Top Myths of Medical Marijuana

Cannabis has long been associated with negative outcomes and associated with hard drug use such as heroin or cocaine. This has created a lot of myths and misconceptions regarding the use of cannabis and what kind of effects are to be expected when using it. If you are interested in trying cannabis or want to know more about the medicinal benefits you can get from cannabis, hopefully we can help educate you on some true facts about medical marijuana.

Cannabis is comprised of over 400 different chemical compounds. Two of the main compounds most people are familiar with are THC and CBD. These compounds stimulate certain brain receptors and affect your mind and body differently, resulting in different effects. Let’s break down some of the Top Myths of Medical Marijuana.

Myth – All Cannabis Products Can Make You High

The main compounds in marijuana are THC and CBD. The active ingredient responsible for the psychoactive effects often associated with marijuana is THC. The other compound CBD does not stimulate the same brain receptors as THC and as a result, will not cause individuals to feel ‘high’. With CBD products you can get the therapeutic benefits of cannabis without the psychoactive effects.

Myth – You To Smoke Marijuana To Get The Benefits

Smoking marijuana is a popular method of consumption and users can feel the effects fairly quickly after usage, but this is not the only method to get the medicinal benefits. There are a variety of other ways you can enjoy your marijuana such as vaping, concentrates and edibles.

Myth – The Effects of Smoking and Edibles Is The Same

Edible consumption of cannabis and smoking produce completely different effects on individuals. With the smoking, the onset of effects if felt fairly quick, within 30 minutes and lasts up to 1.5 hours whereas edibles can take up to 2 hours to set in and may last up to 8 hours or longer.

Myth – Raw Marijuana Gives You The Same Effects

Consuming raw marijuana will not give you the same effects as if you smoked it. Cannabis needs to be heated to a certain temperature for the THC compounds to be activated, giving you the desired effects. An alternative to smoking is the cook your cannabis, make canna butter and use in baked goods, or use a vaporizer.

Myth – Medical Marijuana Leads To More Drug Use

Cannabis in the media is often labeled as a gateway drug and leads to more drug use in the individual. The Institute of Medicine has conducted a study finding there was no evidence of this. You can read more about their research here.

Myth – Smoking Marijuana Is Worse Than Tobacco

Marijuana does not contain the same additives or chemicals commercial cigarettes. This leads many to believe that marijuana smoke does affects the lungs differently than cigarettes. A recent study from University of California San Francisco found that the cannabis smoke was actually less harmful than cigarettes.

Hopefully we were able to clear up some misconceptions and myths about Medical Marijuana. When it comes to taking any medicinal products we do recommend you do your research prior to consuming.