Whatever you think of the rescheduling debate, it is worth understanding how marijuana ended up in the federal government’s most restrictive category in the first place.
Marijuana does carry serious health negatives: cognitive impairment that makes it unsafe for driving and work with machinery, cognitive damage from overuse, and lung damage from smoking. It also makes people stupid--that's why they like it. Life is easier to take when you're unable to think too hard about it.
When Sonnenreich recommended decriminalizing marijuana in the 1960s, that was in the context of legal alcohol and tobacco. As we know, the tobacco industry had an enormously powerful and mostly unchallenged lobby at the time. And the alcohol industry depended upon regular social use rather than constant use like tobacco. Both lobbies were still allowed to run television ads.
Marijuana is not physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco. However, unfortunately, rather than being treated, like alcohol, as a social drug, marijuana is today treated, like tobacco, with constant use. That makes it dangerous.
I spent my young adulthood among marijuana growers of the 1980s, when it was quite illegal and we could all have gone to jail. I permanently damaged both my cognitive abilities and my lungs. That damage has followed me through decades of adulthood, and the lung damage might very well eventually kill me.
Decades later, I lived for 15 years in the Emerald Triangle of the Northern California coast, when marijuana was partially legal on a small scale, but mass producers still operated illegally--which meant they didn't pay taxes, couldn't keep their money in banks, and needed violent guard-dogs and armed guards who were, more often than not, kept awake all night by meth. It was a very violent subculture, and people were regularly killed in it.
Of course, making marijuana legal made it just one more agricultural crop, like rice or almonds. Now everyone who got rich off not paying taxes are paying taxes, the price has plummeted, and they're wondering where their magical cash crop went.
The problem is not that marijuana was once wrongly classified. The problem is that the social subculture that grew up around it morphed it from the occasional use in jazz clubs, like the social use of alcohol, to the constant daily use of it, like tobacco, by teenagers and young adults, whose brains are damaged by it--with the result that young adults are getting stupider every generation, and our society is paying for it.
We don't need more laws. We need an education campaign to alter that social subculture. But we won't get this from the adults today whose brains have been damaged by marijuana, as long as they're still using it. Because it makes them stupid.
a common misunderstanding about scheduling is that schedule I does not mean greater dependence risk alone, but signifies no accepted medical use. the penalty schedule for marijuana possession, delivery and manufacture reflects the lower risk of dependence. Marijuana fell out of favor as a medical treatment in the 1930s and dronabinol is a scientifically and pharmacologically acceptable delivery device which is already legal and schedule III. what advantage does smoking weed provide over dronabinol? what is its indication? rapid onset causes euphoria and diminished the proportion of the drug delivering therapeutic benefits. obviously, we now know that cannabis causes physical dependence, the withdrawal symptom is well-characterized and causes great distress and difficulties quitting. cannabis is unique in provoking psychosis in teens. perhaps "orange man bad" will allow the media to admit this. what is ridiculous is that osmotic release methylphenidate is still schedule II. whole plant marijuana has no medical use and common delivery devices (dab rigs, dispos, smoked plant and edibles) all increase risks of THC toxicity (including dependence) while giving zero benefit over dronabinol--which is not the preferred treatment for anything. doses consumed by users are cartoonishly high, and THC is devastating schools with lower income parents forced to send their teens into effectively state-mandated drug dens. at least 5% of teens are dependent and will not be able to stop in a regular school setting.
I read Pharma a few years ago. When I saw the headline here, I thought, “What? I don’t remember any of that. Then as I read the article, I was like “it’s all coming back to me.” Really, though, it’s seeing Arthur Sackler’s name pops up in so many places and roles you’d never expect it. I need to read Pharma again. Great book Mr Posner.
I see your Substack emails and moreso am procrastinating for responses, because of life obstacles and obligation. This morning though I am reminded of 1983 & Peter Jennings report that supports your and Bugliosi's belief. Superfluously I've wondered if Jennings wasn't bumped off for having evidence not just a belief, featured in said TV report? After seeing photos from new rfk jr. book, I wish he would resign, long story short. All the Kennedy's are and have been worse than all the mafia. Period. No time for specifics here by me now. Thank you https://youtu.be/W2WrtWYps38?si=c-1Sd16RlMLqmzMX
Fascinating and shameful
Marijuana does carry serious health negatives: cognitive impairment that makes it unsafe for driving and work with machinery, cognitive damage from overuse, and lung damage from smoking. It also makes people stupid--that's why they like it. Life is easier to take when you're unable to think too hard about it.
When Sonnenreich recommended decriminalizing marijuana in the 1960s, that was in the context of legal alcohol and tobacco. As we know, the tobacco industry had an enormously powerful and mostly unchallenged lobby at the time. And the alcohol industry depended upon regular social use rather than constant use like tobacco. Both lobbies were still allowed to run television ads.
Marijuana is not physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco. However, unfortunately, rather than being treated, like alcohol, as a social drug, marijuana is today treated, like tobacco, with constant use. That makes it dangerous.
I spent my young adulthood among marijuana growers of the 1980s, when it was quite illegal and we could all have gone to jail. I permanently damaged both my cognitive abilities and my lungs. That damage has followed me through decades of adulthood, and the lung damage might very well eventually kill me.
Decades later, I lived for 15 years in the Emerald Triangle of the Northern California coast, when marijuana was partially legal on a small scale, but mass producers still operated illegally--which meant they didn't pay taxes, couldn't keep their money in banks, and needed violent guard-dogs and armed guards who were, more often than not, kept awake all night by meth. It was a very violent subculture, and people were regularly killed in it.
Of course, making marijuana legal made it just one more agricultural crop, like rice or almonds. Now everyone who got rich off not paying taxes are paying taxes, the price has plummeted, and they're wondering where their magical cash crop went.
The problem is not that marijuana was once wrongly classified. The problem is that the social subculture that grew up around it morphed it from the occasional use in jazz clubs, like the social use of alcohol, to the constant daily use of it, like tobacco, by teenagers and young adults, whose brains are damaged by it--with the result that young adults are getting stupider every generation, and our society is paying for it.
We don't need more laws. We need an education campaign to alter that social subculture. But we won't get this from the adults today whose brains have been damaged by marijuana, as long as they're still using it. Because it makes them stupid.
a common misunderstanding about scheduling is that schedule I does not mean greater dependence risk alone, but signifies no accepted medical use. the penalty schedule for marijuana possession, delivery and manufacture reflects the lower risk of dependence. Marijuana fell out of favor as a medical treatment in the 1930s and dronabinol is a scientifically and pharmacologically acceptable delivery device which is already legal and schedule III. what advantage does smoking weed provide over dronabinol? what is its indication? rapid onset causes euphoria and diminished the proportion of the drug delivering therapeutic benefits. obviously, we now know that cannabis causes physical dependence, the withdrawal symptom is well-characterized and causes great distress and difficulties quitting. cannabis is unique in provoking psychosis in teens. perhaps "orange man bad" will allow the media to admit this. what is ridiculous is that osmotic release methylphenidate is still schedule II. whole plant marijuana has no medical use and common delivery devices (dab rigs, dispos, smoked plant and edibles) all increase risks of THC toxicity (including dependence) while giving zero benefit over dronabinol--which is not the preferred treatment for anything. doses consumed by users are cartoonishly high, and THC is devastating schools with lower income parents forced to send their teens into effectively state-mandated drug dens. at least 5% of teens are dependent and will not be able to stop in a regular school setting.
If you haven't bought and read PHARMA by G Posner, you should!
I read Pharma a few years ago. When I saw the headline here, I thought, “What? I don’t remember any of that. Then as I read the article, I was like “it’s all coming back to me.” Really, though, it’s seeing Arthur Sackler’s name pops up in so many places and roles you’d never expect it. I need to read Pharma again. Great book Mr Posner.
I see your Substack emails and moreso am procrastinating for responses, because of life obstacles and obligation. This morning though I am reminded of 1983 & Peter Jennings report that supports your and Bugliosi's belief. Superfluously I've wondered if Jennings wasn't bumped off for having evidence not just a belief, featured in said TV report? After seeing photos from new rfk jr. book, I wish he would resign, long story short. All the Kennedy's are and have been worse than all the mafia. Period. No time for specifics here by me now. Thank you https://youtu.be/W2WrtWYps38?si=c-1Sd16RlMLqmzMX