facts

Here are the most interesting marijuana facts I know.

As an avid cannabis consumer, I am always finding new info about weed. Much of the information comes during smoking sessions with friends or interviewees. The hard part is organizing the information into a cohesive thought after the high subsides. But here is my list of interesting marijuana facts. There is no specific order so the tenth entry is just as interesting to me as the first.

1. It’s physically impossible to overdose on THC
   

Life is meaningless and death approaches. This realization makes you decide to end it on a high note. You buy 1000 joints and a couple lighters, determined to end it all. Things begin by lighting up the first joint and before you reach the end of your stash, one of two things will happen.
After a few joints, you will either pass out before getting to the end or you will die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The carbon monoxide is created by burning the stems and leaf but would give a pounding headache long before becoming dangerous. The THC and other psychoactive elements have virtually no chance of being the cause of death.
You would need to smoke 40,0000 times the average amount of weed within a few minutes to get a lethal dose. That’s one record even Michael Phelps can’t get close to approaching, much less breaking.

2. Weed started online commerce

In 1971, Stanford University housed the latest and greatest computer system. The machine was part of a new generation of connected computers. Students at Stanford were able to use a basic e-mail network called Arpanet to effectively send and receive text messages. But the 70’s were a time of reckless abandon, wild ideas, and advancing technologies.
It only took a few months before some inspired soul took the next logical step in networking. Several students used their accounts at the university’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to buy some weed from a fellow student. This drug deal was the world’s first e-commerce transaction and proved the validity of the concept.

3. Tupac was smoked

We all have that one friend who would get the mortician high if they were cremated. Tupac was that and a whole lot more. On top of being a master weed smoker, he was an entrepreneur, musician, poet, thug and straight up bad ass. But that didn’t stop a hail of bullets from ending his life prematurely.
After Tupac died, he had one final request of his friends. The crew had some misgivings but eventually decided it was the best way to honor his memory. They mixed his ashes with some of the best weed the world had to offer and smoked it. They can probably still feel the buzz….

4. Rates of obesity are 33% lower in cannabis users

Potheads are supposed to be craven munchies hounds hell bent on emptying fridges right? Well, science disagrees with that old stereotype. Studies have shown that cannabis cuts the risk of obesity by about a third. They believe the benefit is partly due to how weed helps regulate blood sugars.
The ability to regulate blood-sugars has lead scientists to investigate. Several studies are looking into using marijuana to treat Type 2 Diabetes. Marijuana doesn’t cure diabetes though…

5. Prohibition costs the US $17.5 billion each year

There are a lot of drugs that the government doesn’t want people getting their hands on. If every drug were legalized today, the U.S. would save $41.3 billion annually. It would also pretty much empty the overpopulated prisons that proliferate the ‘land of the free’.
Other countries have done it with positive results. Portugal managed to cut drug abuse in half less than 10 years after decriminalizing all drugs. America could as well if the head of the Justice Department wasn’t heavily invested in growing the prison population.

6. California and Colorado bring in over 75% of all cannabis sales

America loves its weed more than ever. Since 1996, 30 states and the District of Columbia have established some form of legalized marijuana. There are seven states that go so far as to allow recreational marijuana.
California and Colorado make up the bulk of the American market. Together they dominate recreational and medical marijuana to the tune of almost $4 billion a year. That is more than all the other states combined…

7. There are 111 different cannabinoids in cannabis

Cannabinoids are a group of chemicals found in the cannabis plant and in our own bodies. THC and CBD are the most common cannabinoids but there are several versions of each. As the plant goes through its lifecycle, the concentrations and chemical properties of the cannabinoids change.
THC and CBD are the prize children of the cannabinoid world, but they’re not the only compounds in ganja. Cannabinoids like CBN and CBG are known to have their own medicinal effects. Imagine what secrets the other 108 hold…

8. THC can stay in your system for longer than 27 days

THC binds to fat cells in the body. So the amount of time THC stays in your system mostly depends on your metabolism. Sedentary and obese users retain THC in their bodies for a significantly longer time than thin or active users.
But consumption levels also matter. Some studies show that average sized, regular marijuana users retain THC metabolites in their systems for an average of 27 days. Occasional smokers can expect that number drops to 10 days. But heavy-set, high-use consumers might fail a test over 30 days after consuming.

9. Marijuana prohibition doesn’t protect kids

In 2011, use of marijuana by teenagers hit a 30-year peak, with one out of every 15 high school students reporting they smoke most days, and for the first time U.S. teens reported smoking more pot than cigarettes. But teenagers don’t smoke any more pot in states where medical marijuana is legal than in ones where it’s not.
Legalization opponents argue that the best way to reduce use by minors is to criminalize and deregulate pot. But evidence shows that decriminalizing marijuana and regulating it actively reduces the rate of abusers. Portugal legalized all drugs and treated addiction as a public health issue. They saw a long-term decrease in overall abuse and underage use.

10. Marijuana milkshakes are one of the oldest cannabis recipes known to man

Bhang is crafted from the dried leaves and flowering shoots of a female cannabis plant. Most commonly enjoyed as a sorbet (preferably as a thandai drink) or as a snack by adding ghee, sugar and milk. A favorite way to consume it in Delhi is rolled into balls called ‘antas’ (marbles).
It’s difficult to tell when bhang became associated with East Indian festivals. Ancient texts describe the drink as Lord Shiva’s nectar, convoluting and enshrining the origins in mystery older than the gods themselves. Regardless, there must have been compelling reasons for creating the drink and later incorporating it into festivities for thousands of years.

Do you agree with the interesting facts on this list?

Did you know everything on this list? Which interesting marijuana fact is your favorite? What interesting marijuana facts have you heard? Ask your friends if they have any and let us know in the comments below!