10 Myths about Marijuana and CBD
If you walk into a Seattle dispensary, chances are high that you might find a budtender busy trying to explain to a newbie that what they know is simply a myth and nothing more. The most misunderstood drug, most misconstrued is marijuana. There have been many misrepresentations and fabrications and unfortunately, the myths seem to get all the airplay.
Today we delve into the popular beliefs that are held about Marijuana and we debunk them. What holds water and what certainly misses the mark. With these objective revelations, you may find more clarity that will enable you to make informed decisions.
Myths about Marijuana and CBD
The current Marijuana in the market isn’t as potent as it used to be.
Marijuana is just a plant isn’t it, how can it possibly evolve and contain lower THC levels than before. This must definitely sound like a reach. As a myth, this one definitely checks out. As a matter of fact, Marijuana today is a lot stronger. There has been significant research that has been done by players in the industry. The potency levels that you find in a particular strain is deliberate, that was what the grower intended to achieve. Certain plants have been selected and bred together to achieve never before imagined levels of potency.
If you have guardians that convince you that they can handle today’s Marijuana because they did so in their hay days, it’s best that you inform them of the truth lest you end up rushing them to the emergency room at odd hours. This is not their ordinary herb, this will literally blow their minds.
Armed with this information, it then becomes important that you take a dosage that you can handle. For a higher potency, take smaller doses and vice versa.
You can’t possibly overdose on Marijuana
You most definitely can. Having an overdose means indulging in excess. We certainly have had people smoking more than they should or consuming it in other forms in quantities that they probably shouldn’t have. The real truth is that, unlike other drugs that might possibly kill you and cause undesirable consequences when you overdose, Marijuana is highly unlikely to kill you especially if there is no history of comorbidities within your family.
On the flip side, for the groups that are vulnerable such as those that experience conditions like psychosis, an overdose leaves them in terrible shape. It’s irresponsible to get yourself or someone in this type of situation as it becomes really hard to treat and valuable time is lost in trying to restore the person to stability when all that could have been avoided in the first instance.
The truth is that, yes you can definitely overdose, it won’t kill you but it will definitely let you suffer to an extent.
Marijuana can cause psychiatric conditions such as psychosis
You may have come across some individuals that may have seemed to have lost their marbles, and the simple explanation that you probably got for their current condition was that it was caused by Marijuana. Fact or not, let’s examine that. For a number of people that are already experiencing a mild form of psychosis, using Marijuana as a coping mechanism is probably one of the easiest decisions that they could take. Is it good? Probably not, because the THC in Marijuana tends to amplify the symptoms that they are already experiencing. If they’re hallucinating, are delusional, and have paranoia, then there is an amplification of these symptoms, and anyone who was not aware of the presence of these symptoms in the individual, credits their occurrence to the introduction of cannabis in this person’s system.
As discussed in overdosing, cannabis can have damaging effects to vulnerable individuals but it most definitely does not cause psychosis in an individual. It simply makes it easier to note that this individual had the underlying condition and if caught on time and treated properly, can be salvaged.
The use of Marijuana leads to criminal behavior
It’s absolutely unbelievable how many people believe that this is true. When you compare the number of offenders that are definitely partaking in Marijuana, expectedly, that number is greater than those that indulge in it and are non-offenders. As you may have noted, there is actually no causality pattern that is identified here. It may be that offenders when they are locked in a particular institution with other offenders are likely to adopt the primary behaviors of that place. In this particular instance, Marijuana indulgence seems to have taken center stage, in another scenario, it may be something completely different.
Undoubtedly, recent times have allowed us to witness A-list celebrities, as well as business moguls who have publicly declared their apparent use of the substance and who to date have not exhibited any criminal-like behaviors.
The verdict is absolutely untrue. More criminals may use Marijuana, but its use certainly does not create criminals.
Marijuana encourages the use of other drugs
In this regard, the understanding is that Marijuana is the gate and once you go through that gate, there is no telling what can stop you. Logically speaking, the kids that experience it early are more curious than their age mates and their curiosity will only be cured once they confirm by testing. Weed is seen as the safest option, so they’ll probably start there, but once that is out of the way, there’s no telling what other drugs they are willing to expose themselves to.
There is no scientific evidence or correlation identified between the use of marijuana and the subsequent use of other drugs. Though I agree that it’s easy to see why a lot of people would definitely believe this myth.
Marijuana use is harmless
All potheads definitely believe, especially the heavy smokers, that because as they truly and honestly believe, Marijuana is a herb that elevates your senses and enables you to unlock levels of your subconscious that permit you to operate at an elevated level. As poetic and joyous as this sounds, it’s unfounded.
One form in which Marijuana is experienced is through smoking it. Inhalation of that smoke potentially puts the individual partaking in it at risk of contracting respiratory illnesses similar to the ones that smoke tobacco. Just like any other drug, it employs a terms and conditions clause and if you’re willing to experience the benefit that it provides, then you should be equally willing to sit through the potential harm that it may bring to you.
A more outward effect would be the unlimited number of accidents that it may lead to as it impairs the senses of an individual.
Marijuana does not cause addiction
Addiction essentially means that there is continuous use of a substance despite the negative outcomes that are experienced from its usage. In your endeavors, I am quite certain that you have met not one, not two, but a number of individuals who were struggling to perform any usual daily activities without taking a spliff of Marijuana and despite the predicament that it had placed them in, they couldn’t help but want more of it.
While you cannot compare the addiction rates of Marijuana to that associated with alcohol, it is essential to understand that it is a phenomenon that occurs in 9% of users and when the users start when they are of adolescent age, that number rockets all the way to 17%.
If you know of a frequent user, it would be best to determine if they have already developed an addiction and are not aware and probably nip it in the bud before it morphs into something that cannot be contained.
The criminalization of Marijuana protects kids
This myth can be easily debunked by explaining how desirable something is when you’re forbidden from taking it. It makes you want to know why I have been disallowed from using it. I’d like to use it and confirm for myself that it is indeed bad and not rely on anyone else to dictate to me what I should and should not do.
That is exactly what the criminalization of Marijuana has achieved. Teenagers have found ways to acquire weed illegally and this puts them at great risk. Firstly, because we don’t know the quality of the product that they are using, it has not passed through any formal authority verifying its contents, and a potentially fatal substance may have been incorporated and caused irreparable damage.
Secondly, any adult willing to meet a teenager at a backyard location to sell them weed for a little bit of money is an adult with questionable characteristics and this begs the question of what kind of individuals the kid is being exposed to just to buy a blunt. Both scenarios definitely do not sound like criminalization is achieving what it intends to.
Surprisingly, statistics have shown that in states where there has been an extent of legalization of Marijuana, there has been no spike in the numbers of teenagers that are indulging in it. In this instance, the commodity is available, at well-maintained spaces, the quality is regulated and there is information that is readily available for any curious teen.
Is it safer to legalize it, I would say so, and criminalizing it as a measure of protection definitely yields the opposite results.
After that elaborative list of myths associated with Marijuana, it’s time we take a deep dive into the ones that are said about CBD and debunk those as well. Let’s get right into it.
CDB does not have side effects
It is common knowledge that CBD is one of the two main active ingredients found in Marijuana and though it differs greatly from THC which has psychoactive qualities, it has been found to slow down the liver’s metabolism of particular medications in addition to other effects such as causing diarrhea.
It is therefore very important that you take charge of your health by talking to an expert who can advise you accordingly to prevent any adverse effects that may occur as you interact with different types of medications.
CBD works as fast as Marijuana
When you partake in Marijuana it kicks in after a few minutes and you feel its effects. CBD on the other hand works quite the opposite way. The results that one desire can only be achieved when consistent efforts are applied over a considerate amount of time whilst following the recommended dosage.
This is probably the reason why a number of people would have already termed CBD as a scam. They carry the experience that they have had with Marijuana and lay these expectations on CBD without considering the different elements that are found.
This article brings out clearly that there is a lot of misinformation that is passed around and accepted as the complete truth. It has started an important component of educating the masses in what should be regarded and what should be discarded. The main takeaway that the author here would like you to have is to adopt the practice of verifying information for yourself.
This article could not possibly exhaust the thousands of myths that are floating on the internet. But it has served the purpose of showing that despite the number of people who subscribe to a certain narrative and no matter how long the belief has been held if it’s unfounded then it remains just that, a myth.
Make use of the dispensary near you and indulge the budtenders who are most knowledgeable in getting to give you verified information. We are in the age of information, where anyone can type anything on the internet. In a world where you could be anything, be a myth buster.
