The 10 Most Common Misconceptions About Illegal Drugs
Not all the rumors you've heard about drugs are completely true. In fact, some of them are highly exaggerated, if not false. For starters, here of some of the most popular misconceptions. posted
Rest assured, dealers of LSD, you may face one hefty jail sentence, but you will never be charged with the crime of attempted murder. Currently no state or federal laws allow for a seller of any type of illegal drugs to be charged with that degree of criminal offense.
It is a common myth that marijuana users are at a much higher risk of developing lung cancer than tobacco smokers. While it is true that just like any smoke, cannabis smoke does contain carcinogens, the largest study of its kind by the University of California - Los Angeles found people who smoke marijuana are no more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.
Another common legend is that the potency of marijuana people are smoking today is 10, 20 and even 30 times more potent than it was in the 60s and 70s. While potency levels have risen (especially in the U.S. and U.K), it is significantly more modest than these numbers.
We've all heard this one. Someone takes a hit of acid and years later they have horrific flashbacks. Although there is some ground to this myth, as chronic use of LSD can result in psychosis, its not due to drug residues in spinal fluid or fat cells.
One popular legend among drug and video game enthusiasts is that the mushroom powerups in Super Mario games are actually based on psychedelic mushrooms. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Super Mario series, stated that Lewis Carrol’s “Alice In Wonderland” inspired the supermushrooms. Which begs the question, is there actually some truth to this myth?
Highly popularized by movies and television shows, this is one of the most popular legends out there. And although Poppy Seeds do contain trace amounts of morphine, it would require around 100 poppy seed bagels to cause a false positive test result.
Although this is technically true, this statement is highly misleading. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Army, the amount of secondhand smoke from Marijuana needed to cause a false positive would require being in an unventilated car or tiny room for several hours.
One common urban legend is that when you hallucinate after ingesting a psychedelic mushroom, this is the result of your brain bleeding. False. A psilocybin mushroom, which is structurally very similar to serotonin, is a natural neurotransmitter. This means it is simply pushing your serotonin to the side and making use of its receptors.
Throughout the years, there have been claims that some Lucky Strike cigarette packs have contained a marijuana spliff. Although this is one of the most popular and widely believed myths, there are no reliable reports of this ever actually occurring.
While ecstasy may make you dance the whole night, it’s not because of increased energy. What you think is energy is actually the results of a faster heart rate and multiple messages going to the brain all at once.
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