1) “Cannabis has no credible medicinal benefits” -- MYTH!
That is simply false! The best review of the research to date on medical marijuana, published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, looked at more than 10,000 studies to evaluate medical marijuana's potential benefits and harms. The review concluded that there’s “conclusive evidence” for medical marijuana as a treatment for chronic pain, as well as multiple sclerosis spasticity symptoms, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
An endless supply of studies and first hand accounts also prove the efficacy of medical marijuana use for a wide variety of illnesses and symptoms, including: chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, nausea, some cancers, and more.
Medical marijuana may still have many further benefits that we don't even realize yet, which is why the majority of doctors favor legalization and further research.
The best way to determine whether you may benefit from the prescribed use of cannabis is to consult with your primary care physician.
2) “Cannabis is dangerous” -- MYTH!
Medical marijuana, like any other medicine, is not 100% safe, and may not work well for every patient. However, studies clearly prove that medical marijuana is significantly less dangerous than alcohol, tobacco, and many other drugs.
Though the average level of THC is higher today than before, since potency does not equal dose, users are able to ingest less of a product with higher levels of THC to achieve the same result. Regardless, this issue can largely be solved by regulating the levels of potency -- just as we do with alcohol.
Additionally, opponents of medical marijuana like to cite personal anecdotes and cherry-pick studies, but most of the time their evidence simply confuses correlation with causation.
The best way to determine whether you may benefit from the prescribed use of cannabis is to consult with your primary care physician.
3) "Medical dispensaries will automatically become recreational dispensaries" -- MYTH!"
In New Jersey, Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC's) DO NOT automatically become recreational dispensaries. Every town/community will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to allow recreational cannabis dispensaries to exist within their jurisdictions (including currently operating ATC's), and will have to change local zoning laws in order to allow recreational cannabis dispensaries (if they choose to do so).
4) “Cannabis is physically addictive” -- MYTH!
The science behind this is a bit controversial. Medical marijuana can definitely be psychologically addictive -- as can money, television, and McDonald's -- but the large majority of medical marijuana users never demonstrate serious physical dependence, leading many experts to conclude that it does not fit the standard definition of "addictive".
Even researchers who insist that medical marijuana addiction exists will also readily admit that the estimated rate of addiction (9%) pales in comparison to alcohol (15%) or tobacco (24%), and that the severity of dependence is minuscule relative to other drugs (including alcohol).
5) “Synthetic Cannabis is a safe alternative” -- MYTH!
Synthetic marijuana is often poorly regulated and is definitely NOT safe. Please consult a doctor before trying synthetic marijuana!
6) “The problems and costs with legalization outweigh the benefits” -- MYTH!
Per usual, opponents of marijuana like to cite personal anecdotes and cherry-pick studies, but most of the time their evidence simply confuses correlation with causation.
Moreover they emphasize every small problem with legalization but never address the far more serious problems with the status quo.
Regardless, two facts remain indisputable: (1) Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol, tobacco, and virtually all other drugs; and (2) The problems cited by opponents of marijuana legalization hold more truth when applied to alcohol, tobacco, and prescription medications (i.e. effects on crime, health, addiction, minors, etc).
7) “Cannabis will cause mayhem on the roads” -- MYTH!
Medical marijuana is not 100% safe, and can lead to impaired driving and potential harm if not used responsibly. But the same is true of alcohol and a variety of medications, which studies have proven cause far greater impairment than medical marijuana.
In fact, research shows that increased crash risk from medical marijuana use is "so small you can compare it to driving in darkness compared to driving in daylight."
Additionally, fully autonomous vehicles will soon render this issue insignificant, which will be an amazing achievement for public health!
8) “Cannabis will lead to more crime, particularly near dispensaries” -- MYTH!"
According to a wealth of research, there is no credible evidence that medical marijuana causes any increase in crime. In fact, quite the opposite!
While it is theoretically true that medical dispensaries can be targets for theft (because they often have a lot of cash, just like banks), but this can easily be solved by allowing medical dispensaries to work with banks and credit card processors - just like any other pharmacy.
Regardless, Voltaire takes security and regulatory compliance very seriously. We will take every precaution necessary, and we will facilitate an ongoing relationship with the local police department to ensure the safety of our patients and the community at-large.
9) “Cannabis causes cancer” -- MYTH!
It's true that medical marijuana smoke, like tobacco, has carcinogens. But medical marijuana users rarely smoke nearly as much as tobacco users, and there are many other ways to ingest medical marijuana.
Nevertheless, while it would be understandable to assume that heavy medical marijuana use may increase your risk of cancer, experts have concluded that -- for reasons that are not yet fully understood -- there is "no [positive] association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect". In other words, something in medical marijuana may nullifiy the harm you might normally expect from ingesting carcinogens.
Though there is no evidence linking medical marijuana as a cause to cancer, there are many studies proving its value when treating cancer.
10) “Cannabis is a gateway to other, more dangerous drugs” -- MYTH!"
This myth has been around for decades, but it’s actually the criminalization of medical marijuana that forces users to engage with dealers, who usually peddle multiple drugs, which then provides access and an incentive to try other, more dangerous substances.
Being able to purchase medical marijuana from a qualified and safe Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) undercuts the need for any black market connection, leading experts to conclude that there is "no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs."
