Why do we listen to inconclusive studies on Cannabis?
Would You Do a Cannabis Test on Yourself and Report the Results to an App? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
Every now and then you’ll see an “anti-cannabis study” that comes out to increase the danger profile of marijuana. These inconclusive studies quickly get picked up by news sources and other mediums which in turn creates a perception about the plant. Every single time I start reading these articles, I quickly go check out the source of the study and lo and behold, they usually end it off with “Our findings does not indicate correlation, further studies are required.”
In other words, these studies are not factual evidence but rather people ‘thinking’ it ‘may be’ yet have no valid conclusions that support their ‘suggestions’. Yet, the moment the pseudo-study is published, the word gets spread like a wild fire and the cannabis industry suffers as a result, or at the very minimal, slows down the legalization process of cannabis on a federal level.
Politicians Love Bullshit studies!
The next effect of these so called “studies” is that politicians cling onto them like a dingle berry clings onto the anus of a feral animal. These ‘studies’ become their weapons, their evidence and they love to nit-pick the parts that suit their narrative. I’m almost certain Jeff Sessions will take one look at the study and say, “Aha, my smoking ace!”
It doesn’t matter if the study claims there is no correlation, it doesn’t matter if the study is inconclusive, to prohibition warriors, it’s music to their ears. Facts, hardly matter when it comes to prohibition and in fact, the US has a long relationship of creating false narratives surrounding this particular topic with the interest in maintaining the current status of marijuana prohibition.
Remember when they said that “Cannabis kills brain cells” when in reality they gassed rhesus monkeys with so much smoke, they suffocated to death? Or when “Marijuana makes you homosexual?” Yes, all of these are government funded studies that were shoved down the throats of trusting citizens who thought, “The government would never lie to me”.
Oh how blessed are the days of ignorance when you thought that the elite actually gave two shits about you and your well being. They spent millions upon millions of dollars to prove that Marijuana is dangerous, only to have people discover the truth for themselves.
Yet the problem here is not about the government lying to you, rather the fact that certain organizations spend large sums of money to create this “false evidence” to support their narrative.
What can we do about it?
There isn’t much we can do about companies funding these studies, however there is something we can do when it comes to debunking the criteria. Did you know there are more than 20,000 published studies on cannabis, and these aren’t funded by good ol’ Uncle Sam.
Study up on cannabis, the medical benefits, the social benefits and the lot and educate yourself to be the voice of reason when reason is lacking. I personally have been studying this plant for close to twenty years and while I’m no expert, I know enough to smell bullshit when the first whiff appears.
The only thing the cannabis community can do is to educate themselves, to fund studies that actual aim to find the benefits of cannabis as opposed to the negative effects. Hell, even if you aren’t a sanctioned research center, start your own studies.
If you know people who are ill, people who could benefit from cannabis you can attempt to reach out to them and ask their doctors if they want to participate (off the books). Of course, this won’t be heralded as the “scientific discovery of the century” however it will begin to give you the tools to fight back against the negative propaganda campaigns against cannabis.
I would recommend that if you do know people who can benefit from cannabis for their particular condition to first draw up a snapshot of their current condition. Whether you’re dealing with pain, insomnia, autoimmune disorders etc, simply take note of their current physical condition. List their symptoms and take note of their medical records.
Once you have the snapshot established, you’ll move onto dosing your patients. Take note of the exact amount you’re using, the method of ingesting and if you can the cannabinoid profiles of the strains you’re using. If you’re living in a place where cannabis hasn’t caught up to the modern era, do so discreetly and make your best assessments with the data available.
The government doesn’t want to fund pro cannabis studies and while that is definitely not okay, they have no control over independent studies held by average citizens. As mentioned, this won’t get drafted into some medical journal, but it will provide more information for other people who are looking for answers. It’s time we open-source cannabis research in a way like never before to ensure that the right information is getting out there.
Once you have started your trials, start blogging about it and reach out to people like me and other cannabis writers so we can share your findings. It’s important for the cannabis community to start working on the counter-argument because the government will continue to fund studies that aren’t conclusive touting them as “the latest finding”.
So my question to the cannabis community is; “Are you willing to conduct your own trials and studies on cannabis?”
If so, I’ll be like Peter Tosh and Advertise the living hell out of it.
OTHER STORIES YOU MAY ENJOY...
DOCTORS SUPPORT CANNABIS, GET THE FACTS, CLICK HERE.
OR...
