Whether due to old public opinion about the effects of cannabis or government efforts to foster moral panic over content in a credible population, many of the clearly false myths about cannabis remain in the public consciousness for generations.
And although no substance in history is more surrounded by myths than cannabis, more and more people are finally discovering the benefits of this often misunderstood plant. Here are five myths about marijuana that deserve to be discussed. Why establishing facts about cannabis is an important first step in understanding the good that the plant can offer people in all walks of life.
1. Cannabis is a gateway drug
Despite the constant efforts of the Crusaders against marijuana to spread propaganda to the general public in the last four decades, the idea that cannabis is being used to open the door to hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine is clearly wrong. In the 1980s, the global increase in cocaine use was even accompanied by a general decrease in the use of marijuana in the public interest.
According to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review, cannabis use is associated with a lower injection rate in adolescents at risk. In general, cannabis propaganda has always been afraid that something other than tobacco, caffeine and alcohol is immoral.
Although alcohol consumption causes many more problems in society than marijuana, cannabis has been a threat to the general public since the early twentieth century.
2. Cannabis cannot be bought online
Although it is now legal to buy marijuana in countries such as Canada, the public still mistakenly believes that cannabis cannot be ordered online. It is even easier than ever to contact a mail order clinic. The myth about the illegality of online marijuana delivery services can generate general confusion about the application of the law on substances sent by mail.
3. Marijuana strips users of their ambition.
As many people will tell you, a traditional cliché of marijuana users is that they have no ambition or personal desire to succeed. In fact, some of the most successful people in history have consumed marijuana regularly. Carl Sagan, an astronomer and intellectual, was known as a cannabis smoker and advocate for the use of this plant. Businessman Steve Jobs smoked pot regularly before founding Apple Computer.
Like the myth of marijuana as a “gateway drug,” it was rumored that cannabis would take the consumer’s appetite, due to a moral panic about the use of marijuana in society. In the United States, for example, politicians have been working against cannabis users for years to build a reputation among voters as a “tough guy.” Unfortunately, the misinformation disseminated by unscrupulous or uninformed politicians has thrived many myths about cannabis worldwide.
4. Marijuana can cause lung cancer
While users often smoke cigarettes and marijuana, the similarities between the two seem to stop there. Indeed, in a recent study at UCLA, scientists found no connection between marijuana use and lung cancer. They even concluded that marijuana could do a lot to prevent the disease among regular consumers.
5. Current strains of marijuana are more potent
Although marijuana growers have certainly been able to produce THC crops in recent years, the myths about current cannabis varieties are much more effective than those of the 1960s and 1970s.
Marijuana efficacy studies are usually based on samples taken by the police during searches. These samples have often been stored for a long time in storage units and have undoubtedly lost much of their capacity.
Although the idea that current cannabis strains may have a slightly higher THC content than yesterday, the general consensus among producers that increased availability of cannabis and more effective smoking habits could sow confusion was at the origin of the intensity of the flow.
Conclusion
As more and more people discover the benefits of marijuana, there is still a lot of misinformation about the effects of the spread of the drug. However, the legalization of marijuana in countries such as Canada and the United States, such as Colorado and Oregon, suggests that the general public is becoming more aware of the benefits of marijuana use.
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