One of the significant worries of using medical marijuana is that it makes one appear unprofessional. Thankfully, this belief is gradually fading away with the increase in the popularity of medical marijuana by professionals in different workplaces. The increase in usage is because marijuana is considered an effective treatment for many illnesses. It is only a matter of time before medical marijuana becomes mainstream, as DigiDrs noted. If you are still sceptical about the use of marijuana due to professional reasons, below are some popular myths about its use that have been debunked.
People Who Use Marijuana Are Lazy
One of the biggest stigmas associated with the use of marijuana is that its users are generally lazy. Although there are indeed elements in marijuana that can make a person appear lazy, this effect is not general. For instance, recent research has shown that marijuana intake has little or no effect on the educational performance of users who use it in moderation. In fact, these users are less obese and more physically active. Also, the use of marijuana helps people fight severe depression, anxiety, and other symptoms of addiction they are suffering from.
Marijuana Is A Gateway Drug
The myth that marijuana is a gateway drug is one of the arguments used to support its prohibition for many years now. However, this is not true. Although many would argue that people who use marijuana are more likely to use other drugs. However, there is no tangible evidence to back this up. One of the major reasons why these conclusions don’t hold water is that these users may also have other socioeconomic, social, and experiential factors that influence their decision to use the drugs initially.
Most notably, though, medical marijuana is used by medical professionals to help fight opioid addiction. A lot of people now take marijuana to suppress, reduce or eliminate their dependence on prescription painkillers and rehabilitation of other drugs.
Marijuana Use Causes Cancer
A lot of people believe that marijuana has a negative impact on the lungs, which is suspected to be more severe in heavy users. However, this belief is not entirely true.
In 2006, a UCLA study hypothesized that marijuana had no negative association with lung cancer.
Instead, the study showed that there was a positive association between marijuana and lung cancer. It suggested that marijuana had a protective effect on users and inhibits the growth of cancerous tumors.
Marijuana smoke contains carcinogens that cause cancer, just like tobacco smoke does. However, most Marijuana smokers consume less quantity of Marijuana compared to the average tobacco smoker. This implies that most Marijuana smokers won’t even inhale enough of its smoke to cause cancer.
Most Marijuana Smokers Are Heavy Users
The myth that most marijuana smokers are heavy users is inaccurate, as about fifty per cent of marijuana smokers smoke it for fewer than twelve days in their lifetime. Studies also show that one-third of marijuana smokers used it for less than ten days in the past year.
In the United States, there are about thirty million marijuana users above twelve years, and about six million of these users smoke it once a day or almost on a daily basis. This implies that despite the widespread notion that most marijuana smokers are heavy users and are mostly addicts, the truth remains that most people that smoke Marijuana are not heavy users.
Taking Marijuana Will Surely Get You High
Many believe that all marijuana strains get you high; however, this is not correct. There is no doubt that marijuana can get you high, but its potential to get you high is dependent on the presence of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
If the marijuana strain you want to use lacks THC or contains minimal amounts of it, you won’t get the same sense of euphoria obtained from a potent marijuana strain. What this means is that when you use it, you won’t get high. This is seen with cannabidiol (CBD) infused products, as they don’t have as much THC as the one found in many other types of marijuana products.
Using medical marijuana shouldn’t affect your level of professionalism in any way. Also, if you use marijuana in the privacy of your home in your spare time, as long as it is legal, no employer has the right to make any charges against you. However, it is entirely unprofessional to be high or impaired at work, irrespective of the substance you choose to use.
