November 24th, 2008 at 08:47

hah,

yes, it is the users choice, but the bottom line is why would you care about a painkillers effectiveness if it is causing more harm than good (assuming you are smoking it.)

it’s not unrelated to the article, you’re just reading with blinders on. marijuana may be an effective painkiller, but i dont think it is the “better” painkiller.

not j

November 24th, 2008 at 21:18

Obviously j has never compared the effectiveness of aspirin to marijuana for severe menstrual cramps or a migraine. Aspirin for either–virtually useless. A small amount of marijuana can ring about great relief for some sufferers. You don’t need so much that you get really stupid and begin to enjoy watching Jackass while binging on cheetos. Just a dab will do ya for pain relief.

The PHA : links for 2008-11-20

December 1st, 2008 at 02:53

[...] Aspirin vs. Marijuana | The Best Article Every day (tags: health drugs) [...]

December 1st, 2008 at 19:04

Pot has never made birth control pills not work, but asprin certainly has…

Robert Gouldy

December 3rd, 2008 at 09:08

my wife has severe back problems( ruptured discs, degenerative disc disease) and I’ve seen her screaming in pain that her morphine patch and percocet kickers were not touching. but she took a few hits of marijuana from a small pipe and within minutes her pain was relieved to the point that she could move around and be comfortable. anyone who thinks marijuana is not an effective pain reliever should check out a documentary called ” In Pot We Trust “. You will come away with a different outlook. you don’t use something for 5000 years if it doesn’t work.

The War on Drugs has Failed - Page 3 - VolNation

December 17th, 2008 at 18:01

[...] who said it, MJ does not carry the same penalties as Heroin. Let’s make Aspirin Illegal too. Aspirin vs. Marijuana | The Best Article Every day [...]

Lynnetta

December 20th, 2008 at 00:59

there are so many drugs out there that can kill you i know more people that take RX painkillers and drive or just get sicker then they were. most that smoke marijuana stay home and have no long term side effects when my son had to take meds for his pain and illness he had to take 2 or 3 more meds to help with the effects of the first one not counting the blood work he had to have every 2 weeks and the permanet liver damage he now has to live with. lets not forget the mood swings for the drugs and pain he was still living with unless we wanted them to increas the meds. this for a little boy he was allso pissed. so when he was 16 yrs old i let them take all his meds and give him med marijuana for 6 months WOW no more blood work nor blood coming out were its not really ment to come out of. and it my be a side effect but even when he does not smoke all the time he laughs and fun to be around now hes not mad allways and swelling in his liver went down so yes know all the facts about it befor you say no to this. you may br the next one to need it. And if you want to look at it stills has the same limits as all med. we listen to dont drive on this med we will listen to it regarding marijuana. some need to reread this and look at it with an open mind what if it was your loved one. (let them suffer or try anything that works)

Curly

February 11th, 2009 at 15:13

This is one of the finest articles on this point I have read in a while. I feel sorry for the folks who are still caught up in that “reefer madness” crap and cannot even open their eyes to the truth. Marijuana is a wonder drug. It was and always will be. Cheryl is being obtuse. It slows some peoples reaction time. I can function perfectly normal on it. All of my friends can as well. Why she cannot grasp cold, hard, facts; I’ll never know. I pity all who are of this mindset.

Hemophilia

February 19th, 2009 at 01:00

It is good to see posts that give truly quality information. Great post.

autumnlynngreen

May 14th, 2009 at 08:02

YES!
finally, someone speaks the truth!
ima doing a research report and this is SOOOO one of my sources.
congrads.
dont worry.ima giving credit.

May 20th, 2009 at 00:27

Aspirin inhibits the mucos production inside your stomach which protects the stomach epithelium from the acidic ph levels it is in contact with… Damage to the stomach epithelium is more severe if combined with another irritant such as alcohol. Salicilic acid’s main mechanism of action on the human body is inhibiting 2 enzymes called ciclooxigenase 1 and 2 which are required for the production of a group of proteins which are important for your body called prostaglandines. This proteins interact with pain receptors, help in sleep modification, help protect the stomach, mediates in fevers, and a lot of other normal fisiologic responses in your body.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostaglandin
By taking aspirin, the platelet agreggation is ihnibited irreversibly for 7-14 days.. so if you have an severe accident, it is very likely that you will bleed to death.. Ever wonder why they wont allow you to go into surgery if you have taken aspirin in the past week?? well now you know
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin

Im a med student, and I read everyday about the effect of different substances on the human body, I have also smoked pot on many occasions and I am very familiar of its side-effects, by experience and by reading.

I agree that marijuana should be controlled because it is a substance that is easily abused because of its tranquilizing and euforic effects. After all it is a medication and it is not responsible for people to be automedicating themseleves.. they should seek and honest and open doctor to know if pot is really for them.

An anxiety relieving pharmacological award is something that makes marijuana habit forming. Don’t be a pothead, but it is ok to smoke ocationaly during stressful times, just try to not do it so frequently… It wont screw you up, and avoid getting into an unecesary habit by controling intake. Vaporizing is defintly better because that way you avoid all the hydrocarbons and other toxic substances released during combustion from getting into your lungs :)

Be responsible pot smoker or not pot smoker

sorry english is not my first language so there might be some spelling/grammar mistakes.. Aspirin can be pretty toxic.. Marijuana is not toxic, it is much less toxic than alcohol and cigarretes… Everybody should just chill and read books, the more you know, the more you will enjoy life

If you have more doubts about other drugs you can check http://www.erowid.com for reliable and abundant information about drugs and there effects on society

good luck to you all, XD

May 20th, 2009 at 00:31

Here is a great article i found about the pharmacological effects that marijuana has on your body…

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/LIBRARY/marij.htm

Love yourself and take care of yourself