NEWS
Debunking Cannabis Myths Pt. I
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These popular cannabis rumors have no foot to stand on.
Published on December 30, 2015

At some point in your life you were probably confronted with the idea that cannabis is bad for you in every shape or form. It will fry your brain, serve as a gateway to harder drugs or lower your IQ to the point where chickens will be beating you at chess. The list goes on but, just like the “Einstein Flunked Math” theory, what was once considered fact, today is in need of some serious debunking. So, let’s dive into the misleading world of cannabis mythology and turn it on its head.

  1. You Can Overdose On Marijuana

  The only way you could overdose on it would be to lock yourself inside a chimney and then set about 2,000 pounds of marijuana on fire at once. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, you probably have some bigger issues to deal with. But you don’t have to take our word for it. The good scientists from France discovered that a hormone called Pregnenelone inhibits the effects of THC so that might be one of the reasons we can’t overdose.

  1. Cannabis Kills Brain Cells

  We’ve all heard the stories, most of them starting with a promising high school student who over time devolves into an ape due to heavy cannabis usage. According to a study done in January 2015 at the University of Louisville, nothing could be further from the truth. So next time somebody tells you your brain is fried due to your marijuana intake, hit them with some hardcore science.

  1. Marijuana Is A Gateway To Harder Drugs

  This bag of lies started being filled all the way back in the 1940’s, when the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, along with the DEA, classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug, putting it in the same class with heroine and cocaine. A bunch of research studies were done at the time that showed most cocaine and heroine users are quite fond of marijuana. Go figure! Ergo, through some seriously subjective reasoning - marijuana served as catalyst to harder drugs.  This has been debunked time and time again but in case you are still not convinced, this latest research does it (again).

  1. Cannabis Is More Damaging Than Tobacco

  This myth was either funded by a tobacco company or somebody just decided to wing it in the “science” department. But we get it. Since cannabis is usually smoked without a filter, it kind of makes sense that it’s more damaging than tobacco. Well, not really. Some heavy-duty research was done recently that proves cannabis is nowhere nearly as damaging as tobacco. For instance, it will not cause lung damage, lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lesson? Don’t add tobacco in your joint.  

  1. Marijuana Increases Crime Rates

Somehow it sounds reasonable, right? But, it’s not like we’re dealing with zombies here. Cannabis isn’t exactly a criminal enhancing drug, is it? If anything, every state that has legalized marijuana so far has witnessed a decrease in crime rates. States that still find cannabis illegal fail to realize that it’s not the drug that’s the problem; it is the law that regulates it.

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Holden Caulfield
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A storyteller with several years of professional experience in copywriting, branding and digital production. Currently, he is researching transmedia production and creative technologies while pursuing a degree in ‘Media Studies’ at The New School in New York.
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