MYTH #1. CANNABIS IS A DRUG
No, actually, Cannabis is just a plant. Even Marijuana (MJ), is just a flower that is produced by the plant. I know its a funny looking flower, but thats all it really is. The plant and/or flower itself is not a drug. It is the way that people choose to use the flowers that makes it a control substance that the world considers a drug. If you were to use Industrial Hemp (HI) to make clothing, would those clothes be considered drugs? The flowers produce seeds that are often used in making a nutritional hemp seed milk, is that a drug? No way!
Cannabis is NOT a drug. Certain parts of the plant can be used to make medications and drugs, but the plant itself cannot be called a drug. Its just a plant.
MYTH #2. INDUSTRIAL HEMP AND MARIJUANA ARE THE SAME PLANT
Quite a few persons these days are under the assumption that because older generations still refer to MJ as Hemp, that it makes IH and MJ the same plant. Most of these individuals come from three main categories; Those who could care less, those who want to confuse you (the government) and the confused/misinformed.
Saying that the IH plant (cannabis sativa indica) and the MJ producing plant (cannabis sativa sativa) are the same plant, is like saying that a Douglas Fir tree and a Cedar tree are the same plant because they are both evergreens and both grow in similar conditions. They are two very different plants, that look different, smell different and have different uses. I mean, how often to do you see a person with a cedar Christmas tree?
IH cannabis and MJ producing cannabis are the same in the sense that they both come from the Cannabis genus, they are both green and they both grow in similar environmental conditions, the rest is completely different. They look different, smell different, grow different and are used as separate resources. IH has little to no THC at all, but holds way more health values. MJ producing plants are not as easily used to create clothing, are shorter with wider leaves and are better pain killers.
Those who claim that IH plants and MJ plants are the same are either misinformed, they dont care about the difference or they want you to believe it is too difficult to tell the difference so they can continue to keep it illegal.
MYTH #3. SMOKING MARIJUANA IS COMPLETELY HARMLESS
No, actually, smoking anything is bad for the lungs. Though it is the Smoke itself, not the MJ that is harmful in this situation. Any form of inhaled smoked is bad for the lungs, they arent built to handle a lot of it and by smoking anything you are irritating your lungs.
Another way that smoking MJ can become harmful is through what I call PTDs (Paraphenalia Transmitted Diseases). Did you know that by sharing a pipe, bong or other mouth accessory for smoking MJ, that you can catch contagious diseases that are normally only passed on through direct contact with a person? Mono, pink eye and herpes are just a few things you could catch from a strangers piece. They also make you more susceptible to more common contagious diseases like colds, tuberculosis or influenza.
Thankfully, most PTDs are as easily prevent as STDs with some simple provolactics. In this case though, it isnt a condom that will help you become 99.9% safe against offending bacteria and diseases from paraphernalia, its something as simple as a small alcohol pad that takes up the same amount of space in your pocket as a condom. Learning to carry an alcohol pad and to start wiping off your mouth pieces before and after you use them with friends or especially those you do not know very well, can save your health.
Of course, abstinence is always best if you can help it. Not sharing utensils with others is the best way protect yourself all together. This is often another reason that many cannabis advocates prefer cookies or brownies to smoking, as it completely cuts out the risk from PTDs. Just remember, its not the MJ that causes the harm here, its your abundance or lack of common sense. =)
MYTH #4. MARIJUANA IS NON HABIT FORMING
I think many people confuse the terms addictive and habit forming as the same thing, when really, they are separate. Addictive substances are those which cause chemical reactions in our physiological bodies that causes them to want to continue using certain substances and creates an addiction.
A habit is something that we psychologically get into, usually because we like doing something. Often, an addiction can often ride along next to a formed habit, but a habit does not always go along with an addiction. MJ is definitely habit forming. Even if that habit is only once in a blue moon, it still becomes a habit. Not for any strange chemical reason, but simply because MJ is a pleasant plant to utilize.
MYTH #5. IF CANNABIS WERE LEGALIZED, EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WOULD BECOME LAZY POT HEADS
Recent studies in Canada have shown that when Cannabis was legalized, only a slight increase in the amount of users came about, and quickly after that, the rates actually dropped below the long time average of users. Whats more, the rate of drinking and driving dropped tremendously without increasing those who drive under the influence of MJ.
Having the irrational fear that legalizing any drugs or currently illegal substances would lead to an uncontrollable population of drug addicts, is simply a fear installed by the government propagandist to keep otherwise logical persons from seeing the truth. I mean, look at alcohol. It is legal and only between 8 to 10% of our society are Alcoholics by medical terms.
MYTH #6. MARIJUANA IS A GATEWAY DRUG
MJ is no more a gateway drug than Milk or Coffee, and especially Cigarettes. As a teenager, the first thing I had ever experimented with was alcohol, followed by cigarettes. Before that, the only drugs I had had were caffeine and milk, both very addictive and yet not illegal for children to have. After I was 15, I tried MJ and in truth, the only that lead to was a fascination for Mycology and the study of Cannabis.
In fact, it wasnt cannabis use that later took me farther into the world of drugs and experimenting. In fact, it was SCHOOL, CIGARETTES and DOCTORS that did that. You werent considered cool enough to hang out with teens or adults that had other drugs, unless you smoked cigarettes. You could smoke all the pot you wanted, that didnt get you to the in crowd. Its alcohol and cigarettes that got you into the in crowds and brought on more situations involving drugs.
Even as an adult, I find it rare to find an MJ provider that deals in other deeds. Though you might occasional run into a drug dealer that has some MJ for sale, it is usual not purchased from them for low quality, inadequate storage and the change of getting something laced.
The only thing Cannabis a gateway to, is other realms of awareness, creativity and health.
MYTH #7. MARIJUANA MAKES YOU VIOLENT
This is a myth brought on by the Refer Madness generation, who were made to believe that smoking cannabis caused psychosis, made people beat their children or somehow turned you into a violent psychopath. This myth is one of the funniest and couldnt be farther from the truth.
In reality, cannabis doesnt make you do anything out of what you would normally do. Unlike alcohol or other drugs, MJ only amplifies your current psychological situation, it doesnt modify it.
MYTH #8. USING MARIJUANA MAKES YOU LAZY
Have you ever been to Seattle Hempfest? Or maybe you have checked out some of the world famous Cannabis cups? These are GREAT examples of the insinuative and hard work put together completely by MJ users. In fact, there are many scientists around the world who have also proved that cannabis doesnt make a person stupid either.
The truth is that MJ wont make you lazy, but because it amplifies the way you are anyways, if you have a tendency to be lazy already, MJ will amplify that. However, laziness can sometimes be a very good motivation for innovation, as many of the worlds laziest people have come of with some of the worlds greatest inventions. Can you say car or telephone?
MYTH #9. LEGALIZING INDUSTRIAL HEMP IS JUST ABOUT LEGALIZING MARIJUANA
Not all that would like to see MJ legalized, care about IH being legalized, and not all those who push for IH legalization agree that MJ should be legalized. They may come from the same plant genus, but they are two separate subjects. There are plenty of persons under the belief that legalizing IH is just about getting closer to MJ legalization, but this just isnt true.
Those who want MJ legalized, are either medicinal users, recreational users or advocates of ending the drug war and the taxes they have to pay on it. Those who would like to see IH legalized, would like to save the economy, get rid of BIG OIL and BIG PHARMA. There are many people that would like to see IH and MJ legalized, as all of Cannabis should be legal anyways, but they understand the differences and vote for them for those separate reasons. Just because IH might be legalized, does not mean that MJ would be directly legalized, though legalized MJ would most probably give clear rein to IH.
MYTH #10. CANNABIS CAN SAVE THE ECONOMY
Yes and No. Cannabis can help to save the economy. It cannot do it all by itself. Cannabis can help give alternative ideas for businesses, bring about creative economic growth and start to degrade the use the of petroleum, medical insurance and pharmaceuticals. It can bring green fuels, better farming practices, new industries and its a plant that anyone can grow, just about anywhere.
MYTH #11. PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULDNT USE MARIJUANA
Actually, the use of MJ by pregnant women is an ancient practice. It was even included in the pharmacopedia for a very long time, until 1936. Cannabis provides a safe alternative to moderating blood pressure, nausea, appetite, cramps, labor pains and fatigue. Its side effects are low to the mom, and non existent to the unborn child. Much safer than many of the drugs they often prescribe to pregnant women, that are clearly labeled with side effects such as miscarriage, still birth, birth defects and/or life long disorders for the soon to be mother.
As of yet, there are very few Obgyns or doctors who will tell a pregnant mother that using Cannabis is bad for her or for baby, though they will suggest that you eat instead of smoke your cannabis, to prevent harming your lungs. In most cases, they look the other way and the worst side effect a pregnant mother will have to deal with, is the governments attempt to seduce you through sending a counselor or social worker to talk to you when your baby is born. So long as you are honest with your doctor about your cannabis use and you are not using other substances, there is nothing wrong with a pregnant woman choosing a safer alternative to help her get through the pains of gestation.
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