By Luke Sumpter

How odd that a naturally occurring herb whipped up such a storm in human civilisation.

Although several countries have legalized cannabis to some degree, with a bunch of others set to follow, many obscure myths are still associated with the plant. Most of these fly in the face of science, yet dissenters still use them to uphold draconian laws.

On the other hand, overly positive myths herald cannabis as a miracle substance with almost no downsides at all, which is ultimately also harmful to the plant's image.


Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

Below, we take a dive into the top 10 myths surrounding marijuana. But, we need to consider the bias that exists on both sides. Just as many anti-cannabis groups work to skew reality, over-enthusiastic parties have also generated a few myths of their own. Using an unbiased approach, we'll tackle the most prolific weed myths, in hopes of viewing the plant in a more transparent light.

1. Cannabis Use Leads to Higher Levels of Crime

By default, the prohibition of cannabis makes using, growing, or selling the herb a crime. This status naturally drives the plant’s presence in the black market, alongside other, harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin. While gang-related violence pervades this underbelly, cannabis use itself doesn’t drive crime—its illicit status does.

When a legal cannabis market is set up, however, licenced and taxed dispensaries take the cannabis trade away from black market retailers, weakening the power of its members.

Moreover, smoking cannabis hasn’t been proven to make individuals more prone to committing a crime. Sure, more offenders happen to use cannabis—and other drugs in general—but correlation doesn’t equal causation.

Contrary to some belief, cannabis legalization hasn’t appeared to contribute[1] to any sort of statistical rise in violent crime. Interestingly, though, many anti-weed campaigners fail to highlight the monumental amount of violent crime associated with alcohol use[2], despite its legal status.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

2. Cannabis Is a Gateway Drug

We all had that lecture in school. The one where anti-drug groups stand in front of hundreds of children and effectively transmit the message that it “only takes one toke”. Although their intentions (may) come from a good place, such organisations typically lump all drugs together and portray the idea that once you try one, you’ll stray down a dark path and sample them all.

This simply isn’t true.

Millions of cannabis users around the world enjoy the herb regularly, without even entertaining the idea of harder drugs. Additionally, many people start using harder drugs without ever touching cannabis in the first place.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

3. Cannabis Is a Dangerous, Addictive Drug

The claim that cannabis is a gateway drug often draws from the argument that it, like hard drugs, can grip users within a cycle of addiction. However, the plant differs dramatically from the addictive mechanisms behind substances such as heroin and cocaine. Unlike these drugs, cannabis generally doesn’t cause severe addiction or withdrawal symptoms.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

4. Cannabis Isn’t Addictive at All

While many cannabis users smoke weed without developing an addiction, people can become addicted in some circumstances. How exactly this addiction is defined (i.e. physical vs psychological dependence), and to what degree, is complex—but it is a possibility. Although some cannabis advocates attempt to deny this point, science states that cannabis isn’t a perfect, harmless substance.

While weed can help people in many different ways, cannabis use disorder is real. By increasing dopamine levels and eventually blunting the dopamine system[3] with long-term use, cannabis can influence the brain's reward system and create an addictive cycle.

However, this trait isn’t unique to cannabis. According to physician and addiction expert Gabor Mate, trauma underpins all addictions[4], and addiction can manifest as cannabis smoking, materialism, and obsession with all manner of external factors. Therefore, proponents would struggle to use this claim as a reason to maintain cannabis prohibition.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

5. You Can Overdose on Cannabis

Many lives are lost every year to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. However, almost nobody dies from cannabis consumption alone. Why? Because cannabinoids, the active constituents of the plant, don’t interface with the area of the brain responsible for breathing.

In regard to opioids, overdose occurs as receptors within breathing centres of the brain become overwhelmed. They create a depressive effect that impairs breathing, potentially leading to death. Cannabis cannot produce the same effect, which is why there are no reported deaths from cannabis used alone.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

6. Cannabis Users Are Lazy

Cannabis users face a host of different stereotypes. Among the labels of “addict” and “junkie”, the accusation of laziness probably gets tossed around the most. Sure, smoking weed can sometimes lead people to favour crashing on the couch over going for a run.

However, many successful, active, and athletic people use cannabis. Joe Rogan built a podcasting empire while stoned. Michael Phelps demolished the competition in the swimming pool while hitting the bong. Thousands of successful people all over the world love to enjoy weed in their downtime, much like others arrive home after work and pop open a bottle of wine.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

7. The Indica & Sativa Effects Dichotomy

Cannabis culture spends a lot of time debunking myths from the outside, but even those involved in the industry fall victim to misinformation. For the past few decades, anyone with even a slight interest in cannabis knew the difference between stoning “indica” strains and energising “sativa” strains.

Cannabis science has since challenged this view, with neurologist and cannabis expert Dr Ethan Russo labelling it as “nonsense”. This categorisation might help dispensaries market cannabis, but it just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Some indica varieties contain energising terpenes, whereas some sativas stone the body and mind. Plus, plants of the exact same strain can even produce different effects when grown in different environments.

Instead of depending on these loose means of compartmentalising cannabis, research suggests scrapping the term “strain” altogether, and replacing it with “chemovar[5]” (chemical variety) to truly get an idea of a plant's effects and chemical diversity.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

8. Weed Hangovers Don’t Exist

The debate between alcohol and cannabis users rages on. Those that stand by the herb often make the point that they wake up feeling fresh and ready for action in the morning. While true, smoking half an ounce the night before comes with a hangover of its own.

Cannabis hangovers are nothing compared to the devastation of those brought on by alcohol use. However, they can still impact the way you feel the next day, producing brain fog, lethargy, red eyes, and headaches. When enjoyed in moderation, though, one can easily wake up and be ready to take on their daily tasks.

Like with an alcohol hangover, some water and food will get you back on track. Unlike with alcohol, though, it should take a lot less time to feel like your old self again.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

9. There isn't a cannabis withdrawal effect

Although many seasoned cannabis users would love to believe that cannabis doesn't cause withdrawal, unfortunately, it's not true. Much like with weed hangovers, cannabis withdrawal is a real thing.

However, much like with a hangover, cannabis withdrawal symptoms are pretty mild, especially compared to alcohol and other drugs.

Regular users who stop can experience the following symptoms, which can vary from person to person, for a couple of weeks:

  • Irritability
  • Headaches
  • Disrupted sleep
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Feelings of sadness and anxiety

Fortunately, it does not last too long and is not often severe. If you are looking to alleviate symptoms, some of the best things you can do are stay hydrated, eat healthier, exercise and practice relaxation techniques.

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

10. Holding a Hit Will Intensify Your High

As cannabis lovers get older, they typically lose the competitiveness that comes with just starting out. Younger users often brag about taking the biggest hits, holding their breath for a minute straight, and handling the high the most impressively.

After the novelty of cannabis begins to wane, these same users often become more relaxed and realise that everyone enjoys the herb in their own way. They also quickly realise that you don’t need to hold in a hit for ridiculous amounts of time to enhance the high.

In fact, there’s no science to support the idea that holding your hit increases the amount of THC absorbed. On the contrary[6], it likely does not[7].

All of that THC immediately passes into the blood after entering the lungs. If you want to get higher, just smoke more! Don’t waste your time practising for the freediving world championships if you’re not planning on competing!

Clearing Up 10 Myths About Marijuana

External Resources:
  1. The Cannabis Effect on Crime https://www.tandfonline.com
  2. Alcohol-Related Crimes: Statistics and Facts - Alcohol Rehab Guide https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org
  3. Cannabis blunts the brain's reward system | Imperial News | Imperial College London https://www.imperial.ac.uk
  4. How dealing with past trauma may be the key to breaking addiction | Life and style | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com
  5. Cannabis - from cultivar to chemovar - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Download Limit Exceeded http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu
  7. Breathhold duration and response to marijuana smoke - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

Cookies settings

We are requesting your permission to use your data for the reasons stated below:

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data from a particular website that get stored on a user’s computer while they’re surfing the internet. Cookies have several different functions. Some of them track browser activity that enables businesses to deliver targeted advertisements. Other cookies serve to remember user login details to different websites to make jumping on social media, or other sites, a more fluid process. Because each cookie has its own unique ID, these pieces of data allow website owners to measure the unique traffic coming into their site.

Why do we use cookies?

Cookies come in handy when you visit our website. They ensure you stay logged in, that you can shop safely, and that the items you add to your cart stay there before you make a purchase. But cookies also help us. The data they provide allow us to improve our website and enable us to present you with targeted advertisements that are compatible with your interests.

What kind of cookies do we use?

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

How can I disable or delete cookies?

Not a fan of cookies? No worries. You can disable them (with the exception of necessary cookies) in your browser settings. However, blocking cookies may impact your browsing experience and prevent you from enjoying all of the technical features of our site.

Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: