As someone passionate about advocating for cannabis, I hear so many misconceptions about the drug from people, law enforcement, and even doctors! The stigma around cannabis has definitely changed in the last five to ten years, however lots of people still associate cannabis with laziness, stupidity, harm, and even death! Today I’m going to let you in on the top 3 misconceptions that really grind my gears.
This first one is probably something you learned in school or from your D.A.R.E. officer. But it’s completely debunked, and even D.A.R.E. has changed their curriculum to amend their mistake. Can you guess what it might be? Yes…. Marijuana is a “gateway drug”. “First it’s a little bit of weed, then it’s psychedelics… before you know it you’ll be shooting heroine!” This is not true whatsoever. While lots of hard drug users also use cannabis, the vast majority of cannabis users will never even try a hard drug. The fact that so many of us were taught that “it’s a slippery slope” is flat out incorrect. In fact prescription opiates (that you get from your doctor) are the number one gateway drug in the country. In 2019 D.A.R.E actually removed cannabis from its list of gateway drugs which was a huge deal for us advocates and a step in the right direction for putting an end to misinformation.
Next up is one that even some cannabis users believe! And it can be true for certain people. But it’s more likely that the stereotype refers to the person and not the drug. “Weed will make you lazy”. Sure we still have our share of lazy hippie smokers, but there are also successful CEOs, athletes, entrepreneurs, and musicians that are long term users and claim this stereotype is outdated and irrelevant. As cannabis has become more accepted in society, more and more successful people have “come out” (if you will) as cannabis users and advocates. Thus showing the world that you can be successful and hardworking and still use cannabis.
Last but certainly not least “cannabis is dangerous”. Dangerous? Well first of all… not a single person has ever died from a cannabis overdose. Alcohol and prescription related deaths kill millions of people a year… but cannabis is dangerous? Anyone making this argument better be sober because almost anything drug or alcohol related will kill you faster than cannabis. Of course responsible users should make sure not to drive or operate heavy machinery while under the influence, but even so how often do you hear about deadly crashes where the driver was high on cannabis? Almost never compared to alcohol intoxication…
I could go on and on about why almost every negative perception of cannabis could be debunked, but these three are so commonly blurted out and so antiquated that they deserved their own spotlight. If anyone tells you not to try a cannabis product for these reasons, please shut them up with the facts. As a community we can bring an end to this nonsense.
