Clearing the haze – Four Cannabis Myths We Need to Forget

We have been lied to, repeatedly about Cannabis. While the ridiculousness of Reefer Madness is long in the past, the sentiment of anti drug propaganda is still pervasive in our modern society. Scientifically speaking the war on drugs, especially when it comes to Cannabis, was lost, a long time ago. The volume of research which has been done on Cannabis, despite government restrictions, has shown this plant, not only to be less harmful than alcohol and tobacco (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/abstract; http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/News%20stories/dnutt-lancet-011110.pdf). So, how do we clear the smoke, dispense with the propaganda and make our Cannabis decisions based on fact? The first step, kill the myths.

Myth #1: Cannabis causes psychosis.
Because there has been little or no evidence of physical harm caused by Cannabis the war on drugs has focused a lot on Cannabis causing brain damage and have tried to implicate Cannabis in the cause of psychosis. This hypothesis is based on large statistical data sets and not on double blind placebo controlled experiments, the holy grail of science. Here is where the hypocrisy comes in. Cannabis critics say there is no scientific evidence to support Cannabis use, yet base their most prominent argument on data which is based on statistics. Anyone who has taken a stats class knows how easy it is to tweak numbers to get desired results. We have to remember that people that are prone to psychosis will eventually trigger that psychosis, can Cannabis be a trigger, yes, however so can alcohol, tobacco, a car accident or death of a loved one. Does this mean Cannabis causes psychosis? No. (https://www.merryjane.com/health/debunking-cannabis-myths-pt-iv-marijuana-causes-schizophrenia)

Myth #2: The stoner stereotype
Cannabis makes you stupid and lazy. The stereotype of the "stoner" is pervasive throughout popular culture. Video games, snack food, entry level jobs (or no job at all), old, broken down car. All these elements (and more) factor into what we have been trained to think of people who use Cannabis. In this stereotype, people are never portrayed as productive members of society. (http://hightimes.com/culture/11-stoner-stereotypes-that-no-longer-apply/) Yet if we analyze the same stereotype in a more positive light these “typical” stoners create strong relationships with their peers, have an appreciation for art, enjoys the outdoors and do not lust after the trappings of modern consumer culture. What we have to remember, for every lazy stoner portrayed in popular media there are dozens of highly productive and successful people that smoke cannabis. (http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/12/22/stoner-tips-to-success/59791/) Madonna, Whoopie Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Martha Stewart, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/most-famous-marijuana-users_n_5160073.html) just to name a few,

Myth#3: Cannabis has no medical application
The oldest Cannabis found, in an archaeological site in China was 2700 years old. The researchers who found it think that this Cannabis may have been used for medicinal purposes. That means that Cannabis has been used as a medicine for over 2000 years, that's a long time. Until 1942 several Cannabis medicinal preparations were listed in the US Pharmacopoeia (http://www.hempshopper.com/en/19th-century/94-1851), the book that lists ALL pharmaceutical preparations available to all US doctors to prescribe. So what do doctors think about the medical use of Cannabis? According to a WebMD survey, 69% of doctors polled believed in the benefits of medical Cannabis. From this list, 82% of oncologists (cancer doctors) and hematologists (blood doctors) support Cannabis medicine (http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20140225/webmd-marijuana-survey-web#1). The New England Journal of Medicine did an international survey. Doctors from 72 countries were polled, 76% supported the medical use of Cannabis (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmclde1305159#t=article). The long term use and current application of medical Cannabis can not be ignored. This medicine is being used to treat epilepsy, cancer, MS, seizures, Crohn's disease and much more. Cannabis does have medicinal benefits, it gives relief to patients and more applications are being discovered all the time. (http://www.mm-ma.org/sites/default/files/JAMA%20Clinical%20Review%20of%20Medical%20Marijuana%20forTreatment%20of%20Chronic%20Pain.pdf).

Myth #4: Cannabis use increases crime
With recent legalization in some US states, some interesting correlations between Cannabis and crime have been discovered. Now, making Cannabis legal automatically lowers crime, in fact, it eradicates an entire category of crime, which in turn would lower crime rates. But if we take a look at the data from Colorado there was an overall 2.5% decrease in crime, but homicide rates dropped by 12.8% and property crime was down by 3.1% so it's not just Cannabis related crime that dropped. (http://www.rogersandmoss.com/blog/14-criminal-law-articles/56-two-years-later-has-the-legalization-of-marijuana-affected-crime-in-colorado). This marks a very clear trend in lowered crime rates since the adoption of legal Cannabis.

So there you have it. Four Cannabis myths we no longer have to believe, there are more and the war on drugs propaganda machine seems to be still creating new ones. As Cannabis use becomes more acceptable to society at large these myths too will be debunked. Until that time is a savvy Cannabis user, don't believe everything you hear.