Why legal cannabis doesn’t belong next to gambling and porn

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Why legal cannabis doesn’t belong next to gambling and porn

There seems to be an emerging consensus among mainstream media: Legal cannabis is a “sin” like sports betting/prediction markets, and AI pornography.

That’s evidenced by a recent Axios piece from Axios founders Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen. The authors (normally very good) assert that the spread of legal cannabis, alongside sports betting and pornography, is one of three key reasons why modern America is “addicted,” and “money-hungry.”

Or, consider the fact that former Wall Street Journal reporter Julie Wernau is now writing a book that portrays legal cannabis as an “industrialized, high-potency drug, shaped by commercial forces.” 

Let’s put the core argument of the Axios piece aside, which feels a bit Reagan-era moral panic to me, and consider whether cannabis really belongs alongside the other two. 

Legal cannabis does carry risk. Despite what some advocates say, it’s a drug that many people use purely for recreational purposes, that is, to get high. I’m in that category of user myself, though the sleep benefits are certainly worthwhile. People shouldn’t drive intoxicated, whether cannabis or any other drug, nor should minors use it outside of strictly defined medical purposes. 

The difference, though, is that there are myriad positive aspects to cannabis legalization, and we’re only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of research. 

There’s compelling evidence that cannabis can help people manage pain without opioids, help them sleep better, and that, on a socio-economic level, cannabis creates economic opportunity and jobs for the formerly disenfranchised. Further peer-reviewed evidence shows a real substitution effect between cannabis and alcohol, especially among elderly, which is obviously a benefit to public health. 

I’m not so sure there’s research showing the positive effects of having Las Vegas in an app on your phone, or the fact that pornography is widely accessible to minors (though, that has been the case for decades). 

Cannabis belongs in its own category. While legalization certainly carries risk, good regulation, as we’ve long written, can ameliorate that risk and capture benefits. Legalization isn’t a binary, and the various decisions policymakers and regulators make affect outcomes. 

That case for positives isn’t being made effectively beyond the industry. 

This type of mainstream coverage is what happens when grassroots advocates cede the playing field to business. Big cannabis companies aren't necessarily bad actors. They can and should push for regulations that serve their interests.

But journalists salivate to portray them as the new Big Tobacco, and well-funded anti-cannabis advocacy groups benefit from them doing so. Some of this is wish-casting for the next big story, but that story is easier to write when it’s underpinned by truth. The narrative writes itself when it’s mostly executives at publicly traded companies and trade groups leading the fight. 

When the private sector leads cannabis advocacy, they may get regulation that favors their bottom line, while ceding the broader argument. A Pyrrhic victory, as support for legalization among Republicans continues to fall. 

So my broader point: We shouldn’t let this conservative mindset on legalization become the default. There are real positives, and it’s not just a risk to be managed. 

We shouldn’t let the debate become so flat.

-JB

“I think there are a lot of people in Congress who smoke cannabis,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus said. 

The full interview from TMZ (!) is definitely worth a watch »

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Note: Tune in at Noon Eastern/9 Pacific when we connect with Judson Hill from Fine Fettle Georgia to find out the impact on the ground. YouTube » and LinkedIn »

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