A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that marijuana is, by far, the safest recreational drug.
Researchers judged the risk of death associated with commonly used substances, including alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, tobacco, ecstasy, and meth. They found that alcohol is the most deadly of the substances studied, while cannabis is about 114 times less deadly than alcohol.
The study's authors recommend U.S. law enforcement should focus more on alcohol and tobacco risks, rather than marijuana-related crimes. The researchers suggest a "strict legal regulatory approach, rather than the current prohibition approach" toward marijuana.
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