Attitudes towards marijuana are changing tight . Once widely seen as a nasty gateway drug that twist your wit into grey slush , more and more Americans are beginning to associate marijuana with healthy living and medicative property .
Much of the drug ’s fanbase welcome this loosening of attitudes , however , a new survey claims that public perceptions of marijuana are often unwarranted , unscientific , and misled . Granted , there is a crew of evidence out therethat hint at how marijuana could be used in certain medical handling , however , it ’s significant not to overstate the drug ’s health welfare or downplay its endangerment before the scientific inquiry catch there .
“ They trust things that we have no information for , ” lead author Dr Salomeh Keyhani of the University of California , San Francisco , toldThe Guardian .
The enquiry , put out this hebdomad in theAnnals of Internal Medicine , enquire over 16,000 nationally representative US adults about their sight on the welfare and risks of marijuana via an on-line survey , of which at least 14 pct said they had fume or take in marijuana in the past yr .
Over 80 per centum of people said they believe marijuana accommodate at least one good holding – something that the researchers do not argue with . As the respondent correctly channelise out , marijuana has shown promise when it comes to treating sure conditions such as chronic painful sensation , cut sickness during chemotherapy , and increasing the appetite of people with HIV / AIDS .
However , about a third of people ( 29.2 percent ) argue that smoking marijuana actively prevents wellness problem – a program line that does not have conclusive clinical grounds to back it up .
“ The American world has a much more favourable point of view than is warrant by the evidence , ” Dr Keyhani toldReuters .
“ Perhaps most come to is that they think that it prevents wellness problem . ”
evenly , many hoi polloi appear to minimize the risks take in using marijuana . Nearly 1 in 10 report that marijuana purpose has no risks at all . Out of the 91 percent that suppose it has at least one risk , the most commonly name was effectual trouble ( 51.8 pct ) , accompany by dependance and addiction ( 50 per centum ) , and fuzzy retentiveness ( 42 pct ) .
About 18 percent retrieve secondhand dope smoke is somewhat or completely secure for grownup , plus a staggering 7.6 percent said that it is pretty or completely safe for kids . Furthermore , 27.6 percent believe drive while stoned is considerably dependable than driving while drunk .
The physicians and public experts who extend the research argue that this optimistic view is not in argument with the current scientific consensus on the endangerment and benefit of marijuana . Part of the job , so say the researchers , is the massive influence of advertising and dad culture . every bit , a deficiency of material logical enquiry stand for close are often reached from personal or anecdotical grounds , not actual science .
