Now is not the time for the cannabis community to rest on the laurels of its past successes or to presume that someone else is going to finish the job.
Author: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Since its inception, the criminalization of the marijuana plant and the stigmatization of those who consume it has been predicated almost entirely upon the promotion of gross exaggerations, racial stereotypes, and outright lies.
Unlike alcohol (which is readily available in a variety of potencies, including highly-potent formulations like grain alcohol and absinthe), THC is incapable of causing lethal overdose — regardless of its potency or the quantity consumed.
By taking cannabis products off street corners and placing them behind the counter, lawmakers are providing cannabis consumers with safer experiences and greatly reducing their risk of being inadvertently exposed to contaminated products.
Regardless of whether you live in a red or blue state, or in a jurisdiction where cannabis is legal or illicit, it’s time for legalization advocates to stand up and assert themselves.
Those who support legalizing marijuana are not part of the ideological fringe; we are the majority. It’s time for us to act like it and for lawmakers to treat cannabis consumers with the respect they deserve.
Scientists’ focus on cannabis has increased exponentially in recent years, as has our understanding of the plant, its active constituents, their mechanisms of action, and their effects on the user and upon society.
Those populations most vulnerable to cannabis-related adverse health events stand to benefit from a regulatory environment that promotes consumer education, product quality control and responsible use.