A ground-breaking study has debunked one of the most common cannabis stereotypes, revealing that frequent cannabis users are, in fact, more involved in physical activities than non-users in the US.
In a study published in the Harm Reduction Journal, researchers said they had wanted to examine the relationship between cannabis use, sedentary behaviour and physical activity.
Although there are several stereotypes about cannabis users, maybe one of the most frequent stereotypes depicts cannabis users as lazy – however, a research team has just refuted these claims.
The results are telling and could change the discussion for the better, as reportedly only less than one-quarter of US adults aged 18–64 meet federally recommended physical activities guidelines.
The researchers said: “Our aim was to clarify the relationship between cannabis use and physical behaviour to inform the evaluation of changes in physical behaviour patterns as a potential public health impact of cannabis use.”
While researchers used “self-reported measures” to get the results in the past, it was found to be inefficient.
This study, on the other hand, aimed to use “objective measures” to gain a clear view of the subject.
After having more than 2,000 people participate in a national survey – participants were classified as light, moderate, frequent, or non-current cannabis users depending on how often they used cannabis in the previous 30 days – it is now believed that frequent users engaged in more physical activity and even that of current users sedentary behaviour “did not significantly differ from non-current users” either.
The research concluded as: “Further understanding of the association between cannabis use and health behaviours is essential to fully address the public health concerns associated with cannabis use.”
In a recent article, we had a look and found that while CBD and THC have their impacts on our motivation level, it is way too early to claim cannabis makes us lazy.
The findings of this latest study could trigger more research into the potential benefits of the cannabis plant and its derivatives and, hopefully, further de-stigmatisation of the ‘drug’ in general.
