2016 may go down as "The Year of the Stoner," as marijuana's surge toward legality really got moving. Despite being classified by the DEA as a Schedule I drug (no approved medical use, high addiction potential—the same as heroin) (1) 26 states and Washington D.C. have already legalized the drug for either medical, recreational purposes, with other states ready to move forward. But, because of crazy, conflicting laws, you can't ship the stuff across state lines because that violates federal law—even if it is legal in both states (2). Duh?
The status of marijuana legality in the US as of November 16, 2016. Source: governing.com
We at the Council discussed marijuana a number of times during the year. Some of these include:
- Whacked out environmental groups, such as NRDC and EWG (3) know a good thing when they've found it—the endocrine disruptor scam. Any chemical that they happen to be in the mood to criticize (darts?) gets labeled as an endocrine disruptor—a term that by now makes me want to hurl every time I hear it. Technically, these groups are correct. Every single chemical on earth can have an impact on the endocrine system. At a high enough dose. This is where the scam part comes in. Ignoring dose is standard practice for anti-chemical crowd, and it works. But ironically, these groups are mum about a real endocrine disruptor—marijuana. See: Psst...NRDC Stoners: Your Endocrines Are Disrupted.
- We have long supported the use of electronic cigarettes as a tool to help smokers stop smoking, yet there has been quite a bit of resistance from the FDA and Surgeon General. The standard argument—that we don't know how safe they are. Lost in the argument is the fact that no matter what the risk of e-cigs, they are unquestionably safer than cigarettes. What about marijuana? See: Surgeon General Declares War On E-Cigarettes But Not Marijuana, Hookah.
- The number of health claims for the chemicals that are derived from marijuana is countless. No single drug can do everything, but it only makes sense that the pharmacology of THC, etc. be studied, especially since opioids are very difficult to get, and people have reported that marijuana is helpful in controlling pain.This hasn't been so easy because our schizophrenic federal laws made it nearly impossible for labs to get the stuff to study. Fortunately, this seems to be changing. See: Marijuana Is Still Not Medicine, But Restrictions On Research Are Less.
Since we at the Council are nothing if not beneficent, we wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. Even you NRDC stoners.
Notes:
(1) How stupid is this? Seriously.
(2) The federal laws are actually quite complicated, depending on quantities of the drug, age of the user or supplier... more.
(3) NRDC= Natural Resource Defense Council. EWG= Environmental Working Group. It would be wise to avoid both of them.
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Josh Bloom
Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science
Dr. Josh Bloom, the Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science, comes from the world of drug discovery, where he did research for more than 20 years. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry.
