Cannabis Myths Quiz

Cannabis is so much stronger today than in the 1900s
- Fact
- Myth
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  Myth! A common claim is that today’s cannabis is 20-30 times more potent than cannabis was in the 1970s, but this is incorrect and often used to justify harsher laws surrounding cannabis (McLaren et al., 2008). However, this is not completely false as there is research to support that more potent cannabis is available today, but not the extremes that this myth often implies. For example, in the United States there is research to support that cannabis potency doubled between 1997 and 2007 (McLaren et al., 2008). This information was collected based on confiscated samples of cannabis (McLaren et al., 2008).
  
  McLaren, J., Swift, W., Dillon, P., & Allsop, S. (2008). Cannabis potency and contamination: A review of the literature. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 103(7), 1100-1109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02230.x
  
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You won’t get high the first time you try cannabis
- Fact
- Myth
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  Myth! There are many factors that can influence whether or not someone feels high after consuming cannabis for the first time, and for each consumer these are different (Grotenhermen, 2003). There is little research to explain why some people feel certain psychoactive effects after first time cannabis use, and others do not; sociologist Howard Becker proposed that this is due to two reasons: the user may not have consumed it properly, or the consumer did not know what to expect when feeling high (Becker, 1953).
  
  Becker, H. S. (1953). Becoming a marihuana user. American journal of Sociology, 59(3), 235-242. https://doi.org/10.1086/221326
  
  Grotenhermen, F. (2003). Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cannabinoids. Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 42(4), 327-360. https://doi.org/10.2165/00003088-200342040-00003
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THC content is the most important data point
- Fact
- Myth
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  Myth! THC is only 1 of more than 100 cannabinoids that have been identified in cannabis (Wang et al., 2016). While THC is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, other cannabinoids interact with the THC, altering the psychoactive effect of the cannabis (McLaren et al., 2008). For example, the CBD content is an important indicator of the potency of cannabis (McLaren et al., 2008). CBD has antagonistic effects, offsetting some of the psychoactive effects of the THC (McLaren et al., 2008).
  
  McLaren, J., Swift, W., Dillon, P., & Allsop, S. (2008). Cannabis potency and contamination: A review of the literature. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 103(7), 1100-1109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02230.x
  
  Wang, M., Wang, Y., Avula, B., Radwan, M. M., Wanas, A. S., van Antwerp, J., Parcher, J. F., ElSohly, M. A., & Khan, I. A. (2016). Decarboxylation study of acidic cannabinoids: A novel approach using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography/photodiode array-mass spectrometry. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 1(1), 262-271. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2016.0020
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Cannabis has killed more people than alcohol
- Myth
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  Myth! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) excessive alcohol use claims 95,000 people every year in the United States (CDC, 2021). Death from acute alcohol use include alcohol poisoning, suicide, and car accidents. Deaths from long term alcohol use include cancer, liver disease, and heart disease (CDC, 2021).
  
  CDC. (2021, January 14). Deaths from excessive alcohol use in the united states. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/features/excessive-alcohol-deaths.html
  
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- Fact
You cannot be addicted to cannabis
- Myth
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  Myth! Cannabis addiction or dependence is possible, and is commonly known as cannabis use disorder. Cannabis use disorder is identified and explained in the DSM-5 (Patel & Marwaha, 2021). Approximately 9% of cannabis users will develop an addiction to cannabis (Government of Canada, 2021). A US study looking at results from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) found the overall lifetime probability that a cannabis user becomes dependent is less than nicotine, cocaine, and alcohol users (Lopez-Quintero et al., 2010;2011). They also found that cannabis dependence tended to occur faster than dependence to nicotine or alcohol, with approximately 70% of all cannabis dependence cases occurring within 3 years after first use (Behrendt et al., 2008;2009).
  
  Behrendt, S., Wittchen, H., Höfler, M., Lieb, R., & Beesdo, K. (2008;2009;). Transitions from first substance use to substance use disorders in adolescence: Is early onset associated with a rapid escalation? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 99(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.06.014
  
  Government of Canada. (2021, July 2). Addiction to cannabis. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/health-effects/addiction.html
  
  Lopez-Quintero, C., Cobos, Jose Perez de los, Hasin, D. S., Okuda, M., Wang, S., Grant, B. F., & Blanco, C. (2010;2011). Probability and predictors of transition from first use to dependence on nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine: Results of the national epidemiological survey on alcohol and related conditions (nesarc). Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 115(1), 120-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.11.004
  
  Patel, J., & Marwaha, R. (2021). Cannabis use disorder. StatPearls [Internet].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538131/
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- Fact

Cannabis Myths Quiz

List of questions