How they get started is one thing, but why they continue is another. Fake News has become a cry in the last few years, but some myths just continue to live in, even before teh digital world. No swimming for an hour, cracking your knocks, 24 for a missing person, etc…all out there…all long dismissed. Now, here are 3 marijuana myths which have been debunked.
Marijuana Is The Gateway To Addiction
According to science, the majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, “harder” substances. Alcohol and nicotine prime the brain for a heightened response to other drugs and are, like marijuana, also typically used before a person progresses to other, more harmful substances.
Studies conducted by the federal government find that marijuana is actually no more addictive than caffeine. In fact, cananbis has a rate of addiction significantly less than alcohol and tobacco.
As for whether cannabis users will eventually go on to shoot heroin in the bathroom of a truck stop somewhere – that’s not likely either. Other studies have shown that alcohol and prescription painkillers are the real gateway drugs. Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says so. “When you look at someone that, for example, has a heroin problem, it very often started with a prescription drug problem. Something totally legal. Something in every medicine cabinet. Something you can have prescribed to you in good faith by a doctor,” she said back in 2016.
Marijuana Legalization Won’t Stop Drug Cartels
With 23 recreational and 40 medical states plus all of Canada, marijuana is a profit center for drug cartels. Cannabis trafficking is on the decline, according to a report from the Washington Post. To compensate, drug gangs are now slinging fentanyl, heroin and meth.
In fact, the GOP is clear it does stop drug cartels, This week four anti-marijuana legalization Republican senators admitted the policy change disrupts illegal sales by cartels. Writing to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf on Monday, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) made the case for the legalization and regulation of controlled substances.
They point out in a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider plans to ban menthol cigarettes and set nicotine content limits, arguing that the prohibition and strict regulations could benefit illicit trafficking operations. The main point is to express concern FDA’s proposed menthol cigarette ban, which the senators said could “empower” transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) to “exploit black market opportunities that such policies could create.”
Interestingly, some reports show that American weed is now being shipped into Mexico. It seems the tides have turned, but there is still some illegal marijuana activity happening in the United States. However, these criminal acts stem only from a fluctuation in laws from state-to-state. The moment the federal government ends marijuana prohibition, the criminal organizations responsible will be stopped. After all, no one is out there these days turning a profit on bootleg beer.
Stoned Driving Is No Different Than Driving Drunk
There is no doubt that drinking and driving is detriment to public safety. Alcohol is responsible for killing around over 14,000 people annually in Canada and the US. Researchers from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, who are working to create a self-assessment tool for people on the fence about whether they’re too high to drive, have been trying to find out how weed might hinder an individual’s performance. But the group is having some difficult pinpointing the affect the herb on “vigilance and judgment.” It seems the test subjects are “generally aware” of just how wrecked on reefer they are.
There is also evidence that longtime cannabis users are typically less impaired behind the wheel than those with a lower tolerance. It is the differences between alcohol and marijuana impairment that has made it so difficult for science to develop an effective testing device to gauge stoned driving. To this day, no device functions well..
The old guard is still working hard to bring back the War on Drugs – state by state.
The cannabis industry is holding its breath until after the election. Both presidential candidates have endorsed some type of movement on marijuana but the big nail biter is how the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will move on rescheduling. Also, Florida is deciding on becoming the next major recreational market and other states are trying to move forward. And while almost 90% of the general public supports it, the 10% who oppose it are still fighting to the end. Now another states’s leaders want to stop medical marijuana. Nebraska is the latest to ignore public opinion and will by trying to stop medical cannabis.
Legal states have seen increased tax revenues, no change on crime and a decrease in youth consumption. The American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians along with the federal agencies Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have all spoke up about the need for rescheduling additional research to unlock more medical medical benefits. But it makes no difference to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Secretary of State Bob Evnen.
Cornhusker state citizens started a ballot initiative to bring medical marijuana to the state. The group, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, garnered over 115,000 signatures. This was enough for the initiative to move forward and allow the public to decided the fate. The state has almost 2 million people with 288+ being over 65. This is a group with an increasing interest in medical marijuana use to help with chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety and other issues. But after being certified, the Attorney General and Secretary of State are calling foul and say half of the signatures are invalid. Early voting has already begun, but they would use this issue to void the results if the pro marijuana group wins.
Attorney General Hilgers’ office seeks to go further than a 1919 Nebraska Supreme Court case dealing with an anti-woman-suffrage referendum used to defeat the effort. A bench trial is set to begin Oct. 29, one week before Election Day. The case is likely to be appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court, no matter the outcome.
Like Florida, where Governor DeSantis has worked against the public will on marijuana. Nebraska has a history. In 201 the “Cannabis Compassion and Care Act,” was proposed in the l state legislature. The legislation would have allowed certain patients with prescriptions to use marijuana in liquid or pill form (but not smoked leaf form) for medical purposes. Following an initial 27–12 vote in favor, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Tommy Garrett requested the bill be held until 2016. The the bill was blocked by a Senate filibuster, falling three votes short of the number failed to advance. The bill encountered strong opposition from GovernorPete Ricketts and then Attorney General Doug Peterson. In 2020, a medical cannabis ballot measure was invalidated by the Nebraska Supreme Court. So it is up to the voters to see what happens next.
Alcohol and mixers are always a bit a wild card if you are a diabetic, maybe cannabis can help.
Being a diabetic can be tough and you always must be aware of your blood sugar. Today, there are programs which monitor the levels and gives alerts if things are too bad. Cocktails and some other alcohol and can be full of sugar, which can play havoc with a body. Additionally, alcohol consumption can worsen diabetes-related medical complications, such as disturbances in fat metabolism, nerve damage, and eye disease. But cannabis, well, that is a different story – and it seems the knowledge it catching on. So is marijuana a diabetes answer to alcohol?
Marijuana use is becoming more common for diabetics. A recent study estimated that 9% adults with diabetes used cannabis in the last month, a 33.7% increase with nearly half (48.9%) of users were younger than 50 years. Cannabis use is also increasing among Boomer (65 and older), many of whom have diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Alcohol consumption is taking a hit as more people consume marijuana. Gen Z is drifting from alcohol and consuming more. California sober has become a trend. The AARP has said cannabis has medical benefits, but what about using it as a full or partial replacement of alcohol? Cannabis is
For diabetic, drinking alcohol can cause low or high blood sugar, affect diabetes medicines, and cause other possible problems. The liver releases glucose into your blood stream as needed to help keep blood sugar at normal levels. The liver releases glucose into the blood stream help keep blood sugar at normal levels. When drinking alcohol, the liver needs to break down the alcohol. While the liver is processing alcohol, it stops releasing glucose. As a result, blood sugar levels can drop quickly, making a risks for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
While over indulging is never good, moderate vaping can avoid the sugar and carb intake received from alcohol and especially cocktails. Microdosing has also become popular.
Two important notes, there needs to be more research on dosage and use. Also, cannabis could use could increase the risk for diabetic ketoacidosis for people with type 1 diabetes. Research showed it was primarily due to worse management of diabetes, including increased intake of high-carb foods and forgetting to take medications.
Arkansas is moving forward with increasing medical marijuana – despite the state government!
Akansas is home to the Ozarks and to the famous Crystal Bridges Museum. It is a study of down home America and the future. Bentonville is home of Walmart, the largest physical retailer in North America. Found on their shelves is CBD from the cannabis plant. And now the citizens of the state want expanded medical marijuana. While recreational is far down the rode, Arkansans have a win with the marijuana ballot today.
The state approved medical marijuana in 2016. In the last couple of years, the has been a grassroots effort to expanded the program. And recently The medical marijuana proposal was aimed at expanding a measure that the state’s voters approved in 2016. It would have broadened the definition of medical professionals who can certify patients for medical cannabis, expanded qualifying conditions and made medical cannabis cards valid for three years.
In 2023, the state legislature approved and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill protecting Arkansas medical cannabis patients’ right to concealed carry of a firearm. The governor leans conservative and has made it clear she is not supportive of the mission.
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment would relax regulations. It would allow like medical professionals other than doctors to sign off on medical marijuana cards, allow patients ages 21 and up to grow and process marijuana plants at home. Additionally it would and open up eligibility for any medical conditions a health care practitioner considers debilitating instead of the existing qualifying conditions.
Proponents needed to have 90,704 verified votes. Arkansans for Patient Access submitted more than 150,000 signatures.. The state told the group in July it had fallen short of the required number, but had qualified for an additional 30 days to circulate petitions.
The group said rejecting 20,000 of its signatures was due to an “arbitrary,” last-minute rule change. The state decided to toss enough votes to leave them short 2,664.
But the The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday Secretary of State John Thurston must continue verifying signatures to put an amendment loosening medical marijuana laws on the November ballot. It seems at least 25% will be verified, securing the ballot initiative.
Arkansas joins states like Florida where Governor DeSantis is working hard to defeats another ballot initiative popular with voters. November will yield some interesting outcomes.