Those who prefer smoking cannabis should avoid holding the smoke in their lungs for extended periods of time because doing so will increase the inhalation of tar and other toxic substances into the lungs. A simple inhale and exhale is all you need, as studies have found that the duration of inhalation has minimal impact on the amount of THC absorbed and resulting effects.
Common Cannabis Myths
There is a common assumption that frequent cannabis consumption can decrease your motivation. Studies that report decreased motivation or activity tend to miss other factors that can affect an individual’s level of motivation, such as their predisposition to anxiety and depression, or the use of other substances such as alcohol. These are crucial factors to consider when analyzing your cannabis consumption.
This is a commonly believed myth, however, there is no solid evidence supporting the idea that cannabis kills brain cells. In fact, research suggests that cannabinoids can, in some instances, protect brain cells, promote the generation of cells, and prevent brain damage. It is still important to be aware of the minimal risks associated with regular heavy cannabis use and brain function in relation to attention, memory, and cognitive/motor functioning. Limited term impacts on brain function have been observed, but these are often related to the period while someone is actively high, and are not a sign of brain cells dying.
Many assume they will not feel the effects of cannabis when consuming it for the first time. This is not necessarily true as everyone’s experience is different. It is important to be mindful of factors that can impact your first-time experience, including the possibility that the cannabis was not consumed properly, that the dosage was too low, or the unfamiliarity of what being ‘high’ feels like.
While cannabis may not have the same effect on driving performance as alcohol or even severe sleep deprivation, driving while high is less safe than driving sober, particularly for people who are less frequent cannabis consumers. It's a myth that people drive better when they're high, but recent research suggests most cannabis consumers don't ever get behind the wheel when high, or even in a car with someone driving who is high.
When talking about problematic drug use we tend to talk about dependency, not addiction, and we can't base dependency simply on how much cannabis someone consumes. Dependency is assessed by things like whether a person continues to use cannabis despite it causing them physical or psychological problems, whether they have problems at work or school due to their cannabis consumption, and several other factors. But frequency of use alone is not a good marker for whether someone has a cannabis use disorder of some kind.
No. While you're high you may not have good memory recall, but those effects are temporary. Research into the harms of cannabis was widely promoted during the century of prohibition, often ignoring potential benefits to cannabis consumption.
No. About 9% of people who consume cannabis will experience some sort of dependency or misuse issue with cannabis, but that does not happen the first or even second time you try it. Dependency on cannabis, like any other drug, is a process that evolves and is shaped by a number of factors in a person's life.
The idea that cannabis causes people to use other drugs has not been supported by any scientific examination. Many people first consume cannabis as it is relatively easy to obtain and easy to learn to use. Additionally, the idea that drugs other than cannabis are somehow 'harder' or worse, is less about science and more about creating stigma and fear about people who use drugs.
No. You can have a very unpleasant experience if you overconsume cannabis, but you can't die from overconsumption.
No. There are no credible reports of cannabis being laced with other drugs by dealers trying to get people high, and even if there was accidental contamination the burning of cannabis would most likely make the Fentanyl useless. The repeated use of this myth is an attempt to stigmatize people who use drugs and relies on classic fear-based approaches to drugs issues.
Common Cannabis Myths
Those who prefer smoking cannabis should avoid holding the smoke in their lungs for extended periods of time because doing so will increase the inhalation of tar and other toxic substances into the lungs. A simple inhale and exhale is all you need, as studies have found that the duration of inhalation has minimal impact on the amount of THC absorbed and resulting effects.
There is a common assumption that frequent cannabis consumption can decrease your motivation. Studies that report decreased motivation or activity tend to miss other factors that can affect an individual’s level of motivation, such as their predisposition to anxiety and depression, or the use of other substances such as alcohol. These are crucial factors to consider when analyzing your cannabis consumption.
This is a commonly believed myth, however, there is no solid evidence supporting the idea that cannabis kills brain cells. In fact, research suggests that cannabinoids can, in some instances, protect brain cells, promote the generation of cells, and prevent brain damage. It is still important to be aware of the minimal risks associated with regular heavy cannabis use and brain function in relation to attention, memory, and cognitive/motor functioning. Limited term impacts on brain function have been observed, but these are often related to the period while someone is actively high, and are not a sign of brain cells dying.
Many assume they will not feel the effects of cannabis when consuming it for the first time. This is not necessarily true as everyone’s experience is different. It is important to be mindful of factors that can impact your first-time experience, including the possibility that the cannabis was not consumed properly, that the dosage was too low, or the unfamiliarity of what being ‘high’ feels like.
While cannabis may not have the same effect on driving performance as alcohol or even severe sleep deprivation, driving while high is less safe than driving sober, particularly for people who are less frequent cannabis consumers. It's a myth that people drive better when they're high, but recent research suggests most cannabis consumers don't ever get behind the wheel when high, or even in a car with someone driving who is high.
When talking about problematic drug use we tend to talk about dependency, not addiction, and we can't base dependency simply on how much cannabis someone consumes. Dependency is assessed by things like whether a person continues to use cannabis despite it causing them physical or psychological problems, whether they have problems at work or school due to their cannabis consumption, and several other factors. But frequency of use alone is not a good marker for whether someone has a cannabis use disorder of some kind.
No. While you're high you may not have good memory recall, but those effects are temporary. Research into the harms of cannabis was widely promoted during the century of prohibition, often ignoring potential benefits to cannabis consumption.
No. About 9% of people who consume cannabis will experience some sort of dependency or misuse issue with cannabis, but that does not happen the first or even second time you try it. Dependency on cannabis, like any other drug, is a process that evolves and is shaped by a number of factors in a person's life.
The idea that cannabis causes people to use other drugs has not been supported by any scientific examination. Many people first consume cannabis as it is relatively easy to obtain and easy to learn to use. Additionally, the idea that drugs other than cannabis are somehow 'harder' or worse, is less about science and more about creating stigma and fear about people who use drugs.
No. You can have a very unpleasant experience if you overconsume cannabis, but you can't die from overconsumption.
No. There are no credible reports of cannabis being laced with other drugs by dealers trying to get people high, and even if there was accidental contamination the burning of cannabis would most likely make the Fentanyl useless. The repeated use of this myth is an attempt to stigmatize people who use drugs and relies on classic fear-based approaches to drugs issues.