From my mailbox, I pulled out the usual junk mail and was recently surprised to find a new advertisement I had never seen before: a large, glossy printed ad for the local marijuana dealer. Featuring a smiling, colorful cartoon face with a large joint in its mouth, the advertisement promises “20% off + FREE Gift with Coupon” and “Veterans & Med Card Holders 10% Off—Proof Required.”
As happy, colorful, and normal as this ad looks, it tells a sad story: Some business in my local community is trying very hard to push a product that is poisoning people. Worst of all, there seems to be nothing I can do about it since marijuana, or cannabis, has been legalized in my state, as it has been in most states.
Seeing this situation, it is tempting to throw in the towel and let the world go to the dogs—even if (to extend the metaphor) the dogs are experiencing homicidal psychosis from THC gummies and smell like skunks.
But now I implore you not to give up. On May 4, Americans Against Legalizing Marijuana announced that consumers of cannabis products are filing two federal class action lawsuits in Illinois and Connecticut that mark the beginning of legal action against the marijuana industry nationwide. They allege that companies “promoted unproven medical claims; failed to warn consumers about known health risks; [and] minimized dangers including addiction, psychosis, psychiatric disorders, and cardiovascular complications,” according to a statement sent out to email subscribers by Americans Against Legalizing Marijuana.
Indeed, let’s return to the sensational pro-cannabis headline mentioned above. It takes only a little digging beyond the headline to find a not-so-pro-cannabis reality. The article states that cannabis use is “generally associated with larger volumes in several brain regions.” The term “generally associated” is very important. The researchers have found an association between two phenomena occurring together (cannabis use and growth in certain areas of the brain), but this is different from a causal link whereby research can confidently state that one phenomenon causes another.
In the case of general association there could be a third, currently unknown factor that further research may find explains the association and casts doubt on the possibility of causation. The classic example of this is the general association between ice cream sales and drowning deaths both going up. Ice cream does not cause drowning, of course; the third factor is the summer heat leading people to eat more ice cream and swim more often (which comes with more drowning).
The study also notes, “However, another brain region saw lower volumes—suggesting the impact cannabis has on the brain is complex and nuanced, requiring further investigation.” In other words, we may not be seeing positive growth of the brain but rather a warping effect whereby one part unnaturally grows and another unnaturally shrinks. Who knows? I do know from experience that when people use cannabis they act less intelligent and more paranoid.
Now, let’s turn back to the colorful advertisement I received in the mail. After navigating the New York State Office of Cannabis Management website, I concluded that the ad is quite possibly illegal, since it doesn’t have the required age warning “For use only by persons 21 years of age and older” or a rotating statement, such as “Cannabis can be addictive,” and since it features cartoon images that may appeal to children. I used the online form to notify the Office of Cannabis Management. Whether it will actually do anything is perhaps beside the point. The point is that by not giving up and by staring the cannabis problem in the face I did see areas where we can easily hold the cannabis industry responsible and put pressure on a state government to end legalization. Not to be cliché, but we can make a difference.
Finally, the government hands-off argument for legalization simply falls apart when the harmful effects of cannabis are fully considered. There are plenty of useless and excessive laws and regulations that could be scrapped, but laws keeping people from new ways to quite obviously destroy their health are not among them.
To summarize all of this efficiently, don’t be affected by the smoke and mirrors of the cannabis legalization movement. It will end in the dustbin of history, where it belongs.
