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I believe your chart is weighing drunkenness, not a glass of wine with dinner. As I seem to have to state every time I post, I am not defending drunkenness. I totally oppose it and believe it to be murderously bad.

As for smoking, the smoker does not get his inhibitions lowered, his judgement hindered, or get made irrational by his nicotine. I’d leave my kid with a babysitter who smokes cigarettes. I wouldn’t leave him with a babysitter who smokes pot. Would you?

And no, I don’t smoke, so again, I’m not trying to defend my drug of choice.

Your chart does not show the amounts involved. My mom having a glass of wine with dinner is equal to a regular smoker in the “withdrawal” category? Seriously?

Also, in the area of “dependence” for example, a person dependent on caffeine would experience a headache should he not get his morning cup of coffee. Not the screaming meemies of the heroin addict.

The withdrawal of nicotine is equivalent to the withdrawal of alcohol? Really? Smokers get the DTs? They hallucinate? Actually, a weekend smoker would have a much better time quitting than a 12 pack a day drinker. And a wine with dinner drinker would have a far easier time giving that up than a two pack a day smoker. This chart allows for no discrepancies whatsoever.

Symptoms and effects of the various dependencies, withdrawals, tolerance, etc. can vary widely.

If you are trying to convince me that marijuana is a milder drug than heroin or what have you, there is no need. I know that some drugs are worse than others. I’d rather have my loved ones addicted to pot than cocaine, for instance.

In short, I think the chart is not very convincing. It paints with a very broad brush. It treats drugs that affect your reasoning alongside of nicotine. It assumes drunkenness and does not allow for the normal 1-3 drink scenario. And it equivocates mild symptoms such as headaches to horrific symptoms like complete nervous frenzy.