Cannabis in Films: What They Usually Get Wrong

When most people think of cannabis in films, they likely imagine stoner comedies like “Cheech and Chong” or “Up in Smoke.” While these movies popularized cannabis culture and portrayed it humorously, they often got the facts wrong.

In reality, cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years and has a wide range of potential benefits. This blog post will explore the history of cannabis in cinemas and take a closer look at some of the misconceptions perpetuated over the years. Stay tuned for more information on this fascinating topic!

Makes Laughter Uncontrollable

Have you ever watched a movie that featured cannabis, and the first thing that you noticed is as soon as the person consumes it, they begin laughing uncontrollably? Or perhaps they were in a relatively serious situation, yet their only response was to laugh without being able to stop?

This is one of the most common things movies usually get wrong about cannabis. While it is true that cannabis can make you laugh more than you usually do, it cannot make you laugh uncontrollably. If you are under the influence of cannabis and are using high quality vaporizers and other quality and durable accessories and products, you still have the power of rational thought.

Even a Little Makes You Goofy

The next extremely common thing movies usually get wrong about cannabis is that even a little bit can make you extremely goofed. You might have seen in a film before that the character said they only want to try a little bit, yet moments later, they are unable to walk.

Sure, there are cannabis strains that are very potent. However, you need to consume quite a bit before you reach the stage where you are unable to walk. More often than not, the cannabis that most people consume doesn’t contain all that much THC since it is the strains that cost a lot of money that are generally the strongest.

It’s Extremely Addictive

Another error movies make when featuring cannabis is that they portray the flower as extremely addictive. To begin unraveling this mistake, it’s important to understand that cannabis itself does not have any addictive properties; in other words, you won’t get addicted to cannabis the same way as you would to cocaine.

Cannabis is primarily emotionally addictive, and there are two reasons for this. The first reason is if someone has an addictive personality, to begin with, they are more likely to become addicted to the feeling cannabis provides. Similarly, if someone uses cannabis not to feel negative emotions, they begin relying on the feeling cannabis offers.

Stoners are Lazy and Unsuccessful

The next mistake movies often make when portraying cannabis is that they portray the users of cannabis within the film to be lazy and unsuccessful. You have probably seen it time and time again; the character wakes up late in a messy bedroom with pizza boxes all around and is late for their dead-end job.

This could not be further from the truth, and there are many, many successful people who regularly consume cannabis. What the films are doing is taking a portion of the consumers and using those characters to represent all the cannabis consumers.

Cannabis Makes You Hallucinate

Of all the laughable errors that movies make when portraying cannabis, the biggest would be the fact that they assert the idea that cannabis makes you hallucinate. Another scene you have no doubt seen before would be a character that has consumed cannabis, and moments later, they are seeing things that are not there.

While it’s understandable that they are most likely doing this for a full comedic effect, it perpetuates the myth that cannabis makes you hallucinate. The only drugs capable of making you hallucinate would be hallucinogenics, hence the name.

It’s Not Only Cannabis

However, it’s important to note that it is not only cannabis that is misrepresented in films. Many other drugs are also misrepresented, even alcohol, from time to time. It’s hard to tell whether these misrepresentations are due to inexperience with said substance, a lack of knowledge, or if it is done for a dramatic or comedic effect. Regardless, before judging anything represented in a film, it’s always important to do some research afterward; you might be surprised by what you learn.