Some preconceptions just go up in smoke

Some scientific studies leave stereotypes in ashes. As in the recent findings by University of Colorado at Boulder researchers that stoners are really into exercising.

“The usual stereotype is of someone lying on his couch for hours, blissed out and eating Doritos,” Angela Bryan, a professor of psychology and neuroscience, told the New York Times. “Our concern going in was that cannabis use would be detrimental to physical activity,” said Bryan, who led the research team. “Our evidence does not support that idea.”

Indeed. A whopping 81.7% of the 605 study participants endorsed using cannabis either before or after working out.

The researchers sought out marijuana users in five states with legal recreational

weed—California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Those who admitted using the drug adjacent to exercise also reported higher weekly averages of aerobic exercise than users who didn’t imbibe around workout time: 159.7 minutes a week vs. 103.5 minutes. They also had a lower BMI: 25.6 vs. 27. The study, published recently in Frontiers in Public Health, also found those who used the drug before and/ or after exercising were on average younger and tended to be male compared with users who didn’t mix pot with exercise. It should be noted that four of the five states where study participants lived rank among the top six for physical activity in the U.S.

Not that the study offers anything definitive on the issue. As always, more study (and exercise?) may be needed.