20 Amazing and Surprising Facts about Marijuana
Posted by Christian on 9th Aug 2021
New statistics and facts are emerging about marijuana and its compounds, seemingly with every passing day. The glut of findings which advocate comprehensive cannabis reform, particularly at medical level, are coinciding with a rapid rise in public support for the herb. In this article, we’ll show you 20 amazing, game-changing and possibly even surprising facts about this magical plant.
1) Today’s pot is much more potent than what was available in the 70s
The marijuana industry should be very thankful for hydroponics garden, a system which has enabled growers to cultivate much stronger cannabis. Nowadays, a cannabis plant consists of a lot more bud, whereas 40 or 50 years ago smokers were often forced to toke on stems and leaves.
2) The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seized more than 72 million joints from the public in 2014
In 2014, the DEA seized more than 163,000 lbs of indica, which works out to more than 72 million one-gram joints. But in this new age of cannabis acceptance, we’re left wondering, “What’s the point?”
3) 80% of U.S. grown marijuana comes from California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee and Washington
Kind of bizarrely, the states where cannabis is legal recreationally don’t produce as much of the crop as stricter states (e.g. Kentucky and Tennessee). However, now California has legalized recreational pot, we can perhaps expect that oddity to be corrected.
4) There are more than 100 unique cannabinoids in the cannabis plant
“Cannabinoids” are chemical compounds that are exclusive to the marijuana plant. The two most familiar are THC and CBD – the former is best known for its psychoactive properties while the latter is non-psychoactive recognized more for its medical qualities. Other less studied cannabinoids include CBG, CBN and CBC – who knows what scientists will discover when they really decide to investigate these more obscure compounds.
5) It’s basically impossible to overdose on marijuana
Science confirms that, if somebody was able to blaze through a whopping 800 joints in one session, they could potentially die – although this wouldn’t be due to marijuana, but carbon monoxide poisoning. To actually overdose on cannabis, one would need to smoke in excess of 400,000 times the typical amount in a short session. In a nutshell, there’s no realistic way of overdosing on marijuana!
6) More than 30% of American marijuana is grown indoors
With marijuana still federally prohibited, growing outside can – in many places – be extremely difficult for growers. The issue is that indoor growing uses a lot of electrical power – enough to power nearly 2 million homes.
7) The average weed smoker consumes 600 more calories per day
Before you decry this as bad news about marijuana, let’s see what else separates marijuana users from non-users, besides the consumption of an additional 600 calories daily. Weed users tend to have smaller waists and reduced BMIs compared to non-smokers. This may surprise you since marijuana and the munchies would appear to go hand-in-hand. But in reality, cannabis speeds up your metabolism, so while appetite may be increased, so is the rate of digestion.
8) THC can stay in your system for a month or longer
The amount of time THC lingers in your system is dependent mostly on the amount you consume and the speed of your metabolism. On average, regular smokers will find that THC metabolites can still be detected in their system for 27 days after giving up. If you just smoke now and then, THC will usually be gone after about 10 days.
9) Almost 10% of adults over 50 smoke recreational marijuana
While cannabis remains, primarily, a young person’s plant, with consumers typically between 18 and 35 years of age, older age groups also love the herb. And their interest is growing. Smoking rates in seniors have risen by more than 5% in the past 15 years, and nearly one in 10 people older than 50 smoke recreationally.
10) Weed smokers are one-third less likely to be obese
Research indicates that marijuana smokers reduce their chances of becoming obese by more than 30 percent. Why is this the case? Cannabis has the ability to regulate blood sugar levels. The link between marijuana and reduced obesity has led scientists to investigate whether the herb could be used as medication for Type 2 Diabetes.
11) More than 35 states have some sort of marijuana legislation
While the federal government remains steadfast in its opposition to marijuana, states are, by and large, endorsing a more relaxed approach. Some states have legislation for recreational marijuana, others just medical cannabis, and those that are even more sceptical have just legalized CBD oil for specific, outstanding circumstances. Progress across the board.
12) Nowadays, on average, marijuana strains contain around 15% THC
Dispensaries do stock strains in excess of 20% THC, but a standard strain will contain about 15% of the famous psychoactive compound. But in comparison to nearly 50 years ago, where a strain would typically consist of just 1 to 3% THC, this is a huge increase in potency.
13) Cannabis smokers may have higher IQs than non-smokers
A study conducted at Carleton University revealed that moderate marijuana users (smoking five joints, or fewer, per week) had higher IQs than those who do not smoke at all. The test used IQ scores of 70 participants from the ages of 9 to 12, tested them again at the ages of 17 to 20, and compared the results, categorizing by the degree of cannabis use. Moderate smokers performed the best, although heavy smokers were the worst-performing category.
14) Hemp plants could save trees
If we grew more hemp, we could save a lot of trees – it’s as simple as that. Part of the cannabis sativa family, hemp is non-psychoactive and often cultivated for its CBD, but the plant can also be used to make paper, biodiesel, rope, hemp concrete and more. Furthermore, hemp is sustainable, and would reduce the global demand for both timber and fossil fuels.
15) Nearly 150 million people use marijuana
Yes, more than 1 in 50 of the world’s population consume marijuana in some form. Various cultures across the planet have used the herb for millennia, for recreational use but, more interestingly, as natural medicine.
16) Domestic violence is reduced in couples that smoke marijuana together
The more cannabis a couple smokes, the less likely violence between them is. Perhaps understandably, since marijuana promotes relaxation and happiness – the chances of becoming aggressive after taking cannabis are minimal. Moreover, if both in the relationship smoke weed, the chances are that they’ll have more in common anyway.
17) The marijuana industry is the fastest growing industry in the U.S.
Per Arcview Market Research, the 74 percent growth in the U.S. recreational marijuana market in 2014 was the highest of ending industry in the country. The medical marijuana industry is also bringing in the dollars at almost as an impressive rate.
18) You’re less likely to become addicted to marijuana than alcohol
Alcohol users have a 15% chance of becoming addicted, in comparison to a mere 9% of marijuana users (mental addiction) – and this is dependent on which strains you use. In comparison, nearly one-third of tobacco smokers get addicted.
19) Marijuana legalization would increase tax revenue by billions
Marijuana legalization would be beneficial to both state and federal governments, increasing revenue by almost $9 billion per annum. Consider that law enforcement is spending more than $3.5 billion on upholding marijuana prohibition, there’s a lot to be gained from legalizing.
20) Cannabis prohibition costs the federal government nearly $20 bllion per year
The total decriminalization of drugs in America could save more than $40 billion annually, but just ending the war on marijuana could save the best part of $20 billion. And as we’ve seen from Portugal, who have decriminalized all drugs, this radical move can work. Drug abuse in the country reportedly dropped by 50 percent within a decade of decriminalization.
Do you know any eyebrow-raising facts about marijuana that weren’t mentioned in this post? Leave us a comment and share your cannabis knowledge with us and the rest of the community. Start a conversation!
1) Today’s pot is much more potent than what was available in the 70s
The marijuana industry should be very thankful for hydroponics garden, a system which has enabled growers to cultivate much stronger cannabis. Nowadays, a cannabis plant consists of a lot more bud, whereas 40 or 50 years ago smokers were often forced to toke on stems and leaves.
2) The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seized more than 72 million joints from the public in 2014
In 2014, the DEA seized more than 163,000 lbs of indica, which works out to more than 72 million one-gram joints. But in this new age of cannabis acceptance, we’re left wondering, “What’s the point?”
3) 80% of U.S. grown marijuana comes from California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee and Washington
Kind of bizarrely, the states where cannabis is legal recreationally don’t produce as much of the crop as stricter states (e.g. Kentucky and Tennessee). However, now California has legalized recreational pot, we can perhaps expect that oddity to be corrected.
4) There are more than 100 unique cannabinoids in the cannabis plant
“Cannabinoids” are chemical compounds that are exclusive to the marijuana plant. The two most familiar are THC and CBD – the former is best known for its psychoactive properties while the latter is non-psychoactive recognized more for its medical qualities. Other less studied cannabinoids include CBG, CBN and CBC – who knows what scientists will discover when they really decide to investigate these more obscure compounds.
5) It’s basically impossible to overdose on marijuana
Science confirms that, if somebody was able to blaze through a whopping 800 joints in one session, they could potentially die – although this wouldn’t be due to marijuana, but carbon monoxide poisoning. To actually overdose on cannabis, one would need to smoke in excess of 400,000 times the typical amount in a short session. In a nutshell, there’s no realistic way of overdosing on marijuana!
6) More than 30% of American marijuana is grown indoors
With marijuana still federally prohibited, growing outside can – in many places – be extremely difficult for growers. The issue is that indoor growing uses a lot of electrical power – enough to power nearly 2 million homes.
7) The average weed smoker consumes 600 more calories per day
Before you decry this as bad news about marijuana, let’s see what else separates marijuana users from non-users, besides the consumption of an additional 600 calories daily. Weed users tend to have smaller waists and reduced BMIs compared to non-smokers. This may surprise you since marijuana and the munchies would appear to go hand-in-hand. But in reality, cannabis speeds up your metabolism, so while appetite may be increased, so is the rate of digestion.
8) THC can stay in your system for a month or longer
The amount of time THC lingers in your system is dependent mostly on the amount you consume and the speed of your metabolism. On average, regular smokers will find that THC metabolites can still be detected in their system for 27 days after giving up. If you just smoke now and then, THC will usually be gone after about 10 days.
9) Almost 10% of adults over 50 smoke recreational marijuana
While cannabis remains, primarily, a young person’s plant, with consumers typically between 18 and 35 years of age, older age groups also love the herb. And their interest is growing. Smoking rates in seniors have risen by more than 5% in the past 15 years, and nearly one in 10 people older than 50 smoke recreationally.
10) Weed smokers are one-third less likely to be obese
Research indicates that marijuana smokers reduce their chances of becoming obese by more than 30 percent. Why is this the case? Cannabis has the ability to regulate blood sugar levels. The link between marijuana and reduced obesity has led scientists to investigate whether the herb could be used as medication for Type 2 Diabetes.
11) More than 35 states have some sort of marijuana legislation
While the federal government remains steadfast in its opposition to marijuana, states are, by and large, endorsing a more relaxed approach. Some states have legislation for recreational marijuana, others just medical cannabis, and those that are even more sceptical have just legalized CBD oil for specific, outstanding circumstances. Progress across the board.
12) Nowadays, on average, marijuana strains contain around 15% THC
Dispensaries do stock strains in excess of 20% THC, but a standard strain will contain about 15% of the famous psychoactive compound. But in comparison to nearly 50 years ago, where a strain would typically consist of just 1 to 3% THC, this is a huge increase in potency.
13) Cannabis smokers may have higher IQs than non-smokers
A study conducted at Carleton University revealed that moderate marijuana users (smoking five joints, or fewer, per week) had higher IQs than those who do not smoke at all. The test used IQ scores of 70 participants from the ages of 9 to 12, tested them again at the ages of 17 to 20, and compared the results, categorizing by the degree of cannabis use. Moderate smokers performed the best, although heavy smokers were the worst-performing category.
14) Hemp plants could save trees
If we grew more hemp, we could save a lot of trees – it’s as simple as that. Part of the cannabis sativa family, hemp is non-psychoactive and often cultivated for its CBD, but the plant can also be used to make paper, biodiesel, rope, hemp concrete and more. Furthermore, hemp is sustainable, and would reduce the global demand for both timber and fossil fuels.
15) Nearly 150 million people use marijuana
Yes, more than 1 in 50 of the world’s population consume marijuana in some form. Various cultures across the planet have used the herb for millennia, for recreational use but, more interestingly, as natural medicine.
16) Domestic violence is reduced in couples that smoke marijuana together
The more cannabis a couple smokes, the less likely violence between them is. Perhaps understandably, since marijuana promotes relaxation and happiness – the chances of becoming aggressive after taking cannabis are minimal. Moreover, if both in the relationship smoke weed, the chances are that they’ll have more in common anyway.
17) The marijuana industry is the fastest growing industry in the U.S.
Per Arcview Market Research, the 74 percent growth in the U.S. recreational marijuana market in 2014 was the highest of ending industry in the country. The medical marijuana industry is also bringing in the dollars at almost as an impressive rate.
18) You’re less likely to become addicted to marijuana than alcohol
Alcohol users have a 15% chance of becoming addicted, in comparison to a mere 9% of marijuana users (mental addiction) – and this is dependent on which strains you use. In comparison, nearly one-third of tobacco smokers get addicted.
19) Marijuana legalization would increase tax revenue by billions
Marijuana legalization would be beneficial to both state and federal governments, increasing revenue by almost $9 billion per annum. Consider that law enforcement is spending more than $3.5 billion on upholding marijuana prohibition, there’s a lot to be gained from legalizing.
20) Cannabis prohibition costs the federal government nearly $20 bllion per year
The total decriminalization of drugs in America could save more than $40 billion annually, but just ending the war on marijuana could save the best part of $20 billion. And as we’ve seen from Portugal, who have decriminalized all drugs, this radical move can work. Drug abuse in the country reportedly dropped by 50 percent within a decade of decriminalization.
Share your facts with us
Do you know any eyebrow-raising facts about marijuana that weren’t mentioned in this post? Leave us a comment and share your cannabis knowledge with us and the rest of the community. Start a conversation!