5 Misconceptions About Cannabis That Have To Disappear
With Canada and some US states having fully legalized Marijuana, many other countries are taking a long hard look at the opportunity for themselves.
Some countries like New Zealand held a referendum about the matter. While legalization wasn’t the outcome, the vote was 50% against and 48% for it clearly showing that the country is split on the discussion. Mexico’s supreme court has decriminalized marijuana paving the road of complete legalization and the Netherlands is also considering to better regulate it and potential expanding it beyond coffee shops where it is legal to consume. Many other countries are at least discussing the legalization of cannabis as we speak.
While these conversations around the world continue to expand, there are still many misconceptions about Cannabis in the general public and this make a open discussion about legalization difficult.
We have many articles answering the most frequent questions about cannabis but let’s take a look at some common myths and misconceptions that should finally disappear.
The question of addiction
Many sources claim that cannabis is not addictive – not physically, at least. There is truth in this misconception – cannabis is far less addictive than, say, alcohol and hard drugs but saying that it’s not addictive is wrong.
Statistics say that about 9% of all marijuana users become physically addicted to it. While this percentage is lower than in the case of alcohol (15%) and heroin (23%), it still exists.
You can’t overdose on cannabis
Another misconception about cannabis is that it’s impossible to overdose. Actually, this is only true for a lethal overdose – for cannabis to kill you, you’d have to consume about 1000 pounds (or around 450 kilograms) of it in a minute, which is physically impossible. But, given the strains with a higher THC and CBD content, it is indeed possible to overdose on cannabis – it causes dizziness, anxiety, paranoia, and loss of coordination.
Cannabis doesn’t harm your lungs
Of course, it doesn’t – if you don’t smoke it, that is. Inhaling smoke of any kind is bad for your lungs, no matter if the smoke comes from a campfire, a cigarette or a joint. Even if you smoke it, the quantity you smoke in a day is far smaller than in the case of tobacco – but this doesn’t make it harmless at all.
With the proliferation of edibles however, it is now much easier to consume cannabis without impact your lungs and still getting the effects you’re looking for.
Cannabis cures cancer
First of all, let’s get one thing straight: cancer is not one disease – there are more than 100 types of malignant abnormal cell growth documented to date.
Dr. Manuel Guzmán, a biology professor at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, has run a clinical trial of his THC-based concoction on humans with an aggressive form of brain cancer known as “glioblastoma” that have resisted traditional treatments and found that all of them have responded at least partially – so there is some science behind this misconception.
His work surely does call for further research on the subject but this doesn’t mean that cannabis cures cancer. Not to mention the fact that Dr. Guzmán’s test subjects had the mix injected directly into their brain – not the most recreational way to consume it, right?
Smoking pot is best
No, it’s not – because it involves smoke (see above), it’s not the best way to consume cannabis. Aside from edibles, there are many other ways in which you can consume cannabis – vaping, tinctures, topicals or oral sprays, to name just a few – that are far less harmful to your body than smoking. Many people still like to smoke because of habit, social pressure or the immediacy of the effects. But as stated, there are many other ways to consume cannabis. Choose the one that’s best for you.
Conclusion
There will always some misinformation about Cannabis as we continue to study, test and learn more about this plant. Not every report online, in the news, from our government, friends and family is cemented in fact. However, it is important that we start to educate the world more on what we do know about Cannabis.
Mona Twocats-Romero
You are still not looking at CURRENT research on the lung issue. There have been two studies done in the last few years that showed that smoking marijuana was not deleterious to lung function or tissue, even in long term (more than 20 years), daily users. In fact cannabis showed a possible protective effect in reducing the number of lung ailments in heavy smokers of cigarettes when used in concert.