Zero Benefits of Marijuana

I just finished reading through an article on Elite Daily posted by Leigh Weingus regarding the benefits of smoking Marijuana, she states, “I’m personally not big on pot. But for those of you who enjoy getting stoned once in a while, you can chill out about whether or not it harms your health.” I am almost positive she was pretty big on pot when she wrote this article, because it is 100% misleading.

She begins by stating that at low doses it can reduce anxiety, yet one of the main key points in the article point out, “There is not enough evidence to recommend medical marijuana as a treatment for any psychiatric disorder.” Marijuana is never really recommended to reduce anxiety because many scientific papers state the opposite. Marijuana actually increases your anxiety and can induce an individual to experience feelings similar to those who have anxiety disorders ( link).

She also writes, “It might make your workout better.” Although marijuana smoke has been proven to deteriorate the amount of oxygen your lungs can utilize, Weingus believes it will make your workout better. At least she also points out there is no research to support this fact. Sure many avid marijuana smokers believe smoking gets you “in the zone”, this is a biased opinion, which does not take into account the true detrimental effects of smoking.

Finally the article has a turn towards the truth. She mentions that marijuana reduces nausea, and in some cases can speed up your metabolism. My problem with this article is the massive amount of speculation in every sentence. Her facts are based on assumption, rather than actual scientifically backed observation.

The fact that smoking marijuana is detrimental to the overall health is nothing to be toyed with. Publishing articles and boasting about a couple of benefits a drug may provide, yet completely disregarding health risks is absurd. This story spread on to my social media feed, and I can only imagine the amount of people who read this article and found more of an excuse to continue smoking marijuana recreationally.  The media needs to focus more on killing unhealthy behaviors instead of advertising them as having positive effects.

 “Before I tell you to get out there and smoke a ton of weed in the name of your health, I should note too much marijuana can have negative consequences, like paranoia, anxiety and brain fog.

Also, remember to look out for your lungs. You only get one pair, so look into options that are better for them, like vape pens and edibles (Weingus).”

I like how Weingus makes this statement after she completely describes how she believes Marijuana provides healthy benefits (along with that click-bait worthy title). Thank you so much Leigh Weingus, for that disclaimer half of your readers probably did not even get to.

#Public Square