Is Beer More Harmful Than Marijuana?

Anyone attending the major NASCAR race this weekend in Indianapolis will be surprised at one advertisement in particular. Two controversial issues, pot and alcohol, are compared in an ad, and surprisingly, alcohol was considered more harmful. (NASCAR drivers probably shouldn't use either one.)

Outside of the NASCAR Brickyard 400, the Marijuana Policy Project (America's largest pro-marijuana advocacy group) bought space to air a video dozens of times during the weekend, that heavily pushes the idea that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

The video doesn't stop at being pro-marijuana, however. It is designed in the same way many beer ads look, with a theme of anti-alcohol. Marijuana is described as having "no calories and no hangovers" and even says, "not linked to violence or reckless behavior", taking a jab at the alcohol industry. The ad closes up with the group's tagline, "less harmful than alcohol, and time to treat it that way."

"We wanted to reach out to an audience that clearly appreciates that adults should be able to use beer and alcohol responsibly. They should also be able to use marijuana responsibly — since it's less harmful," said Mason Tvert, spokes man for the Marijuana Policy Project.

This is the first time a pro-marijuana group ad will appear at a major sporting event, but NASCAR has no affiliation with the advertiser and it wont appear anywhere on the track property. Surprisingly, NASCAR executives have not commented on the issue.