Top 5 Myths About Drugs

We’ve all had to do it, chugging down a bottle of vinegar to trick the drug administrator into believing your pee isn’t filled with traces of illegal drugs. Oh, you haven’t? Yeah, uh, okay…. us either. The truth behind this myth is that while many household items, including vinegar, will help dilute drugs from your system they will also lower the pH levels in your urine sample. This is a surefire way to ensure your test is disqualified immediately, as drug testers can tell when your sample has been tampered with.

Invented in the 1920’s and developed as a human anesthetic in the 50’s, this drug soon became a staple in the repertoire of any self-respecting hippie. The drug was quickly demonized by the media, which informed listeners that those who ingest PCP are likely to become violent, while occasionally exhibiting bouts of superhuman strength. As awesome as a drug that turns you into Superman sounds, it simply doesn’t exist. A report out of the University of Maryland found that people who become violent while taking PCP often have a history of violence; and that apparent increases in strength are simply the result of the user being unaware of the dangers of their actions.

Due to a mid-80’s media blitz that saw the issue of crack cocaine explode across television screens from coast to coast, it became widely accepted that physical deficiencies in babies born from drug-addicted mothers were so-called “crack babies”. Nightly news reports would show images of tiny children experiencing body tremors that many attributed to parental drug abuse. The truth was that these kids were born premature and were simply exhibiting the related symptoms. While many predicted that the health care system would have to shell out billions of dollars to pay for the “crack babies”, their fears were unfounded. The reality is that by the time these poorly labeled children hit the age of six, they were no different from the rest of their classmates.

Everyone had that friend in high school that would preach if a drug grows in the ground it’s safe, it’s the ones that are made in the backs of Winnebago’s that you should avoid. The problem with that tidy little stance is it’s wrong…very wrong. Ever heard of a little thing called opium? It comes from poppies that grow in… you guessed it, the earth. Not only is opium highly addictive it is also extremely dangerous. Not convinced? A 2010 study that ranked drugs by the harm they cause to users and others found that marijuana causes more harm to the user than ecstasy and LSD. The next time someone tries to tell you that natural drugs are safe drugs you can refer them to this video.

Authority figures have been shoving it down our throats for decades, grandstanding to society that if you smoke the reefer you will inevitably turn to harder drugs. While it’s true that the majority of people who abuse harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin got their start smoking weed, whether or not it caused them to escalate their tendencies has yet to be proven. Correlation and causation are two very different things; and there are plenty of reasons why a person who smokes marijuana might choose to do hard drugs. Factors such as socio-economic standing, location and peer pressure are all reasons for why someone might take a pill or ecstasy or smoke crack. Need more proof? Take a trip to the Netherlands.