The Impact of 'Stoners' on Medical Cannabis: How they are Ruining it for the Rest of Us

The Negative Effects of Irresponsible Cannabis Use

While cannabis can have numerous benefits when used responsibly and in moderation, excessive use can lead to negative consequences. Irresponsible cannabis use can result in impaired cognitive function, memory loss, and decreased motivation, as well as a variety of unwanted physical and psychological side-effects. It can also lead to addiction and dependency, affecting an individual's overall well-being and productivity. Furthermore, encouraging others to use cannabis at unsafe and irresponsible dosages can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and stigmas associated with the plant. This can hinder efforts to destigmatize cannabis and promote its potential medicinal benefits, and makes it difficult for legitimate cannabis enterprises to promote and grow their business due to regulatory restrictions imposed due to the perceived 'harms' of cannabis use.

The Role of 'Stoners' in Hindering the Industry

Unfortunately, some 'stoners' actively promote and glorify excessive cannabis use through their behavior and social media presence. This often creates a negative image of cannabis users as lazy, unmotivated individuals who are solely focused on getting high.

Even worse than just a negative image, seriously misguided advice by long-term users is making people sick, often turning them off of ever using cannabis again. At a time when legitimate cannabis advocates are working tirelessly to promote cannabis as a safer and more effective alternative to many pharmaceuticals, and encouraging people to look beyond the stigma and be willing to try it, there are 'stoners' at every turn counteracting all of the positive promotion and progress of cannabis medicine.

It is not uncommon to see commenters in social media groups encouraging starting doses much higher than they should be. In fact, in a survey created by a newbie in one such group who was seeking what they thought was 'expert' advice on how to start using cannabis, no less than 95% of respondents guided the user to start with a minimum dose that was between 10 and 100 times higher than the safe recommended starting dose. Sadly, according to Facebook and other social media platforms, such ill-advised medical advice does not actually violate their community standards, so misinformation and misguidance is rampant. It really is in the best interest of anyone looking to begin a journey with medical cannabis to NOT take dosage advice from posters in Facebook and other social media groups. Just because someone has been using cannabis for 30 years does not mean they are doing so in a manner that would be safe or responsible for others to follow.

You will also often see comments like, "take as much as you want, the worst that will happen is you will sleep for a few hours". As anyone who has ever experienced a "green-out" will tell you, sleep is not the worst that can happen. A green-out happens when too much cannabis is consumed, and symptoms can include extreme nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, serious bouts of vertigo, excessive sweating, rapid heart rate, anxiety, and paranoia. If the cannabis was ingested, these symptoms can last for hours, and while you will not die from it, you may feel so bad you wish you would. Many people who have a green-out their first time out will never touch cannabis again, potentially losing out on its many benefits and being robbed of being able to lead a healthier life and getting off of other medications that cause unwanted side-effects, all because some self-proclaimed cannaisseur likes to brag about how much THC they can consume and encourages others to follow suit.

Responsible Cannabis Use and Advocacy

It is crucial for the cannabis industry as a whole (including dispensaries, influencers, celebrities, blogs, websites, businesses, and social media groups) to distance itself from the negative influence of 'stoners' and promote responsible use and advocacy. This can be achieved through education and awareness campaigns that emphasize the importance of moderation and informed decision-making when it comes to cannabis consumption. By promoting responsible cannabis use, the industry can ensure that the plant's potential benefits are recognized and appreciated by a wider audience. This will help to break down the barriers and misconceptions surrounding cannabis and encourage its acceptance in society and widespread legalization.

Impact on Legalization

The world is looking to Canada, who fully legalized both medical and recreational cannabis in 2018, to see the effects legalization has had on our country before making decisions about their own legalization. As it has now been 5 years since legalization, many government and medical organizations have been releasing the results of studies on how things have changed since legalization, and to be honest, the news is not good. There has been an increase of 94% in ER visits due to injuries in motor vehicle accidents where cannabis intoxication was a primary factor, cannabis poisonings in children are up about three times pre-legalization levels, pet poisonings have increased, there has been an increase in the number of cannabis-related complications in pregnancies and newborns, and, in some provinces, overall cannabis-related ER visits are up as much as 20% (one region reported a 300% increase). That does not include people who got extremely ill but visited a walk-in clinic or stayed home to ride it out. All of this does not bode well when it comes to encouraging the rest of the world to follow in Canada's footsteps.

The #1 reason for these alarming stats about cannabis? Reckless and irresponsible people who have a false sense of security with the plant given the lack of overdoses linked to cannabis consumption. They believe cannabis to be harmless in any amount, and consequently store and consume it in an unsafe manner and encourage others to do the same. This has to stop if cannabis has any chance of becoming a part of mainstream healthcare.

Conclusion

While 'stoners' may have their place within cannabis culture, it is important to recognize the negative impact they are having on the industry. Encouraging the use of cannabis at unsafe and often reckless dosages not only perpetuates harmful stereotypes but also hinders the progress and acceptance of cannabis in society, deters governments from legalization, makes people sick, and turns people off of making cannabis a valuable addition to their health management.

It is up to the industry and cannabis advocates to promote responsible use and educate others about the potential benefits of cannabis when used in moderation. By doing so, we can ensure that cannabis is seen as a legitimate and beneficial product, free from the negative influence of 'stoners'.

Footnote:

Being able to take lots of cannabis is not something a person should feel proud bragging about. What makes people feel special about consuming large quantities of an expensive drug? While some people do have a high tolerance and require larger doses to get good effects, and some medical conditions do require higher doses to treat the disease, for many 'stoners' the reason they need so much before they feel the effects is they have been using large quantities for a long time and have burnt out the cannabis receptors in their body. Had they used it responsibly and taken tolerance breaks occasionally, they would be able to achieve the same effects with less cannabis for a lot less money. So, bottom line, a newcomer to cannabis does not need to aspire to taking copious quantities of cannabis. Start low, go slow, take occasional breaks from cannabis, and only use as much as you need to get the results you want without the side effects you don't!