Marijuana is the most widely used recreational drug despite how slow it has taken to legalise it across the world. The continuous legalisation has been a result of the different medical uses that have come up over time. One of the most popular products available is CBD, with many head shops selling it, like Smoke Cartel. There are also many devices that are being used with medical marijuana, such as dab rigs, dry herb vaporizers, and more. Additionally, it is a source of revenue to some countries that use it as a tourist attraction and tax businesses involved in it. it goes beyond healing different ailments to being a revenue source.
Unfortunately, with the widespread use of the internet, there is a lot of misinformation about marijuana out there. It has also become more easily accessible to gather such information because everyone can use Google and other search engines on their mobile devices. As a result of this misinformation, the social image of the herb is negatively impacted. As legalisation increases, it is important to distinguish between true and false information about marijuana. Does it cause addiction? Is it dangerous to health? Does it cause any other societal issues? We will explain the myths and the facts about marijuana in this article.
It is not addictive
Like all substances, addiction is a concern for anybody. There is a myth about how marijuana automatically leads to addiction but that is not always the case. An American study showed that of Americans aged between 15-45 years, only 4 percent depend on marijuana compared to 12 percent and 24 percent dependent on alcohol and tobacco respectively. Unfortunately, marijuana has been bundled up with many other dangerous drugs in the drug war which ignores the reality of its benefits. There are different ways of consumption such as vaporisers, smoking, and tinctures which can cause addiction if used frequently. Some symptoms of addiction include anxiety, paranoia, dizziness, and pale skin colour.
It is a gateway drug
When it comes to life, we have many people who we have met who introduced us to something good or bad such as a sport, a great restaurant, or a bad habit. Marijuana is claimed to have similar effects on its users. It is claimed that marijuana consumers continue to get into other harmful addictions and crimes. It has been shown that addictions to other drugs are dependent on individual characteristics and environments. While there is a relationship between marijuana and illicit substances, there is no proof of causation.
It doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms
Since people can get addicted to marijuana, it may seem obvious that there are withdrawal symptoms. They are for those that may enjoy too much of it. Once they decide to stop, marijuana users may experience irritability, decreased appetite, cravings, as well as mood, and sleep difficulties. While it may not have addictive tendencies similar to opioids, the body of users will desensitise the receptors in the brain to adjust to the influx of THC. When you remove THC suddenly, you will need time to re-sensitize receptors without THC.
It is safe to consume it while pregnant or breastfeeding
Some pregnant women may think about enjoying the experience of weed while they go through their pregnancy journey. Unfortunately, this is not safe because it can affect the baby’s development. Some of the effects that the baby may experience include low birth weight and other effects that come from the smoke from the herb. Additionally, the mother may not be able to take care of her baby and herself while pregnant due to the effects of marijuana.
It will make you a bad and lazy person
You may have seen this in the movies where people on weed are often lazy-looking and unsuccessful people who are a burden to society. This is not always the case since there are many successful people that smoke weed. The effects largely depend on the characteristics of the person rather than the impact of marijuana.
Conclusion
Marijuana due to its popularity will have many myths following it wherever it goes. Some have legitimacy and others are false. It is up to the users to figure out which are true and which are false. Some of the false ones include making a person bad, being a gateway drug while some of the true ones are that it is bad for pregnancy and can have withdrawal symptoms. It is on the user to understand the myths and facts before taking on marijuana to make a valuable decision.
