Truthiness

Reader-submitted: I'd love your thoughts on this video.

Interesting. I hadn't seen this until you pointed it out.

This story is about marijuana's increased potency. It is NOT your parents' pot. Got that? It's WAY WAY STRONGER. Also, kids are smoking it at younger ages.

EVERYBODY PANIC.

Many of the plants we buy have improved over the past few decades for several reasons, especially:
1) Crops are genetically different because the best/strongest/whatever strains have been identified and have displaced other strains.
2) Growing techniques have been refined.

Let's all freak out, shall we?

This story is missing something important: a source who could explain the leap from "increased THC" to "a lot more addictive". Maybe it IS a lot more addictive; I don't know. I can't know that, because the reporter hasn't made it clear. Her tone definitely tells me that I should be really afraid, but she isn't providing any real data.

Well, there are a few stats. There has been a huge increase in "marijuana abuse", which I assume means any use at all. ER visits due to marijuana use are way up.

Hmmm.

You might wonder what is sending pot smokers to the emergency room: surely it's not for the Jello. No, the reporter informs us that it's because they're paranoid. EVERYBODY PANIC.

I'm not saying that smoking pot is good. It's clearly not great for your health. I won't pretend that smoking cigarettes or drinking lots of gin is good, either. But I can't help but think that we're missing a larger story here. If pot really is more dangerous -- which the reporter didn't actually say, she just implied it and hoped we'd make the leap ourselves -- we deserve to know why.

Thanks for your question.

NOTE TO THOSE READERS WHO HAPPEN TO BE LEGAL COUNSEL FOR MY EMPLOYER: I learned this on the Internet, not from personal experience or associates. At no time have I considered horticulture as a hobby. I don't even like plants. Also, illegal drugs are very, very bad.