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Dear Stoner: I can go into Total Wine and purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of alcohol in “kid-friendly” flavors like whipped cream, candy and chocolate. If I can purchase enough alcohol to kill several adults as a private citizen, why is marijuana THC content an issue?
K
Dear K: Some forms of marijuana and THC are still newer and scarier than alcohol, even to people who voted in favor of legalization. The argument behind a THC potency cap or limiting marijuana sales largely centers around youth use, which has remained flat in Colorado since recreational dispensaries opened. However, use of THC concentrate among kids more than doubled from 2015 to 2019, according to a state study, and parents and addiction specialists want action.
Extracted marijuana products have been under the microscope in 2021.
Jacqueline Collins
We’re going through a learning period with the effects of commercializing THC, and condolences to the families who’ve been rocked by addiction, but this is reminiscent of when gangster rap emerged and Congress floated the idea of censoring music in 1990. Teenagers are going to do what they want, and abstinence has proven to be a pipe dream — yet there are always going to be people who think prohibition is the answer. Decades of a thriving cannabis black market show that strong THC products will continue even if they are banned. The answer lies in more education. Do you want to tell that to someone with a fifteen-year-old who won’t stop dabbing, though? That’s not so easy.
Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.
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