Forum: Story Recommendations

Marijuana laws are not only stupid, there is no science that makes it any worse than alcohol. Banning alcohol didn't work out in the end.

I do Not advocate for the banning of marijuana, however, I do think there should be regulation of the THC content! Back in the 1970's when I was 12 of 13 and classmates and their older siblings and cousins were using marijuana there was a much lower THC content. "Homegrown" marijuana typically has a much lower content than most of the commercially raised marijuana, or crops raised hydroponically.

I have friends who use marijuana in moderation, over many years. Those who are smoking commercially raised marijuana (rather than that they grew themselves; or grown by friends) are suffering worse outcomes. I conduct outreach to homeless veterans; for decades this had brough me into close contact with veterans and others who abuse marijuana and other drugs (as well as mental health issues). Increased THC content seems to be having negative effects upon these poor wretches.

(Fentanyl is becoming commonly mixed with marijuana and other street drugs, so this may also be affecting people even more than increased THC.)

I don't trust many, if not most (government or government sponsored) "studies" in the USA. However, I do believe some studies, including several recently completed studies in the UK.

Compared with people who use lower-potency products (typically 5 to 10 milligrams per gram of THC), those who use higher-potency cannabis are more likely to experience addiction and mental health outcomes, according to the study published Monday in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.
Scientists have established a "standard THC unit" of 5 milligrams of THC for research. That amount is said to produce a mild intoxication for nonregular users.

Further.

"One of the highest quality studies included in our publication found that use of high potency cannabis, compared to low potency cannabis, was linked to a four-fold increased risk of addiction," said study coauthor Tom Freeman, a senior lecturer in the department of psychology and director of the addiction and mental health group at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, in an email.

From: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/25/health/marijuana-potency-addiction-study-wellness/index.html

https://cannabismd.com/basics/cannabis/thc-the-health-dangers-you-need-to-know/
This site discusses the merits of CBDs, and even some beneficial aspects of marijuana and THC (in moderation). but also states:

Scientists have found that THC is a biphasic chemical — meaning that it can produce one effect at low doses, and the complete opposite effect at higher doses. For example, a small amount of THC might relieve anxiety, while a larger amount might induce it.

https://boardwalkrecoverycenter.com/rising-potency-in-marijuana/

There is an interesting juxtaposition between the support for marijuana legalization in the early 1960s-1980s and the support for marijuana legalization in certain states today. It is necessary to consider that early advocates for legalization supported a THC content (the psychoactive component of the drug that makes you feel "high") of less than two percent. This low dose of THC suggests that the rest of the ratio of the drug included high levels of CBD, the non-psychoactive but relaxing component of cannabis.

Prior to the 1990s, the THC content was less than 2%, but it grew closer to 4% in the 1990s, and "in 2015 there has been a 212% increase in THC content in the marijuana flowers." The trend continued in 2017, as the most popular cannabis products sold at dispensaries in Colorado "had a range of THC content from 17-28%."

With such high levels of THC, today's cannabis plants are "incapable of producing much CBD, the protective component of the plant so these strains have minimal CBD." Certain strains of marijuana have as little as 0.09-0.2% of CBD. While there is research on the health benefits of CBD, there is no research that states high levels of THC are beneficial in treating any medical condition.