There are thousands of articles about cannabis and the hemp plant on the internet. But how do you know
which one is real and which one is fake? Cannabis has been used for recreational and medicinal purposes
for thousands of years. Only since the last hundred and fifty years there has been a lot of commotion about
this plant and therefore it became illegal. We at The Grass Company think it is important to provide
everyone with the right information, which is why we have listed the most famous facts and myths.
Hemp is one of the oldest crops… Fact! Hemp has been used for various purposes for more than thousands
of years. The oldest remnant of a piece of hemp fabric is dated to about 8000 BC.
Hemp is multifunctional… Fact! The most illustrious form of human use of the hemp plant is of course
cannabis as a stimulant. But did you know you can do so much more with it? Cannabis is used as a medicine
or for symptom relief in a wide range of diseases. Hemp fibers are super strong and are therefore used for
paper, rope, textile. isolation material, building materials,… they are even used to make concrete blocks and
there are even cars with hemp in their composite materials. The seed is used for fish and bird food and is
nowadays considered as a superfood! And the oil is used for paint and varnish, but it is nowadays also used
to make biofuel. You can do almost anything with hemp!
Hemp makes you high… Myth! Even though they are same type of plants, cannabis and hemp are two
completely different things. The amount of THC in industrial hemp is far too low to get high.
Cannabis is just as harmful as alcohol… Myth! Cannabis is probably one of the least dangerous stimulants
of all. People who use cannabis are much less likely to suffer brain damage than people who consume
alcohol. Even so it is unfortunate that so many people still smoke cannabis. Smoking is not good for you.
There are many other ways to consume cannabis without smoking!
Cannabis is used as a medicine… Fact! A lot of history books mention several countries that used cannabis
for medical purposes hundreds of years before Christ. In the past decades, cannabis has been on the rise
again as a medicine. However, due to the global ban on cannabis in the last century, scientific research into
the beneficial properties of cannabis products has fallen far behind.
You can get addicted to cannabis… Myth! It is possible to become psychologically dependent on cannabis.
Just like with gaming, sex, eating sugar or other far too pleasant things. But the chance of developing a
physical addiction is very small. You cannot get physical withdrawal symptoms from cannabis like you can
get with other drugs, but also with things like caffeine and sugar. When you compare this to how incredibly
addictive substances such as alcohol or tobacco are, cannabis is almost harmless. But still,… enjoy, but enjoy
in moderation.
Luckily, there has been a lot of positive progress in the field of cannabis in recent years, but we still have a long way
to go.
Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash