Even as medical marijuana is already legal in 33 states, and the recreational use of cannabis is already allowed in 11 states, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam, misconceptions continue to shroud cannabis – whether in the form of weed edibles, CBD oil, or other formats.
Somehow, the stigma that has hounded this fascinating plant continues, even with the wealth of research that has been done over the years. So if you’ve been meaning to try cannabis to harness the benefits it is known for but are hesitating because of these misconceptions, read on to be better informed.
The belief that cannabis use ultimately leads to people’s experimentation with more dangerous drugs is one of the most persistent. What differentiates people with serious addictions is the interplay of various factors such as genetics, the social environment, exposure to and use of various medications, and how addictive the substance is.
Even when there is no clear and conclusive evidence regarding the purported association between cannabis use and psychosis, some people remain convinced. They think that cannabis smokers risk suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis and that it can even lead to schizophrenia. However, experts do agree that using cannabis can trigger psychosis in people who already have it.
Long before cannabis cultivation became illegal, cannabis had been used for a multitude of medicinal purposes throughout history including to treat nausea, rheumatism, labor pains, tumors, cough, jaundice, malaria, asthma, fever, dysentery, epilepsy, gout, edema, infectious wounds, severe headaches, toothaches and earaches, and as an analgesic and anesthetic. It was also used for more practical purposes such as for making rope and clothes.
At the center of this false belief is cannabidiol or CBD – which is now widely used in beauty products, vitamins, weed edibles, and candy, and is also available in tincture form. The two sources of CBD are hemp and cannabis. However, there is no evidence that CBD sourced from either is different from the other. One main difference there is, though, is that hemp oil does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and hemp itself contains less than 0.3 percent THC; while marijuana has higher concentrations of THC – the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana.
Although some people, even those in the cannabis business, seem to find it convenient to sort of ‘typecast’ either strain as being one or the other, experts say nothing is this simple to categorize anymore. Unless you are consuming a landrace strain (pure, not crossbred), there is no guarantee that what is called pure sativa or indica is truly pure. Besides, your body chemistry also plays a major part in how your body reacts to the cannabis you consume.
Now that you know what misconceptions you can let go of, perhaps you'll want to sample the different cannabis products on offer to harness the health benefits this special plant is already known for.
