Cannabis has played major role in my life for a very long time, so the current transition to legal cannabis has affected me in many ways, some for the better, some for the worse.  One of my favorite aspects of the new regime is the explosion of research on the cannabis plant.

As cannabis becomes legal, businesses, universities and others have begun to study all aspects of cannabis in earnest, from improving growing techniques to learning more about how it works as medicine.

This research can be particularly gratifying when the results serve to debunk some of the many negative stereotypes that surround both cannabis users and the plant itself.  I keep a close eye on the cannabis headlines and I have recently seen a number of studies that disprove some of the enduring fallacies regarding cannabis. Here are a few of my favorite cannabis myths.

Myth #1—Cannabis Users Are Fat and Lazy

Perhaps due to the association of cannabis with the munchies, many people assume that cannabis users are fat, lazy or both. But it turns out this is not quite true.

According to a new study published by researchers from the University of Miami , cannabis use is actually associated with a lower body mass index (BMI), a common measure of what proportion of an individual’s body is comprised of fat.

The team studied more than 13,000 men and women aged 18-24, collecting a variety of data points, including BMI.  When they tested the same group six years later, the BMIs of women who smoked cannabis daily were, on average, 3.1% lower than non-users. For male users, BMI was 2.7% lower than their cannabis-free counterparts.

We’re also seeing more and more athletes who claim that cannabis actually enhances their athletic performance, as Forbes recently reported .

The article discusses how a variety of athletes at all levels of competition can benefit from cannabis, from cancer survivors who run or swim to stay fit to professional athletes like former NFL star Ricky Williams. In fact, Williams and a partner have teamed up to create Power Plant Fitness, a gym that offers clients cannabis performance assessments and a designated area for cannabis consumption.

Myth #2—Consuming Cannabis During Pregnancy Is Dangerous

In Oregon, all dispensaries are required to post signage and hand out cards warning people of the dangers of consuming cannabis during pregnancy. I have asked several people to point me to the scientific studies that form the basis for requiring this warning, to no avail.

I did however, recently see this study from Live Science  which shows that the opposite may in fact be true. The study’s authors report that smoking cannabis while pregnant does not appear to cause preterm birth, low birth weight, miscarriages or any other harmful outcomes.

Previous studies of cannabis use during pregnancy have found mixed results, but many of these studies were unable to separate the effects of cannabis from the effects of tobacco use, a distinction that this study was able to make.

One study is far from conclusive evidence, so pregnant women should continue to use caution regarding cannabis. I suspect that future studies will provide further evidence of the safety of using cannabis during pregnancy.

Myth #3—Legal Cannabis Will Lead to More Drug Addicts

One of the most commonly used arguments against legalization is that we will end up with more people, especially young people, addicted to cannabis. This report from the federal government (hardly a bastion of support for legalization), shows that not only are those fears unfounded, but in fact the opposite is actually true. Thus far, legalization has resulted in more cannabis use but significantly less abuse.

Abuse and dependency fell most among teens and young adults.  And all of this despite a growing number of states that have legalized medical and recreational cannabis.

What about other drugs? This study, published in The Journal of Pain, the official journal of the American Pain Society, found that

• Cannabis use was associated with 64% lower opioid use in patients with chronic pain.
• Cannabis use was associated with better quality of life in patients with chronic pain.
• Cannabis use was associated with fewer medication side effects and medications used.

And according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, states that implement medical marijuana laws see, on average, 25% fewer opiate overdoses.

I have been using and studying cannabis for my whole life, but thanks to the expansion of research associated with legalization, I have learned more about cannabis in the last two years than I did in the previous ten.

I expect this trend to continue as corporate R&D budgets and government grants to study this plant continue to proliferate and increase in size. And I look forward to seeing what will be the next stereotype to fall, the next myth to be debunked.