The false myth of medical marijuana

There is a great deal of misinformation about the therapeutic potential of marijuana.

Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug worldwide. It has health risks and a high potential for dependence.

However, at the same time, scientific research on the drug has found much potential to improve people's lives. potential to improve people's lives.But what is the myth and exaggeration in all this?

False myths about medical marijuana use.

In this article I am going to talk to you about some of the most the most common myths about the consumption of medical marijuana (which might not be as medicinal as some people think).

Minimizing the perceived risk of use

Misinformation, Facebook group headlines and Whatsapp chain, dominate today's digital world. When we like something, we tend to select and interpret the information around us to fit what we already think (or would like to continue thinking). There are many types of cognitive biases, but this one is often called "confirmation bias".

When someone starts to develop a dependence on smoking cannabis, he or she will tend to give more importance and credibility to news and information sources that talk about how "good" cannabis is for everything.. Although many times they are exaggerations, generalizations, even complete hoaxes.

When a regular smoker thinks that marijuana is "natural and healthy", he will tend to consume more often and in larger quantities, because of the little risk perception he has.

It is all the result of the exaggeration of supposed benefits.. But if cannabis were totally harmless, there would be no professionals to help people overcome marijuana addiction.

Smoking cannabis joints is recreational use, rarely medicinal.

If you smoke a joint every afternoon or every evening, that's rarely medicinal use.

That's recreational use. Consumption for "having a good time". Consumption to feel the "high" that is so characteristic of cannabisthat makes you forget your problems for a while, make you die of laughter or have an anguish and paranoia low.

Medical use is when a doctor prescribes you a medicine or a compound made from some of the active ingredients of cannabis.

And it is true that there is a lot of promising research on how some of the many substances present in cannabis can help many people fight chronic pain and many other diseases. But a serious treatment is one that is supervised by a trained professional, by a physicianThe use of cannabis with specific therapeutic objectives, doses and frequency of use are personalized for that specific person according to his or her ailment.

Smoking joints with your colleagues is not medicinal use, in the same way that frozen pizza from the supermarket cannot be compared to a pizza from the Italian restaurant in your neighborhood.

Smoking joints "for health" is like trying to kill flies with a cannon.

No one can deny that excessive cannabis consumption entails risks.. Cannabis is a plant, and it contains thousands of different substances, it is complex.

Among all these thousands of compounds, some can have certain effects, others totally different. And everything will also depend on the genetics and metabolism of the person, as well as his psychological characteristics.

It reminds me of the hoaxes about "a glass of wine a day is good for the heart". This is the perfect example of a hoax and generalization spread by the alcohol industry. It is paradoxical, because while it is true that some of the substances present in wine can be good for the Heart in certain doses, the truth is that they are completely outweighed by the damage that alcohol does to the heart.

In other words, the intelligent thing to do is to isolate and synthesize that particular compound in the form of a medicineand people can take it separately, without the rest of the "poison" that is present in wine.

The same thing happens with cannabis. There are specific compounds that, separately, have been shown to help many people with different ailments.

But smoking a joint, you take with you the rest of the harmful substances that create dependence, paranoia, anxiety and irritability problems, even schizophrenic symptoms. Anything but medicinal, especially if you abuse it for a long time and with great frequency..

Here is a list of the problems that many people who smoke marijuana experience (and that few want to talk about):

• Aggressiveness and irritability
• Sleep problems
• Anxiety and chronic stress
• Anxiety and panic
• Apathy and symptoms of depression
• Paranoia
• Psychosis and schizophrenia

Genetics plays a major role in this issueas well as the person's environment and lifestyle. Not all people who use cannabis are going to experience problems, and less if they maintain a sporadic and not too frequent consumption.

But what cannot be denied is that, if a person maintains extreme consumption for a long time, he or she will be much more likely to develop problems in the future. Some people take longer, others take less (genetics). But the more you play, the more likely you are to get the "prize" that no one wants to get.

Overcoming cannabis dependence and quitting joints

Do you want to quit cannabis? I'm a psychologist specializing in addictions, and I work every day with people who want to stop being slaves to a plant. With me you will work:

• The beliefs that keep you dependent on cannabis.
• Your consumption habits, and how to modify them (without relying on "willpower", but with scientifically proven strategies).
• Your emotional dependence on marijuana in different situations of your life.
• How to overcome marijuana withdrawal symptoms.
• How to avoid relapses, and what to do even if you have one (to get up and recover as soon as possible).

Contact me and I will give you an appointment as soon as possible.