Sep 3, 2022 10:41 PM
Cannabis researchers say it’s high time to drop ‘lazy stoner’ stereotype
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022...stereotype
INTRO: Cannabis users are often depicted as lazy “stoners” whose life ambitions span little further than lying on the sofa eating crisps. But research from the University of Cambridge challenges this stereotype, showing that regular users appear no more likely to lack motivation compared with non-users.
The research also found no difference in motivation for rewards, pleasure taken from rewards, or the brain’s response when seeking rewards, compared with non-users.
“We’re so used to seeing ‘lazy stoners’ on our screens that we don’t stop to ask whether they’re an accurate representation,” said Martine Skumlien, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge and the research’s first author. “Our work implies that … people who use cannabis are no more likely to lack motivation or be lazier than people who don’t.”
Skumlien said smoking cannabis could be associated with other downsides, but that the stoner stereotype is “stigmatising” and could make messages around harm reduction less effective. “We need to be honest and frank about what are and are not the harmful consequences of drug use,” she added.
Cannabis is the third most commonly used controlled substance worldwide, after alcohol and nicotine, with a 2018 NHS report finding that almost one in five (19%) of 15-year-olds in England had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.
The stoner stereotype has been depicted in fictional characters such as Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I, The Dude in The Big Lebowski, and Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. And the idea that sustained cannabis use leads to all-encompassing lethargy has been a pillar of public anti-drug campaigns, such as the “stoner sloth” campaign in Australia.
The latest research, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, involved... (MORE - details)
Accidental cannabis poisoning is on the rise among Canadian kids. What can be done?
https://globalnews.ca/news/9099011/accid...dian-kids/
INTRO: With some Canadian provinces seeing an increase in accidental cannabis poisoning among children, experts are stressing the need to make edibles look less appealing to kids.
A recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine on Aug. 25 found that there has been a 6.3-fold increase in hospitalizations for unintentional cannabis poisoning among the under-10 age group in Canada since the legalization of recreational cannabis in October 2018.
Dr. Daniel Myran, the lead author of the study, said the average age of poisoning in kids is three and a half years old. “These are busy preschoolers who are getting into places that, ideally, they shouldn’t be (at). They’re finding something that looks very appealing to eat with no understanding of the fact that it contains cannabis,” said Myran... (MORE - details)
https://youtu.be/MFc6DjkGK0o
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/MFc6DjkGK0o
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022...stereotype
INTRO: Cannabis users are often depicted as lazy “stoners” whose life ambitions span little further than lying on the sofa eating crisps. But research from the University of Cambridge challenges this stereotype, showing that regular users appear no more likely to lack motivation compared with non-users.
The research also found no difference in motivation for rewards, pleasure taken from rewards, or the brain’s response when seeking rewards, compared with non-users.
“We’re so used to seeing ‘lazy stoners’ on our screens that we don’t stop to ask whether they’re an accurate representation,” said Martine Skumlien, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge and the research’s first author. “Our work implies that … people who use cannabis are no more likely to lack motivation or be lazier than people who don’t.”
Skumlien said smoking cannabis could be associated with other downsides, but that the stoner stereotype is “stigmatising” and could make messages around harm reduction less effective. “We need to be honest and frank about what are and are not the harmful consequences of drug use,” she added.
Cannabis is the third most commonly used controlled substance worldwide, after alcohol and nicotine, with a 2018 NHS report finding that almost one in five (19%) of 15-year-olds in England had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.
The stoner stereotype has been depicted in fictional characters such as Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I, The Dude in The Big Lebowski, and Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. And the idea that sustained cannabis use leads to all-encompassing lethargy has been a pillar of public anti-drug campaigns, such as the “stoner sloth” campaign in Australia.
The latest research, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, involved... (MORE - details)
Accidental cannabis poisoning is on the rise among Canadian kids. What can be done?
https://globalnews.ca/news/9099011/accid...dian-kids/
INTRO: With some Canadian provinces seeing an increase in accidental cannabis poisoning among children, experts are stressing the need to make edibles look less appealing to kids.
A recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine on Aug. 25 found that there has been a 6.3-fold increase in hospitalizations for unintentional cannabis poisoning among the under-10 age group in Canada since the legalization of recreational cannabis in October 2018.
Dr. Daniel Myran, the lead author of the study, said the average age of poisoning in kids is three and a half years old. “These are busy preschoolers who are getting into places that, ideally, they shouldn’t be (at). They’re finding something that looks very appealing to eat with no understanding of the fact that it contains cannabis,” said Myran... (MORE - details)
https://youtu.be/MFc6DjkGK0o
