Cannabis Facts

Marijuana Potency Increasing, Project SAM Needs a Diaper Change, Source: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/808274/thumbs/o-MARIJUANA-LEGALIZATION-facebook.jpgWhat is it with the anti-pot crowd and their penchant for drama? Seriously, some of these people ought to work for the National Inquirer.

Heidi Heilman (who unsurprisingly heads up Project SAM’s New England field development program) took to the media to decry that today’s cannabis is 300 to 800 percent stronger than it was in the early 1970’s. Politifact gave this claim the truth test and found out that Ms. Heilman is correct.

Funnily enough, the source from which Heilman cited her data was not accurate. However, the folks at Politifact did the due diligence and found some verified data from Ole Miss that backed up this claim.

Yet, when Politifact verified this information they stated that today’s cannabis is 3 to 8 times stronger. See the difference? Both statements report the same data, but it sounds so much worse to say it’s “800 percent” stronger. People often won’t hear the details or think about what they mean. They hear 800 and that sounds like a big number. Regurgitators like Ms. Heilman beat the bushes so they can drum up support for their bullshit agenda.

In 1972, a sample of 34 pot specimens averaged out to 0.18% THC, while in 2012, a sample of 2,055 specimens averaged out at 12.3%.

A few issues with this: for clarity, I want to point out that I take no issue whatsoever with Ole Miss’s data, which is gleaned through scientific study and reported truthfully without an agenda. It simply is true. Old Miss’s data seems to denote a steady increase in potency. The question I have that seems to be curiously left out of sensationalist articles is, why is that such a bad thing?

Higher potency buds mean you don’t need as much to get the effect. Isn’t that a good thing? As much as I love smoking weed (and I am just happy as a clam to know that pot smoke doesn’t cause harm), I can’t help but think my lungs are better off not needing as much of the irritants to get the effect. Also, potency may be increasing, but incidence of detrimental effect has not followed suit. If this was as big a boogeyman as Ms. Heilman would like us to believe, wouldn’t there also be some correlative (or even anecdotal) reports of ODs or ruined lives, or something to back up a claim like this?

How high could THC concentration become? I regularly smoke buds with over 20% THC, and Politifact claims that in 2007 a sample was found with over 37% THC. I am all for it. If I can smoke half a gram and get what I need, why would I think it’s better to smoke 35 joints to get to the same place?

All Project SAM seems capable of doing is skewing the truth and/or shouting “scary” statements devoid of context, evidence or commentary as to why they are shouting. I have a statistic of my own to spread: every day Project SAM disseminates 7,000% more propaganda than the day before. That’s exponentially more manure than they started with.

Project SAM, I implore you one more time, please level an attack against cannabis that might actually give people like me who live to rub mud on your lies a harder time doing so. You’re not even making it a challenge.

And finally, on behalf of all stoners, I’m going to take it upon myself to comment on the news that THC potency is increasing: “Fucking sweet.”