As most people know, 4/20 is the celebration of Cannabis Day, and within the last few years there’s been an increase of productivity with the plant. As cannabis continues to be legalized for medical or recreational purposes, more information is available to the public about marijuana. Twenty-nine states legalized medical marijuana — including Florida — and so far nine states have legalized recreational marijuana, with California recently approving it Jan 1. For years, the topic of legalization of marijuana has been considered taboo because of its side effects and main psychoactive components tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBD). However, there are some common misconceptions about marijuana, like:
The belief that marijuana will kill you
According to the DEA, “No deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported,” in their 2017 Drugs of Abuse guide. Since there hasn’t been any evidence proving that someone died from smoking too much, people should realize that while they can overdose, meaning smoking more than your body can handle, but not necessarily die.
Synthetic weed is better for you
Synthetic weed, also known as K2 or SPICE, is horrible. According to U.S. News, “Synthetic marijuana can be made with nearly 100 different chemicals that are often sprayed onto dried, shredded plant material.” It’s known to be cheaper than marijuana but it’s a man-made drug with chemicals that causes lethal harm to the body. The physical traits are completely different from the plant.
Cheaper is better
Absolutely not. According to U.S. News, “K2,” or synthetic marijuana, can be bought for as little as $5. Always buy and consume from dispensaries they have full information on the potency of the plant and can provide a detailed description of choices and varieties.
During the last few weeks of my friend’s dad being in hospice, the best pain reliever he took turned out to be medical marijuana. People have moved to Colorado so their children can be treated for epilepsy and other neurological conditions with medical marijuana. Even Whoopi Goldberg partnered with Maya Elisabeth, founder of Om Edibles, to create a whole healing line based on medicinal products for women’s menstrual cycles. There are multiple uses to cannabis, as it helps alleviate pain and treat disorders.
It’s always best to research and inform yourself on the topic. Thinking back to those weed PSA commercials with the deflated girl on the couch, those exaggerations about “what will happen when you smoke pot” are just unrealistic. Educate yourself for higher learning — pun intended.
