Reality Based Intoxication

Want to reduce obesity? Legalize medical marijuana, researchers say

....But for younger adults, age 18 to 24, the study found a different dynamic at play. "Our findings show that the enactment of Medical Marijuana Law is associated with a 3.1 percent reduction in the probability of alcohol consumption and a 4.8 percent reduction in the probability of binge drinking" among this younger group, the researchers found. They posit that medical marijuana availability may lead some younger adults to "substitute away from highly caloric alcoholic beverages toward a lower-calorie marijuana 'high,' resulting in lower body weight and likelihood of obesity."
This so-called substitution effect is often cited in arguments for legalizing marijuana: If you legalize weed, some people will opt for pot over alcohol. Alcohol consumption will fall as a result. And since researchers agree that marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol, the net effect of such a change for individuals and society would be positive.

They don't even mention the fact that it heals intestinal epithelium and reduces insulin resistance.   That seems relevant somehow.