Whether we like it or not, the prevailing cultural attitude towards marijuana has definitely shifted over the last decade.
As more states move to legalize the drug, or at least make some allowances for medical purposes, there’s plenty of reason for the public to want to be more informed about what lies ahead.
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Unfortunately, it’s hard to do that without hearing a whole lot of conflicting information. Some of what you may find are holdovers from times when cannabis was more demonized in the interest of making it less attractive for curious youths.
However, any misinformation for that purpose is doomed to backfire once people reveal it for what it is. So regardless of where you stand on the issue, it’s best to ensure you receive the most accurate possible information.
And that involves busting some persistent myths.
Although its naysayers may not like to admit it, cannabis products have been found to carry some medicinal benefits.
According to Harvard Medical School , it can alleviate chronic pain in a way that’s safer than opiates and that can serve as an alternative for those who can’t take other pain medicines like Advil or Aleve due to kidney or ulcer issues.
Among other potential treatment purposes, it’s also been found to reduce tremors in Parkinson’s patients, ease PTSD symptoms in veterans, and to stimulate the appetite when certain conditions cause weight loss.
However, marijuana also isn’t guaranteed to relax anybody who uses it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control , some users may find that it actually makes their anxiety worse, particularly due to its potential to induce confusion or paranoia while it’s taking effect.
It’s for this reason that although a fatal marijuana overdose isn’t possible, there is such a thing as using too much at once.
Yes, even the claim that you “can’t overdose on weed” isn’t entirely accurate, as those feelings of paranoia and anxiety are not only more likely with high quantities of ingestion, but also often more severe.
The CDC also warns that overuse of the drug can lead users to experience panic, fast heart rate, delusions or hallucinations, increased blood pressure, and severe nausea or vomiting.
Despite this, the claim that marijuana can cause mental health issues in all users is, at best, questionable.
As Dr. Nora Volkow of the National Institutes for Health told NPR, the use of marijuana can increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia for those with the genetic risk for the condition.
For those without these “risky genes,” however, any symptoms of psychosis that can arise with extreme use are temporary at worst. They will pass.
Marijuana can not reliably be considered a “gateway drug.”
As Newsweek reported research has shown that the vast majority of marijuana users do not go on to use “harder” drugs like cocaine or heroin.
Furthermore, studies suggesting otherwise have been criticized for methodology flaws, such as lack of controls for alcohol use or excluding older cocaine users who had never tried marijuana.
It’s not accurate to say that marijuana isn’t addictive, but it’s important to know what that means.
As Time reported , it is possible to compulsively use it despite negative consequences and experience, to develop a tolerance to it, and to experience withdrawal symptoms once use has stopped.
However, these withdrawal symptoms are relatively minor compared to the potentially lethal withdrawal symptoms of alcohol or the flu-like symptoms of heroin withdrawal.
Moreover, about 10% of marijuana users become addicted to it, which falls short of the 15% addiction rate of alcohol, the 15-20% addiction rate of cocaine and the 25% addiction rate of heroin.
Contrary to popular belief, marijuana isn’t completely legal in the Netherlands.
According to The Guardian , recent years have seen certain municipalities banning the substance from designated public places, but there’s one law that affects the whole country.
Although it’s legal for 573 coffee shops throughout the country to openly sell cannabis products, it’s not legal for them to actually grow the plants or manufacture the products themselves.
Research has shown that marijuana is not likely to cause cancer.
As The Washington Post reported , a 2006 study found that even heavy, regular use of marijuana had no association with lung cancer, despite containing potentially carcinogenic chemicals.
Moreover, researchers found that the THC in marijuana could potentially kill aging cells before they develop any cancers.
However, this is not to suggest that marijuana cures cancer. At this time, it absolutely does not.
According to Forbes , some research has shown that it could potentially help to kill certain cancer cells when used in concert with chemotherapy and it has a substantial track record of easing the symptoms of cancer patients.
But again, this is not the same thing as curing it and high-profile cases where people, such as Hollywood stuntman Mark Chavarria, were led to believe that cannabis oil had cured their cancer turned out to be tragically wrong.
Although we’ve discussed its potential positive uses, marijuana is not harmless.
As Scientific American reported , it has been found to impair short-term memory and research has shown that smoking it can cause chronic bronchitis.
Criminalizing marijuana has not been shown to prevent teens from accessing it.
In June of 2012, before any state has legalized the drug, CBS News reported on a CDC survey that found teens were smoking marijuana at greater rates than they were smoking cigarettes for the first time in that survey’s history.
And although a study found that legalizing it did lead to increased teen use in Washington state, it also recorded no increase of use by youths in Colorado.
