Some of the top reasons people drink alcohol is to relax, for enjoyment, to be part of a group, to avoid physical and/or psychological pain, to experiment and for rebellion.  It has been around for thousands of years used in religious ceremonies, medical treatments, sensual moments and more. But, what are the top 10 reasons people consume marijuana today?  Well, there is some data, and it varies a little by age.

With legalization, all of Canada and over 50% of the US have access to legal marijuana, leading to it becoming more accepted.  Over 85% believe it should be legal in some form and the federal government has acknowledge is has health properties.

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Psychology Today published an article with the information. They took data from four different studies to discover use reasons and published some of the findings. The papers are typically based on secondary research. In other words, they rely on surveys and data collected from other sources which they use to build a “picture” of the average consumer.

Age does play a significant role for motivation. College freshmen make different decisions based on their limited life experience and social environment.  The first study looked at possible motivators for entering college students.

“The most frequently reported reasons included enjoyment/fun, conformity,  experimentation, social enhancement, boredom, and relaxation.”

Social acceptance was another high ranking category in this age group and it makes sense. When you’re finally “out of the nest”, you need a conduit to engage with other people. If people are smoking weed, you may feel slightly more inclined to try to “fit in”.

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Post college age is where the majority of consumers exist. Another study looked at this demographic to understand motivations for consuming cannabis. Not surprisingly, there is a far more nuanced list of reasons than the college aged demographic. According to researchers here are the top 10 reasons people consume marijuana.

1. Relaxation
2. Feeling good
3. Medical uses
4. Inspiration
5. New ways of looking at things
6. Coping with depression and anxiety
7. Forgetting one’s worries
8. Enjoyment of movies or music
9. Better sleep
10. Coping with boredom

Similar to alcohol, the top reason is recreation. But unlike alcohol, the next major reason is medical use, with a significant about of people using it to treat a variety of issues including chronic pain, cancer, seizures, anxiety, and more.

Coping with stress and anxiety is further down on the list, something different from alcohol.  But using substances to escape from long term issues is rather productive.  Like a glass at the end of the day, a gummy or puff from a vape it can just take the edge a rough day.  But doing it too much and indulging to much could be a reason to evaluate the motive.

The study researchers shared “Users are for the most part very self aware of their consumption habits, and alters their behavior when they see it as problematic.”

Bouldering and rock climbing have exploded – can cannabis help with this hot activity?

Even 5 years ago, rock climbing and bouldering were niche activities for those with a passion. But since it has become a fun, core strengthening, urban activity and is now a multi-billion dollar industry.  Cities, towns and cruise ships now have climbing gyms and the popularity as soared. North American climbing gyms alone almost reached $1 billion dollars last year, this doesn’t count outdoor, equipment and other markets. With its popularity, it blends in with other lifestyle options, so here are key tips on bouldering and marijuana.

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France is was the birthplace of modern bouldering. Pierre Allain, a pioneering French climber in the mid-20th century, loved the Fontainebleau forest and was among the first to see bouldering as a unique discipline within climbing, not just a training tool. He developed climbing shoes with rubber soles, increasing climbers’ ability to grip the rock, a revolution which helped bouldering gain recognition as a legitimate sport. Around the same time in the US, a gymnast as well as a climber, John Gill approached bouldering with a focus on strength, balance, and dynamic movement. Regarded as the father of modern bouldering, he introduce the concept ‘clean climbing’ – leaving no trace on the rock – which has influenced generations of climbers to respect and protect the natural environment.

A Climbing Magazine anonymous survey of professional climbers a couple years ago, in which most said they used it for recovery while others said they sometimes climbed while using cannabis. A deeply-researched review conducted by scientists, including members of the World Anti-Doping Agency and National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that “the use of cannabis as doping will not help to gain a competitive edge by any means.” But the review also highlighted how cannabis can help athletes deal with anxiety in high-pressure situations—climbing includes plenty of high-pressure situations—and “play a major role in the extinction of fear memories” from traumatic athletic events, such as suffering a tough whipper or something more serious.

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“Cannabis improves sleep and recovery after an event, reduces anxiety and fear and aids the forgetting of negative events such as bad falls and so forth,” researchers wrote. “Cannabis enhances sensory perception, decreases respiratory rate and increases heart rate; increased bronchodilation may improve oxygenation of the tissues.”

Marijuana can also help you in the gym during training sessions. A University of Colorado study concluded using marijuana before exercise “increases motivation” as well as “enhances recovery from exercise.” Recovery is huge, particularly in sports brutal on the body like climbing. Professional athletes in football, basketball, hockey, fighting, and even golf have all come out in favor of using cannabis as a recovery tool, with some saying CBD is enough.

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More than those other sports, though, safety is of the utmost importance while climbing. Combining marijuana and climbing should be done with serious intention and without harming belay partners or fellow climbers. An online survey conducted by Training Beta, a website dedicated to rock climbing training, explored how readers felt about the relationship between climbing and cannabis. Among 1,462 respondents, 47% said they weren’t comfortable with high belayers and 46% responded that it depended on the setting and person belaying them.