“Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.” Those words were uttered by reggae legend Bob Marley. American public opinion has caught up with him.

In a survey released June 8 and jointly conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the research firm Morning Consult, it was found that the majority of Americans consider marijuana to be far less risky than alcohol, tobacco cigarettes, opioids, and even technology.

The Marlboro Man has gone from iconic Western hero to public health menace. Dean Martin’s jokes about excessive drinking suddenly don’t seem so funny. Those painkillers prescribed by your personal physician no longer seem benign. And marijuana? It has shed its stigma.

The APA/Morning Consult study delved into public opinion regarding the dangers and addictiveness of various substances and practices, as well as technology. The results on technology underscore growing public concern about the addictiveness and psychological harm of social media.

Among the respondents, only 38% expressed concerns about the safety of marijuana, whereas a whopping 84% viewed cigarettes as unsafe. Likewise, 64% considered alcohol to be hazardous, along with prescription opioids (66%), non-prescription opioids (75%), and vapes (76%). The sole exception was technology, with only 23% perceiving it as somewhat or very unsafe.

When it came to addiction potential, 64% believed that cannabis can be addictive. However, this number was significantly lower compared to other substances, including cigarettes (87%), alcohol (84%), prescribed opioids (83%), nonprescription opioids (74%), vapes (81%), and technology (75%). See the following chart:

APA President Petros Levounis emphasized the need to address addictive behaviors beyond cigarettes, stating:

“It is evident that we have successfully conveyed the message about the dangers and addictive nature of cigarettes. We can extend our efforts to prevent more Americans from engaging in potentially addictive activities, such as excessive alcohol consumption and excessive technology use.”

Levounis further highlighted the importance of informing people about the available safe and effective treatments for both substance use disorders and behavioral addictions, emphasizing that addiction treatment can yield positive outcomes.

Regarding the causes of addiction, while 47% attributed it to “personal weakness,” a significant majority of 76% regarded addiction as a medical condition. Furthermore, 93% believed that substance use disorders can be treated, and 76% deemed them preventable.

The survey also indicated that 71% of Americans feel confident in their ability to support someone struggling with addiction.

The APA plans to launch a public awareness campaign focused on addiction. The initiative will commence with vaping, followed by opioids in the summer, alcohol in the winter, and technology next year. However, the campaign does not currently include cannabis education.

The survey, which involved interviews with 2,201 adults, was conducted from April 20 to 22. The margin of error for the study is +/-2 percentage points.

Booze: the deadliest drug…

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recently reported that alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., causing 88,000 deaths annually. Alcohol has cut short the lifespan of those 88,000 people by an average of 30 years. All other drugs combined cause far fewer (30,000) deaths each year.

Previous polls have shown that many individuals are turning to marijuana as an alternative to alcohol and numerous prescription medications. In an ironic twist, an increasing body of clinical research suggests that marijuana can actually help curb addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and opioids.

A recent study links state-level medical marijuana legalization to reduced opioid payouts to physicians, providing further evidence that patients switch from prescription drugs to medical cannabis when given legal access.

The study, released in late March 2023 by medical researchers at the University of Florida, University of Southern California and Purdue University, found “a significant decrease in direct payments from opioid manufacturers to pain medicine physicians as an effect of MML [medical marijuana law] passage” and asserted that “physicians in states with MML are prescribing fewer opioids.”

WATCH THIS VIDEO: New Study Shows Pot Curbs Opioid Addiction

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