The 6 biggest marijuana myths debunked

The truth is that there is no sensible reason for the prohibition of marijuana, as we are yet to witness in most countries. All users of cannabis are extremely annoyed by the unfortunate legal situation that only brings harm. What annoys me most, besides prohibition, is the fact that people who use marijuana for themselves are still often confronted with prejudice or treated derogatorily due to lack of information and inability to think critically. The prejudices that cannabis smokers face are based on myths that have not been scientifically proven. Nevertheless, these myths have taken root, are vehemently held in certain parts of the population and are especially upheld by many parts of politics.

1. marijuana causes brain damage

Cannabis does not cause brain damage! Even US government experts have now admitted that smoking marijuana does not kill brain cells. This myth stems from a small number of animal studies that found structural changes in nerve cells. However, in this unrepresentative study, the animals were given so much marijuana smoke that they were deprived of oxygen and a normal "smoking situation" was not actually recreated.

This study has now lost all credibility. Dr William Slikker of the National Toxicology Research Centre and Charles Rebert and Gordon Pryor of SRI International, in their studies on the same subject, found no physical changes in the nerve cells of monkeys given high single doses of cannabis daily for a full year.

Studies in Jamaica and Costa Rica with people who had heavy consumption of marijuana also failed to find any abnormalities in the brains of the subjects.

2. cannabis is a gateway drug

One of the most persistent myths is that cannabis is a gateway drug. This is not the case! The best example of what happens when marijuana is made accessible to a society is the Netherlands. Since the 1970s, when possession of small amounts of cannabis was decriminalised and sales through coffee shops were tolerated, the number of people addicted to serious drugs decreased significantly.

In 1993, the Rand Corporation conducted a study comparing drug use in states where cannabis was decriminalised with other countries. It found that the number of drug-induced cases in hospital emergency rooms in countries where cannabis was legal was significantly lower than in the comparison states.

On the contrary, cannabis smokers in countries where it is prohibited have to be active on the black market and come into contact with hard drugs like cocaine or heroin first.

3. cannabis is more dangerous than tobacco smoke

Tobacco (nicotine) is one of the most addictive substances known to man. Cigarettes have 599 additives and over 4,000 chemical compounds are formed when smoked. Marijuana smoke has been shown to contain fewer carcinogens than tobacco smoke. However, many marijuana users use vaporizers or take cannabis orally, e.g. as tea or in biscuits. This does not produce any harmful and carcinogenic substances as is the case with combustion, i.e. smoking.

Millions of cannabis users worldwide have proven over decades that marijuana use is without harmful effects for the individual or society.

4. cannabis damages the brain

Smoking marijuana has a temporary effect on short-term memory. This is known to most stoners, but it is now known that there is no permanent brain damage and that these effects disappear completely when use is discontinued or the effect wears off.

In the USA, an analysis of 15 studies on marijuana use, which lasted between 3 months and 13 years, showed that regular users of cannabis do not show any significant impairment of their memory performance compared to non-smokers. Regular and prolonged use of alcohol and other drugs, on the other hand, can lead to serious impairments in memory performance.

Modern science no longer supports the reefer-madnees mentality of the past, where cannabis was declared the devil's stuff based on disinformation and lies. On the contrary, countless studies and investigations, as well as testimonies from patients, clearly prove the medical benefits and the high value of the medicinal plant cannabis.

5 If cannabis is legalised, the number of users will also increase.

Exactly the opposite is the case. Studies in the Netherlands and Portugal have shown that with the liberalisation/decriminalisation of cannabis, the number of users visibly decreased. Especially in countries with a pronounced and tightened prohibition, more people use cannabis and other drugs than in more liberal countries. Marijuana will not disappear from the world because it is prohibited. This did not happen during the last decades of prohibition and it will not disappear in the future with a prohibition that was not feasible at any time.

6. cannabis will remain illegal

Cannabis will become legal in any case because marijuana users will fight for it until they succeed. Since they are not a minority, they will sooner or later achieve the legalisation of cannabis for the sick and recreational users 😉 .

The myths and lies of the prohibitionists have long been debunked. Prohibition has caused so much damage on various levels and claimed so many lives that it will no longer be sustainable.

In the USA, we are currently experiencing a cannabis boom with a new flourishing branch of the economy that is beyond imagination and is associated with millions in revenue for the state. While people in the USA are in a gold-rush mood and more U.S. states are certain to legalise cannabis, the repressive approach in some European countries seems strange and unbelievable. Those who once promoted prohibition and enforced it worldwide are no longer willing or able to believe their own lies. It is time for a piece of nature to be legal again all over the world!

Keep on fightin,

Your Juan

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