Marijuana myths usually lean towards scaring the general public to dissuade any chance at legalizing the “forbidden weed” The negative commentary from decades ago used to scare pot into prohibition can still be heard today from news reports and government officials. In the 70’s when there was an explosion of drug experimentation the government funded The National Institute on Drug Abuse and commissioned scientific testing on Marijuana due to its supposed toxicity. It seems to be what side of the argument you are on when it comes to testing protocol and interpreting the data produced by that testing.
Marijuana myths do a disservice to the American Public when the findings of a study make dramatic claims about cannabis that a generation of pot smokers refutes due to personal experience. It is difficult to believe that agencies funded by the government can produce objective findings from testing. Independent testing without the question of political pressure would certainly be more widely accepted.
The following is a list of the most prominent of the anti-marijuana claims.
1: MARIJUANA USE IS INCREASING AT AN ALARMING RATE
2: MARIJUANA POTENCY HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY
3: MARIJUANA IS A DRUG WITHOUT THERAPEUTIC VALUE
4: MARIJUANA CAUSES LUNG DISEASE
5: MARIJUANA IMPAIRS IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTIONING
6: MARIJUANA HARMS SEXUAL MATURATION AND REPRODUCTION
7: MARIJUANA USE DURING PREGNANCY HARMS THE FETUS
8: MARIJUANA CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE
9: MARIJUANA IS AN ADDICTIVE DRUG
10: MARIJUANA-RELATED MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ARE INCREASING
11: MARIJUANA PRODUCES A MOTIVATIONAL SYNDROME
12: MARIJUANA IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS
13: MARIJUANA IS A “GATEWAY” TO THE USE OF OTHER DRUGS
14: DUTCH MARIJUANA POLICY HAS BEEN A FAILURE