About this episode
We have always been a nation of drinkers — but now there are more daily users of cannabis than alcohol. Considering alcohol’s harms, maybe that’s a good thing. But some people worry that the legalization of cannabis has outpaced the research. (Part one of a four-part series .) SOURCES: Jon Caulkins , professor of operations research and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Yasmin Hurd , director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai. Michael Siegel , professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University. Tom Standage , deputy editor of The Economist. Ryan Stoa , associate professor of law at Louisiana State University. RESOURCES: " Cannabis Tops Alcohol as Americans’ Daily Drug of Choice ," by Christina Caron ( The New York Times, 2024). " Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use — United States, 2016–2021 ," by Marissa B. Esser, Adam Sherk, Yong Liu, and Timothy S. Naimi ( Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2024). " Nixon Started the War on Drugs. Privately, He Said Pot Was ‘Not Particularly Dangerous ,'" by Ernesto Londoño ( The New York Times, 2024). " A Brief Global History of the War on Cannabis ," by Ryan Stoa ( The MIT Press Reader, 2020). Craft Weed: Family Farming and the Future of the Marijuana Industry , by Ryan Stoa (2018). " How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat ," by Anahad O’Connor ( The New York Times, 2016). " The Perils of Ignoring History: Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar Is Big Food? " by Kelly D. Brownell and Kenneth E. Warner ( The Milbank Quarterly, 2009). A History Of The World In Six Glasses , by Tom Standage (2005). " Cancer and Coronary Artery Disease Among Seventh-Day Adventists ," by E. L. Wynder, F. R. Lemon, and I. J. Bross ( Cancer, 1959). EXTRAS: " Why Is the Opioid Epidemic Still Raging? " series by Freakonomics Radio (2024). " Daron Acemoglu on Economics, Politics, and Power ," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024). " Let’s Be Blunt: Marijuana Is a Boon for Older Workers ," by Freakonomics Radio (2021). " What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol? " by Freakonomics Radio (2014). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.