In these modern, millennial, and reckless times, no high school parties are complete without a select pick-your-poison of vodka and numerous packs of canned beer. These watered-down imitations of university frat-house parties, otherwise known as pedas, have always been mainstream and a booming success within San Pedro. To the dismay of our parents, underage drinking and seeing their children go through hangovers is commonplace these days.

Marijuana, on the other hand, is quite the taboo subject in these circles; "The Devil's Lettuce," they call it. While it is a lot less commonplace than alcohol due to its illegal status, there's a reason why it's getting decriminalized in many states by the US. 

You may be wondering, where am I going with this? Think about it this way; if someone was revealed to be a casual drinker, it would be considered part and parcel of a highschooler's life outside of school. Based on some conversations I've had with people over the past couple of weeks, the reaction would be a whole lot different if that same person would be outed as a casual pot smoker. And that is where the issue begins.

Before going ahead, I want to clarify that I'm not here to condone the use of any of these two substances. If consumed inappropriately, especially before turning 18, both ultimately provide short-term and long-term health risks. However, it seems hypocritical that society would deem alcohol consumption to be less serious than weed consumption, even though the latter is proven to be worse for one's health.

I'm also not here to suggest one substance is better than the other. While some research suggests that alcohol is more damaging to brain health, this could be attributed to the limited amount of studies currently available, again, due to its illegal status in most places. And theoretically, you could look this stuff up on your own, as this is not hard to find.

What I will say, though, is that the perception regarding the debate of weed versus alcohol is outdated at its core. One substance is responsible for 88,000 deaths annually in the United States, yet remains legal—for reasons that are outside the scope of this article — and well-accepted by society. On the other hand, one can't possibly overdose from marijuana and the drug itself poses way less long-term health risks. Don't be swayed by opinions; look at the facts, and from there, make your own personal judgments.