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Combating the Culture of Misinformation: Marijuana Legalization

According to Stampler of Time online, there have been no deaths attributed to recreational marijuana use although a study out of Hamburg showed that many deaths have been wrongfully attributed to marijuana. The study, out of Germany, is the first to attribute a single death to recreational use of marijuana. Though the research cited by Stampler shows that marijuana can potentially be dangerous, for some, it also illustrates that the relatively miniscule risks associated with marijuana are far outweighed by its medical benefits.

The history of marijuana is one of subjugation and misinformation. In the early 1900s marijuana became the target of mogul William Randolph Hearst. Hearst saw the hemp crop encroaching on his profits in the lumber industry. The ability of hemp as a readily renewable natural resource for making paper, rope, and other materials threatened Hearst’s profitability overall. Using his immense media empire, Hearst paid writers to disseminate a wealth of misleading propaganda to the public about the ill-effects of marijuana. The black and Mexican minorities became a scapegoat for marijuana because of their recreational use of the drug. Highly exaggerated films like Reefer Madness set a skewed public agenda and labeled marijuana as being dangerous to youths and whites at large. Dr. David Musto, of Yale, cited Hearst as being the main reason why marijuana and the hemp plant were outlawed. Hearst’s ability to spread and maintain a culture of misinformation for decades illustrates the power of the media on setting public agendas. Additionally, that same media agenda can be reset as it has been in modern times. The tumultuous history of marijuana has led to the realization that marijuana and hemp could be a profitable venture in the short and long terms.

The go-to documentary for explaining the culture of misinformation that surrounds marijuana is undoubtedly The Union: The Business Behind Getting High. Citing a number of scholars and activists, The Union gives a comprehensive look at the deplorable studies that were done on the effects of marijuana in the 1960s. To test the toxicity of marijuana, scientists strapped gas masks, with air hoses attached, and pumped in the equivalent of 30 grams of marijuana into the gas mask. The monkeys asphyxiated and were deemed to have suffered brain death. The monkeys, by way of a flawed experimental design, were completely deprived of oxygen, something that would never happen to the average recreational smoker. The flawed studies that are depicted in The Union were used by the Reagan administration to propel the drug war into public consciousness. Moreover, both The Union and another recent documentary The House I Live in, explain that many of the deaths that were previously attributed to marijuana can be refuted because of other, harder drugs being present in the person or persons systems. Moreover, marijuana being labeled as a schedule 1 narcotic in the United States has was the result of such flawed studies as those presented by the Reagan administration.

The outlook for medical marijuana and the positive effects of marijuana remains bright. Nguyen and others cite that marijuana can aid in repairing damaged brain tissues such as those found from aggressive brain cancer tumors. Additionally, marijuana use can have positive effects on overall connectivity of a number of regions of the brain. However, because of previous laws and regulations there is by no means a wealth of credible information on the positive or negative effects of marijuana when considering long-term use. Currently, marijuana is used to combat the adverse symptoms associated with chemo therapy. Recent documentary specials by CNN and Dr. Sanjay Gupta also illustrate that marijuana can be used to reduce seizures in epileptics.

Profits from legalizing marijuana in Colorado are estimated at 8 million per month from estimates totaled by Light and others.

Overall, marijuana’s misinformed historical footing has led to a new era where legitimate study and medical practices have shown that this herb can be used for good. Though one death has been attributed to marijuana thus far, the use of other drugs like alcohol and tobacco cause hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. Taking the effects of other drugs in mind, the profitability and medical value of marijuana definitely outweighs the negative misinformation that was spread to keep it out of the public’s conscious.