Stoner Stereotype - Top 5 Common and Offensive Misconceptions About Cannabis Consumers

Times are changing and the conception or rather misconception about the people who smoke marijuana is changing as well.

Hollywood that is largely responsible for creating and upholding the lazy stoner image is taking notes and is aiming to create more shows like HBO’s High Maintenance and move away from Cheech and Chong, The Big Lebowski and those two kids trying to find their car all movie long. 

Many cannabusinesses have launched campaigns to change the image, or basically make it real and also help people who consume cannabis with their perception by society.

Let’s take a look at the list of things that are offensive to people who enjoy cannabis. We’ll use the word “stoner” here to stress on it being offensive. As well as pothead, weed, and other outdated terms. I mean, we do not refer to people who enjoy beer, wine or whiskey as “drunkards”.

1. “Stoners” often forget things, have lower sperm count and bad personal hygiene

These are simply laughable and not true on all accounts. But only for those who enjoy cannabis and have friends like that. People unfamiliar with it, might seriously think of a junkie in an alley. NO. Cannabis enthusiasts are just as clean as other people and take care of their appearance. And there is no proof that shows problems with memorizing/remembering things or having problems with sperm count.

2. “Stoners” only want to get high asf.

Nope. It is not. Recreational cannabis is popular, and is not different from having a couple of beers. And it is often but it is used for medical purposes as well. Marijuana has been known to help with many ailments including insomnia, depression, PTSD as well as helping with pain management, nausea and so on. And CBD, which has a wide range of medical uses, is not psychoactive at all. A small side note - people are smoking flower less or less and are leaning to vaping, edibles, lotions and so on.

3. All “stoners” are lazy.

This is a classic. A couch locked dude - that was the image. But there is always a question of what came first - being lazy or smoking marijuana. Movies have always tended to see the latter as a cause until recently. THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis does have drowsiness effects and is used to improve sleep but it is also an energy and creativity booster. There are plenty of people in high pressure jobs that enjoy day time use of cannabis and it does not mess with their ambitions. And recent studies show that the average level of formal education is much higher among cannabis users. 

4.” Stoners” are uneducated males of 18-30.

That might have been true some 40-50 years ago but today cannabis is consumed by a wide range of ages. While younger people usually use it for recreation, for plenty of elderly people it is a powerful medicine. And of course it’s not only men. Women account for about 30% of the total consumers with the number growing in recent years.

5. “Stoners” are drug addicts

Cannabis does have mild psychoactive effects but it is less addictive than coffee or chocolate and there have never been a case of marijuana overdose.

These are the basic 5 things that flower enthusiasts would not want to hear, so keep it in mind next time you think of your friends who enjoy cannabis or share with your friends who are still living in the world of misconceptions and stereotypes.