The Cannabis World's Biggest Hoaxes

Marijuana has always been surrounded by legends, lies and myths. Some of them were apparently invented by people who only sought to tarnish the reputation of the plant and its users, while others are like something out of a science fiction novel (with more than a few people wishing they were real). These are some of most peculiar or widespread heard recently:

NASA has discovered a planet teeming with marijuana

Weeks ago an article claimed that NASA had discovered a new planet, X637Z-43, completely covered with marijuana (and with THC levels 3,000 times those found on Earth). The discovery, they said, had surprised scientists because this is a potentially inhabitable planet (can you imagine living in cannabis paradise?) with adequate levels of oxygen and nitrogen for humans. According to the article the presence of marijuana on this planet could encourage young people to show an interest in space - this being the only believable aspect of the story.

A cold-resistant variety of cannabis is discovered in Australia

A few months ago the cannabis press reported that scientists at the University of Sydney had found a strain of cannabis that was resistant to the cold. The story was actually true, but it was no news at all: the plant in question had already been found more than a decade prior by an expert in the matter.

In addition, the information, transmitted by dozens of media outlets, cited a purported researcher, Christopher Pool, who did not even appear in the university's database. There is no proof that he even exists, and the name is too similar to that of the founder of 4Chan, a community famous for its fibbing.

A fisherman finds aquatic marijuana

The story reported that this happened off the coast of Chile, and the marine biologists at the country's Aquaculture Centre classified the plant as Sativa cannabis. This was purportedly a unique local phenomenon, possible thanks to a genetic defect found in area plants that cannot be artificially reproduced or occur in other places. At least this is what a bogus marine biologist stated in the article. Nobody in Chile, of course, had ever heard of this at all.

Supermarkets that sell marijuana

Another article reported that Costco, the famous chain of US supermarkets, would begin to sell high-quality cannabis, in bulk, at 237 establishments in Washington. According to the information the grass would be acquired directly from growers of the Suquamish tribe, at least as long as production was illegal at the federal level. In addition, according to the story, other stores wanted to get in on selling the plant along with products like baby clothes, shampoo and shoes. Another big fraud that many believed.

Dozens of people suffer fatal overdoses in Colorado

In early 2014 a website deceived its readers with a story stating that 37 people had died in Colorado from cannabis overdoses on the first day of its legalisation. According to the news the state was reconsidering its decision to legalise grass, and a (non-existent) doctor declared that chaos had broken out, with corpses were piling up at the hospital, expected to soon reach 300. In the image accompanying the information an individual could be seen lying unconscious on the floor.

Cannabis leads to suicide, murder and rape

An example of how these ganja hoaxes date way back. In 1936 the American film Reefer Madness told the story of a group of young people who went crazy as a result of their marijuana consumption. Financed by the Church and the government, it convinced many citizens that marijuana led to suicide, murder and rape. Some viewers, like the singer Willie Nelson, admitted that the film instilled a fear of cannabis in them.

The movie was of a propagandistic nature, supporting the government's policies, opposed to legalisation and in favour of criminalising consumers. In 1970 it was released again, this time with the aid of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which used it to illustrate the US's retrograde policies with regards to grass.

University students die after eating cannabis candy

The organization D.A.R.E, under the slogan “teaching students to make good decisions for a healthy and safe life,” published a false news story stating that eating foods containing cannabis could be fatal. As examples it cited the deaths of nine college students.

Unfortunately, many are opposed to cannabis and associate these kinds of foods with all kinds of tragedies, from people who commit suicide after ingesting suckers containing THC, to others who kill people for the same reason. These are stories that, without a doubt, cause many to fear consuming these types of products, simply due to the disinformation that many in the media still circulate with regards to this plant.