Dangerous Combinations
Alcohol & Marijuana
When someone drinks too much alcohol, a toxic (that means poisonous!) compound called acetaldehyde (asset-AK-duh-hide) builds up in the bloodstream. When it reaches the brain, the brain sends a signal to the stomach to throw up. This is gross and disgusting, but throwing up the alcohol means that no more toxic compound gets in to damage the cells.
If a person smokes marijuana while drinking alcohol, the chemicals in marijuana stop the brain from sending the signal to throw up. The result is higher & higher levels of acetaldehyde in the bloodstream to the point that the person passes out, falls into a coma, and perhaps even dies.
Throwing up, however, isn't always the answer either. When people pass out after drinking too much alcohol, the food and liquid that comes up from their stomach can go down the windpipe and enter the lungs instead. This can result in difficulty breathing, pneumonia,....even death!!
Everyone knows you shouldn't drink alcohol and drive, but is it okay for people to smoke marijuana and drive?
NO WAY!
Marijuana slows thinking and reflexes the effects last even after the "high" disappears. This means:
It's harder to focus on moving objects
It's harder to see brief flashes of light
It's harder to stay in the proper lane
It's harder to judge the exact distance between cars
It increases (worsens) reaction time. That means it takes longer to react to emergencies, or to ANY unexpected change or situation, for that matter.
Because marijuana makes user focus intently, it becomes harder to pay attention to OTHER important details, like oncoming cars or children playing in the road.
NOTE!
A person should never drive after using any MOOD-altering drug!