Who doesn’t love weed? Haters.
Cannabis is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety, ease pain, and have a great time in general.
Even though it’s been used recreationally and medicinally around the globe for thousands of years, there are still a ton of bogus weed myths floating around.
And quite frankly, kush doesn’t deserve all this hate.
Especially considering that much of the hate gets based on false misconceptions.
So today, it’s time to set the record straight.
Let’s get into 7 of the most common cannabis myths and why they’re ridiculous.
Weed Myth #1) Marijuana isn’t addictive.
This statement is now false, as people have become dependent on cannabis even when it affects them negatively. There are a few medical diagnoses of cannabis that exist today which are Cannabis Intoxication, Cannabis withdrawals, Cannabis use disorder which is pretty much an addition. Out of all the people that use marijuana only 9% fall under the addiction banner, but your chances to become addicted increase when using cannabis as an adolescent when the brain is still in development. With so many developments of cannabis products over the years and its increase in potency and how easily accessible it has become marijuana addiction is very possible.
Weed Myth #2) Cannabis lowers your intelligence.
Again, much of these marijuana myths are only half-truths that get taken out of context.
I’m going to lay it out straight:
If you happen to be under your province’s legal age, smoking anything, in general, isn’t the best idea for you right now. In 2012 there was a study in New Zealand that found smoking before adulthood possibly reduced a couple of IQ points later in life.
But, if you’re an adult, take those bong rips in peace. There aren’t any strong studies done to support cannabis lowers intelligence past adulthood.
That’s because kush doesn’t lower your mental capacity, but it might affect brain development in kids and young teens.
However, we still don’t recommend getting high before your finals exam. Your exam scores probably won’t improve while you’re stoned.
Weed Myth #3) Legalizing weed leads to higher crime rates.
There’s a common idea out there that legalizing kush leads to high crime rates.
Laughable, right?
This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Studies have shown that legalizing cannabis may do just the opposite.
In a study published by the Reason Foundation on the effects cannabis has on crime, it shows that there was no definitive link between cannabis legalization and higher crime rates.
And where cannabis did affect crime rates, it tended to lower them instead.
Don’t worry. It gets better:
The results from those studies actually noticed lowered amounts of opioid use and overdose in areas after legalizing cannabis.
If that isn’t a win-win scenario, then I don’t know what is.
Besides, the scrooges that came up with this myth probably never blazed once in their life.
Weed Myth #4) You can easily overdose on marijuana.
Photo by LexScope on Unsplash
Another myth you might’ve heard in the past is that you can overdose on weed.
At face value, this seems reasonable for the uninformed — after all, it seems like you can overdose on almost anything.
From things like caffeine to the more dangerous substances like heroin, there’s usually a risk of overdose if you use any substance in excessive amounts.
But weed is a bit different.
Out of all the uses of marijuana over the years, there’s only been one death that’s suspected to be directly caused by THC (THC is the part of cannabis that gives you the high).
One death, ever.
Interesting fact: More people have died from drinking too much water than that.
And even then, that one weed-overdose is a massive outlier.
Wanna know how much weed you’d have to consume to get up to those levels?
You would have to smoke around 2000 joints worth of THC to get to lethal doses of weed — at once.
Odds are, you’ll never have access to that much weed all at once in the first place or be able to fit 2000 joints in your mouth.
Don’t get me wrong though, smoking too much kush can still have some regretful consequences. Chances are before you ever made it to your 2000th joint in one go, you’d get sick, also known as the infamous ‘green out.’
Remember, it’s not a race to smoke the most you can; it’s about letting the good times roll.
Weed Myth #5) Marijuana kills your brain cells.
We all remember the classic commercial, for many of us, this line’s been ingrained into our heads:
“This is your brain on drugs.”
But you can rest easy; this is just another myth based on a lack of evidence.
No studies conducted up to this date have shown that weed kills your brain cells.
Again, there’s a possibility that it might affect brain development in children, but besides that, there’s not much proof that cannabis is destroying your brain.
Do you know what does damage your brain with overuse?
Alcohol.
And alcohol happens to be legal in most places around the world.
But it’s common knowledge that irresponsible drinking can have some pretty adverse effects on your health, so people know to use it on moderation.
If there’s one thing you should take away from these weed myths, it’s that responsible use is key to getting the most out of cannabis — or anything for that matter.
Smoking a blunt isn’t going to destroy your brain, and it’s not going to ruin your life, just like a single drink isn’t.
So next time you hear that marijuana is a monster that’s slowly eating your brain, rest assured knowing that it’s just a silly myth.
Weed Myth #6) Marijuana is a gateway drug.
Photo by Frankie Cordoba on Unsplash
This is one of the classics, and we’ve all heard it in school growing up.
One of the biggest reasons that people say you should never try weed is that it’s a gateway drug.
The rumor goes that if you try weed, it’s a slippery slope that leads to addiction to more harmful drugs.
This myth has been floating around for years now. So let’s sit down and think about it for a second.
The term “gateway drug” wasn’t even popular until it was used in propaganda during the 1984 war on drugs.
And like we mentioned about the study in myth #3, there’s more of a correlation that opioid drug abuse declines when marijuana becomes legal.
So don’t fret, marijuana use isn’t going to make you want to do cocaine or heroin.
It’s just weed.
Weed Myth #7) Smoking weed is worse for your lungs than cigarettes.
According to a large-scale national study, smoking weed a low to moderate amount is less bad for your health than smoking tobacco.
It makes a lot of sense when you think about it:
Nicotine in tobacco is addictive. So it’s not unusual when a cigarette smoker burns through 20 darts in one day.
So unless you’re blitzing yourself with 20 joints a day, tobacco smokers are smoking way more than pot smokers on average.
When it comes to smoking cigs, this study found the more you use, the more you lose — ultimately, smoking tobacco led to a decrease in airflow in the lungs.
However, when they tested the airflow in users’ lungs in marijuana users, they found that airflow actually increased up to a certain usage point.
Weed Myth #8 It’s okay to drive when using cannabis
Scientific studies have shown that consuming cannabis doubles the chances of being in a car accident. Cannabis remains in your body even after you stop feeling effects. You can potentially be high for hours after the effects are noticeable. It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while impaired. For those consuming cannabis regularly you will have cannabis in your body even though you might have consumed any that day, be cautious of that.
Weed Myth #9 Holding it in your lungs makes the effects better
There has been no scientific evidence that this is true, only that holding the smoke in your lungs potentially can damage your lungs. Best is to exhale and not hold it in your lungs.
Weed Myth #10 Marijuana helps one’s mood and promotes mental health.
Like alcohol, marijuana in all forms are intoxicants that contribute to impaired judgment and increased susceptibility to mental health problems and psychosis disorders. These psychosis disorders include schizophrenia, depression, anxiety. Smoking high potency marijuana everyday could increase your chances 5x and even more if starting at a young age.
In conclusion
So there are 7 of the most common myths about weed.
Despite all of the silly rumors, cannabis is pretty dope.
And hopefully, now you can feel a bit better about getting your high on.
Don’t let everyone else ruin the fun for you with lots of false myths.
Get out there, enjoy the facts, and enjoy yourself while you’re up into the clouds.
Think we missed another common weed myth? Let us know your least favorite weed myth in the comments below!
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