8 Facts About Marijuana That Will Shatter Your Popular Myths

Until fairly recently, marijuana use was saddled with a sense of taboo; an undeserved notoriety. However, facts about marijuana have been surfacing more and more since the advent of the internet. Misconceptions we had about smoking weed are already laughable in today’s push to end marijuana prohibition, but certain myths still overshadow marijuana facts. These 8 facts about marijuana shed some light on the myths, opting for research and hard numbers over theories and opinions.

1. The Real 411 on 420

Easily one of the most widely believed myths among those who actually smoke weed, the term “420” was often explained as police code for an officer busting a smoke session in progress. While this myth is still heavily debated, the origin with the most substantial proof comes from a group of friends who, in the early ‘70s, used the number as code to communicate all weed-related topics with one another. Specifically, the group of friends (known as the Waldos) congregated at a statue at 4:20 on an autumn afternoon to pursue free weed from a Coast Guard officer’s unattended crop. The Goonies­-style mission was never a success but the meeting time became one of the most important, though hotly-debated codes in the pothead lexicon.

2. Facts About Marijuana Show Weed Kills Cancer

The facts about marijuana use and its correlation to cancer are a little vaguer. Carcinogens have been identified in marijuana smoke. Yet, initial studies conducted at UCLA in 2006 found no increased risk of cancer among marijuana smokers when compared to nicotine smokers. However, new facts about marijuana explain the drug has actually been used to effectively kill cancer cells according to the National Cancer Institute.

3. Closing the Gateway Drug Theory

D.A.R.E. and other legions of those pushing abstaining from marijuana use have often cited weed as a gateway drug. However, facts about marijuana users and their likelihood to move on to harder drugs don’t correlate as nicely as prohibitionists would have you believe. The National Institute of Drug Abuse published studies in June debunking the gateway drug theory.

4. Marijuana Does Not Want to Murder Your Brain Cells

For years, classrooms and the media told you that weed obliterates brain cells but the scientific facts about marijuana paint a different picture. The University of Louisville found in a February study that the idea of marijuana killing brain cells is completely fabricated.

5. Legalization Will Not Turn Youth Into Addicts

Now to drive into some hard facts about marijuana with a myth often stoked by prohibitionists. One of the cornerstones of prohibition is the claim that marijuana legalization will result in increased use among minors. This may have seemed like a reasonable fear in pre-legalization days but now the experiment is legitimately underway. The results? States where marijuana is legal have reported an actual decrease in marijuana use among minors.

6. You Can’t Get Stoned From Eating Raw Weed

Most people, especially those who partake of weed, recognize that you can’t get high from eating raw weed. Facts about marijuana consumption show that the high actually requires heating the nugget. Likewise, if the raw weed is not combined with a fatty substance, any high you feel will be purely psychological.

7. The 30-Day-Rule for Weed in Your System is a Lie

If you’ve got a drug test coming up, you may have scoured the web for quick detox solutions. Sadly, the facts about marijuana staying in your system aren’t so black and white, so the effectiveness of these detox products are risky. The frequency with which you smoke weed combined with the amount you smoke in a session works with your body’s chemistry to determine how long marijuana stays in your system. It could be a couple of weeks, it could be well over 30 days. But the facts about marijuana have effectively shattered the 30 day myth.

8. You Can’t Overdose on Weed But You’re Welcome to Try

Technically, it is possible to overdose from a lethal amount of marijuana. However, facts about marijuana set that overdose bar pretty high; 40,000 times greater than your average dose to be precise. So, even though you may feel like you’re dying after eating an entire pan of weed brownies, you’ll probably pull through. Federal sanctioned research into marijuana is still heavily restricted, but one can only imagine the myriad of facts about marijuana that would come from proper research into the effects of weed. Public consciousness, independent studies, and a minute amount of government research have already revealed a wealth of information beyond the misconceptions and myths. The future will undoubtedly bring even further revelations.