Stoner Stereotypes And How To Change Them For The Better

Ever since “Reefer Madness”, marijuana smokers have been placed in a stereotypical box. In the 1930s when this film premiered, the United States government started spreading false propaganda regarding cannabis. What began as a way to satisfy the economic interests of those in the printing and lumber industries, soon turned into a worldwide spread of misinformation.

Society was bombarded with posters stating, “Marijuana: What will your mother say when she finds your corpse?” and “The official truth: if you smoke it…you will kill people”. This led to a snowball effect over the generations. Misinformed individuals became parents that educated their children on what they thought was the truth. Next thing you know, kids in school are talking about how one drag of a joint will kill you. 20 years later, these kids became parents and the snowball continued. As a result, certain stereotypes have become closely associated with cannabis users. Simply watch any stoner movie and you’ll get a good idea of how smokers, and weed for that matter, are portrayed.

STONERS LACK MOTIVATION

Stoners are usually referred to as lazy. The classic smoker is described as a couch potato who just watches TV and eat chips all day. Although this might indeed sound like an ideal Saturday afternoon for many of us, it’s not what we do all day long. And the cannabis industry is a great example of that. We see stoners working hard on their businesses, shedding a positive light on the industry. And even in non-cannabis-related jobs, there will always be those who use it to enhance their work experience.

STONERS ARE ALWAYS PARANOID

In addition to being labelled as lazy, cannabis users are also called paranoid. And while yes, the pizza guy might sound like a police officer when ringing the bell, it’s rare that I’ll shout “No one’s home!” But paranoia is not an aspect of every strain. THC is able to induce paranoia, but CBD, on the other hand, can reduce it. Therefore, a balanced cannabinoid profile goes a long way in offering both psychoactive stimulation and physiological relief. Not to mention, one of the reasons so many stoners are considered “paranoid” is because law enforcement has always been voracious about arresting and incarcerating us.

STONERS ARE STUPID

Oh, and before we forget, stoners are also said to have a bad memory! Can you believe it? While this might be true in the short-term, the same does not seem to apply in the long-term. We have all gone to the fridge and forgot what we went there to get. But rarely will we forget an important life event or task when sober. Clinical research on this is still minimal and inconclusive. What we can say is that if you learned something sober and are trying to remember it sober, chances are, you won’t have any difficulty. But the opposite doesn’t work quite the same.

STONERS DON’T WORK

And finally, what we’ve all probably heard from our parents is that stoners are unemployed. But we’ll refer you back to the first point of the previous section as an objective contradiction of this. There will always be lazy people who sit around and smoke weed all day. But correlation is not causation. A lot of society’s members have fallen victim to drawing that conclusion. You can’t blame a plant for making you irresponsible. If you feel like cannabis is making you less productive and motivated, it’s up to you to reduce your consumption. Keep your cannabis routine responsible, and there is nothing you can’t do.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

With the wider spread of legalization, people are becoming more and more open about their cannabis consumption. With this, successful and inspirational people are also talking about how and when they blaze up. This normalises cannabis consumption in the eyes of the masses. But nothing will change if the average stoner is still a great example of the stigma.

MOTIVATION AND WORK ETHIC

Go against every negative feature associated with stoners. If you want to convince the people you love that weed isn’t making you lazy, you’ll have to work extra hard. Not only will you have to prove you’re not lazy, but also how motivated you are. While your cousin Jerry might be lazy and no one cares because “that’s just how Jerry is”, you won’t be so lucky if you’re associated with weed. Use cannabis as your motivation, not an excuse.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Keep up with a healthy routine. Although a 4am run to Taco Bell might feel like heaven every once in awhile, be sure it happens rarely. Not only should you keep a balanced diet on a daily basis, you should also exercise 3 or 4 times a week. People will notice how healthy you look. Your skin and eyes will appear refreshed enough for your mother to surely notice. Plus, you’ll feel amazing, which is always positive.

SMASH THE STIGMA

Although the stoner stigma might be fading away, it’s not completely gone. It’s still up to us to make sure it changes in the way we all hope it will. Just try to be an ideal human and member of society. If you feel you are, no one can blame your cannabis consumption for anything negative going on in your life. Ultimately, you won’t be able to please everyone as a cannabis user. But as long as you’re living in a way that makes you feel fulfilled and doesn’t hurt those around you, toke on.