Myths about marijuana debunked | Fifth Ave Green House

Popular marijuana myths debunked

You've probably heard these #fakenews myths spread by right-wing media or cannabis opponents Activists.

How they came about is one thing, but why they persist is another. Fake news has become commonplace in recent years, but some myths have been around since before the advent of the digital world. So let's take a look at the three biggest cannabis myths and see if there is any fact behind the claims.

Marijuana is a gateway drug to addiction

According to science, most marijuana smokers do not turn to other “harder” substances. Alcohol and nicotine prepare the brain for a stronger response to other drugs and, like marijuana, are often used before people move on to other, more harmful substances.

Federal government studies have shown that marijuana is actually no more addictive than caffeine. In fact, the addiction rate for marijuana is significantly lower than for alcohol and tobacco.

It is very unlikely that marijuana users will eventually start injecting heroin. Studies have shown that alcohol and prescription painkillers are the actual gateway drugs.

Opioid use disorder and opioid addiction continue to reach epidemic proportions in the United States

Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, “When you see someone with a heroin problem, it usually starts with a prescription drug problem. Completely legal stuff. Something that's in everyone's medicine cabinet. Something that a doctor has prescribed in good faith.”

Legalizing marijuana will not stop drug cartels

Marijuana is legalized as a recreational drug in 23 states and for medicinal use in 40 states and throughout Canada. According to the Washington Post and contrary to some media reports, marijuana trafficking is declining. Before legalization, it was a source of income for drug cartels, but that is no longer the case. To compensate, drug gangs are now focusing more on selling fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.

In fact, the Republican Party is well aware that legalizing cannabis can actually put a stop to drug cartels. Just last week, four Republican senators who oppose legalization acknowledged that the policy change has disrupted the illegal trade by drug cartels. On Monday, Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) wrote to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf advocating for the legalization and regulation of controlled substances.

They called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider its plans to ban menthol cigarettes and set nicotine content limits, as bans and strict regulations could benefit the illicit trade. The main point was to express their concern about the FDA's proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, which the senators said could “empower” transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) to “exploit the black market opportunities that such measures could create.”

Interestingly, some reports suggest that marijuana from the United States is now being shipped to Mexico. It seems like the tide has turned, but there is still illegal marijuana activity in the United States. However, these crimes are only due to fluctuations in state laws. Once the federal government lifts the marijuana ban, the criminal organizations involved will virtually come to a standstill. After all, no one makes any money from fake beer these days.

Drunk driving is no different than driving under the influence of drugs

There is no doubt that drunk driving is a threat to public safety. In Canada and the United States, alcohol is responsible for more than 14,000 deaths each year. Researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine are working on a self-assessment tool for people who are unsure if they are too stoned to drive, and they are trying to determine how marijuana affects a person's performance. However, the team had some difficulty determining the drug's effects on “alertness and judgment.” Test subjects seemed “generally aware” of how high they were.

While this does not mean that driving while stoned is safe, it does show that people high on cannabis are more aware of the drug's debilitating effects when driving than people under the influence of alcohol.

There is also evidence that long-term marijuana users are generally less impaired when driving than those with lower tolerance. The difference between impairment from alcohol and marijuana has made it difficult for the scientific community to develop effective testing devices to measure drug-impaired driving.