Similar to the popular board game that asks players to determine whether something is fact or crap—like whether or not you can see the Great Wall of China from space, or if we really only use 10% of our brains—information about marijuana varies and sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s fact and what’s crap. To set the record straight (and being some pretty high level experts in our field), we wanted to pass along the answers to five of the most common marijuana myths. Play along and see how many you get right!
Myth #1: Smoking Marijuana Causes Lung Cancer
Nope. While it’s true that smoke, whether from cigarettes or marijuana, contains carcinogens, a 2006 study conducted by UCLA concluded that even heavy marijuana smoking doesn’t lead to lung cancer. In fact, the study reported finding no association between marijuana smoke and lung cancer at all, and even suggested that marijuana smoke may have somewhat of a protective effect. This, and other studies have actually shown that pot can inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors.
Myth #2: Marijuana is a Gateway Drug
Wrong again. The gateway theory was started because, in research, it was discovered that heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine users reported having used marijuana before graduating to harder drugs, so it must be a “gateway” to harder drugs. Yet, the “gateway hypothesis” doesn’t sit well with those who use marijuana or have used it in the past. Research by the Institute of Medicine shows that the vast majority of marijuana users do not go on to use hard drugs.
Myth #3: All Cannabis Users are Stoners
This one is just not true at all, and we know many of you reading this can attest to that fact. Cannabis comes in many forms, and with marijuana becoming more and more mainstream in American culture—especially for those with terminal illnesses—more people are testing the waters. But only about 20 percent of the 30 million Americans who reported using marijuana in the past year use it on a frequent basis, so the overwhelming majority of pot smokers only blaze in moderation. Additionally, a lot of people who use cannabis don’t even enjoy the psychoactive “high” effect of THC, so they opt for CBD-only products, which are used to treat pain and inflammation associated with various ailments and conditions.
Myth #4: You Can Overdose on Weed
Most of us have experienced being “too high,” which is not swell at all. This can happen when consuming cannabis edibles, as they interact with the body differently than other methods of ingesting. But can you lethally overdose from smoking, eating, or ingesting in any capacity too much weed? No.
Myth #5: Legalizing Marijuana is Bad for Our Future
In 2016, dispensaries in the state of Colorado raked in $1 billion in revenue, which translated to $150 million in tax dollars that is earmarked for public schools and various public programs. With nearly 16,000 new jobs created so far, and 250k more projected in the U.S. by 2020, recreational marijuana has become a viable part of Colorado’s economy without any spikes in crime, and without any increase in teen marijuana use compared to states where the drug is prohibited. Sounds like a swell plan all around to us!
So how did you do? While these aren’t all of the marijuana myths swirling around, we hope this shortlist helped clear up at least a few things. Have more questions? Our budtenders really know their stuff. Contact us or come see us at one of our Valley locations and let’s chat!