A study conducted at the University of California-San Diego discovered that marijuana is not only safer than alcohol, but also protects the brain from damages caused by excessive drinking.

Patrick Stack, director of counseling at Webster University, said any individual has the risk of misusing these types of substances.

"The problem of any type of drug usage originates when a person abuses a drug," Stack said. "As a result of this abuse, the drug has more influence on the person than the person has over him-or herself."

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