Education

Cannabis Myths & Facts: Do you know which is which?

Clearing The Smoke

As with any drug out there (legal or otherwise), there is always misinformation concerning the effects they have and how dangerous they can be. And it’s possible there is no drug out there with more smoke clouding the facts than weed. So, today we are here to discuss just a few of the more popular theories in order to get to the truth about cannabis.

Cannabis Fact or Fiction #1 – It’s a gateway drug

This is fiction. In fact, there is literally no credible evidence to support this claim. Some more notorious anti-cannabis advocates state this but they have no legitimate evidence to support their theory. In fact, a massive 96-page inquiry carried out by the Justice Department and the Library of Congress in 2018 states, “No causal link between cannabis use and the use of other illicit drugs can be claimed at this time.”

Sure, it is true that you can say people who have used other drugs like cocaine or meth have also used cannabis before. But if that’s the road people want to go down, you can make the same case for caffeine, alcohol or nearly any other substance. I’m sure ninety percent of people addicted to hard drugs have also had a Pop-Tart at least once in their lives, but we don’t seem too concerned about those tasty pastries now, do we?

Cannabis Fact or Fiction #2 – It’s a dangerous drug

This is also fiction. And to support this, let’s turn to the scientists. A study published in Scientific Reports suggests that on an individual level, alcohol actually represents the highest risk of death. Nicotine, cocaine and heroin follow as the next most deadly drugs. Cannabis, by comparison, was found to be much less fatal. The study found marijuana to be 114 times less deadly than alcohol.

And while the surge in the U.S. of states pushing to legalize cannabis has been in progress for years, even the United Nations is taking the hint. The New York Times reported that in 2020, the U.N. voted to remove cannabis from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs. And in much the same way cannabis has exploded in the United States, the move should pave the way for an expansion of the drug for research and for medical use across the pond.

Cannabis Fact or Fiction #3 – It gives you the munchies

Fact! Although, I should note that there are bound to be some folks out there who say they’ve never had the munchies before (and I like to call those people LIARS!). For the overwhelming majority of cannabis users, you’re going to get hungry. At least the first few times you get high. Rachna Patel, Doctor and Medical marijuana expert told Men’s Health, “The receptors that THC interacts with are located in our central nervous system, essentially the brain and the parts of the brain that stimulate appetite.” Put simply, the THC in cannabis makes you feel hungry whether you are or not.

The amount of hunger you feel will depend on the amount of THC and how it was ingested. As an example, smoking a joint should make you more hungry than if you ate an edible. This comes down to how each is metabolized. According to Patel, edibles take up to two hours to kick in and any food you already have in your stomach will slow down the absorption of THC. By contrast, when inhaling smoke from a joint, it only takes around ten minutes for you to feel the effects from THC.

That was your marijuana fact or fiction for today. We hope you all learned something and be sure to check back in for more cannabis content!

Disclaimer: As with almost anything these days, there is a lot of information readily available online. Some true, and unfortunately, some false. We try our best to sort it out for you, but even we’re not perfect. We always recommend consulting your doctor first when it comes to medical questions. And remember, these are the just the opinions of our staff.

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