The Top Five Pro-Pot Myths That Must Die
Here at HIGH TIMES, we want marijuana legalization more than just about anyone. We also know the cannabis plant is a remarkable species that is so beneficial to mankind in so many ways it is hard to count. But even though we know there have been conspiracies and lies designed to keep marijuana illegal, we do ourselves no favors by spreading our own conspiracies and lies. In order to maintain our credibility, reformers ought to start debunking some of these cherished pro-pot myths:
1.Debunked Presidential Quotes. Thomas Jefferson wasn’t toking on his “back veranda”. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t smoking weed on the porch playing his “Hohner harmonica” and never declared “Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance.” These quotes have been long debunked, no matter what the Totally Baked DVD says. The Founding Fathers’ hemp quotes, though, are totally legit.
2.Hemp Will Save The World. Yes, it is an amazingly versatile plant for food, fuel, fiber, and medicine. But 31 countries already grow hemp; it’s just the United States banning it that dooms Earth? When there’s a hemp iPhone, hemp diamonds, and a hemp cheeseburger that tastes like real thing, maybe hemp will replace everything that damages the environment.
3.Cannabis Cures Cancer. Yes, we’ve seen THC kill cancer cells in petri dishes and many people swear hemp oil cured their cancer. But cancer is complex and varied. Saying “cannabis cures cancer” is premature, like saying “bread mold cures infection”. Bread mold led to penicillin leading to antibiotics for many infections, as cannabis will lead to various cancer treatments.
4.Legalization Will Save $X in Law Enforcement. This stat calculates the cost of cops, courts, and jails, and then figures if pot arrests are part of those costs, we’d save that much money. Except that bureaucracies don’t return unspent budgets, they spend them. Cops, courts, and jails will still get that money; they’ll just spend it on real criminals.
5.Marijuana is harmless. Nothing ingested is harmless; you can die from drinking too much water or eating ten raw potatoes. Some experience a cyclical vomiting syndrome from long-term cannabis use. It’s not advised for people with some mental illnesses. And if you’re smoking it, it’s not tobacco, but duh, it’s still smoke! That hacking cough of yours means something.
