Should Concentrates be Banned?

Should Marijuana Concentrates Be Banned in All States? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

The debate over concentrates have been going on since it became popular a few years back. “Does the increased exposure to THC create unforeseen consequences in users?” Does the heightened dose of THC increase the risk of addiction, schizophrenia and the likes?

One famous marijuana doctor thinks so. Dr. Rav Ivker believes that cannabis concentrates should be banned.

“I think they should be illegal,” Ivker said. “In fact, I hope they become illegal. The only thing they’re good for is getting really high. But they’re high-risk, and there’s really no benefit from them.”

Considering that certain concentrates can reach the high 90% in terms of THC, he believes that these heroic doses could lead to addiction.

This doesn’t mean he’s against the use of cannabis to treat a wide array of conditions and illnesses, but rather that concentrates are too much for an individual to handle.

“I advocate for cannabis as a medicine for treating chronic pain. That’s the title of my book, and Fully Alive is predominantly a chronic-pain practice, a holistic medical practice. The vast majority of my patients have chronic pain and are using medical marijuana to treat their problem, along with other modalities. And because I teach my patients how to use cannabis appropriately as a medicine, I don’t see the addiction problem among my patient population [emphasis added].”

I think it’s an important point that the good doctor is touching here. Education.

Sure, the people using concentrates at the highest rates are folk between the age of 18 to 30. And yes, they are using it primarily for getting high. However, does this constitute banning the substance?

Education Dear Doctor!

If there is one thing that we have learned [or at least should have learned], is that banning anything only makes it more valuable. The fact of the matter is that people will continue to use concentrates whether it’s legal or not.

The genie can’t be put back into the bottle.

The difference here is that within a regulated marketplace, the concentrates you buy would be of higher quality and purity. Legal manufacturers are required to purge their concentrates and make it “okay” for public consumption.

Within an unregulated black market, none of these regulations are in place. Thus, banning concentrates would actually make it more dangerous for the very demographics Dr. Ivker so wishes to protect [from themselves].

Ivker also said, “Marijuana, like any substance or behavior that affects the reward system of the brain, has the potential for dependence and possible addiction — and that includes food, sex, and even television. THC releases dopamine in the brain, and dopamine is the neurotransmitter that causes us to have feelings of pleasure, just like food, sex and TV do.”

In this case, wouldn’t we have to ban food, sex and TV as well? After all, it seems that these substances are habit forming as well and could lead to addiction, apathy, and obesity. Under the reasoning that the government needs to protect individuals from their own misguided actions, wouldn’t banning those activities be in the best interest of the individual?

Usually, when I make that point people roll their eyes. “It’s not the same thing!” they claim. I’m sure that Ivker would also claim something similar.

Unlike food or sex, cannabis is a psychoactive substance that sends people into an altered state of being for a short period of time.

While this is true, the real aspect we should be looking at is whether or not “a foreign entity” has the right to tell you what you can and cannot do to your own body.

Rather than banning concentrates, it would be better for people to be properly educated with concentrates.

Sure, there are teens dabbing like there is no tomorrow, however I use concentrates as a responsible adult. 5 grams of wax can last me months.

I like to get high, but I also learned how and when to get high.

This is something that these young tokers will learn over time too. Yes, cannabis can be addictive in some. However, those addiction rates float somewhere alongside that of coffee.

We drink Espressos without worrying too much about the “amount of caffeine we’re putting into our bodies”.

In fact, the most consumed drug on the plane is coffee. I bet you didn’t know that.

Coffee can lead to increased heart rates, and considering that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States…should we ban coffee?

I mean, who’s going to protect the individual from him or herself? Perhaps, a benevolent government agency could step in and tell us what we can and cannot do.

I’m not saying that Dr. Ivker is wrong on his points. We simply don’t know the long-term impact of dabbing and can’t definitely say that it’s harmless. However, invoking the very action that the cannabis industry has fought to dismantle, while at the same time using cannabis to treat chronic pain, sounds kind of hypocritical.

Education always trumps prohibition. Instead of running from our problems, trying to hide our faces in the sand…perhaps it’s time to have an honest conversation about drug use in general. Perhaps it’s time we stop trying to ban our problems away and address them head on.

Educate, don’t eliminate!

Should Marijuana Concentrates Be Banned in All States? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.