Daily Life: 10 Common Marijuana Misconceptions
May 21st, 2009 by ErinIf you’re a regular (or even occasional) marijuana smoker, chances are you’ve been faced with all the stereotypes associated with stoners. As an attempt to clear some of these up, we’ve come up with a list of the most common marijuana misconceptions and accompanying explanations.
1. Pot smokers are unproductive and unmotivated.
This website is built and run by pot smokers. Consider this stereotype defeated already, but I can go on…
As one of the most productive stoners I know, smoking can actually help you become more focused; you just have to make sure you’re smoking the right weed. Pick a sativa or sativa-dominant hybrid to keep you alert – a heavy indica will make you feel groggy and sleepy, which is not good for work time.
2. Marijuana is addictive.
Actually, this is probably one of the most common misconceptions out there. Since it involves inhaling smoke, many people group weed together with cigarettes, forgetting about the nicotine and other addictive substances that cigarettes contain. Unlike cigarettes and alcohol, smoking weed does not result in physical dependency and does not produce any withdrawal symptoms. Only a small minority of Americans (<1%) smoke marijuana every day.
3. Smoking marijuana causes lung damage.
There have been no reports of lung cancer solely associated with marijuana. While the smoke does contain a number of irritants and carcinogens, it’s only a fraction compared to the chemicals crammed in cigarettes, and even heavy cannabis users exhibit no obstruction to the airways, unlike tobacco smokers. Reference Doug Benson’s Super High Me – in over 10 years of heavy marijuana smoking, the doctors told him he has done no permanent damage to his lungs.
Check out the other 7 misconceptions after the jump…
