I recently got my second COVID-19 vaccination shot (Pfizer), and I urge everyone reading this to do the same as soon as you can. It was completely painless and over in a matter of seconds.
In the end, getting past the COVID pandemic is going to be all about listening to the educated people with medical degrees and backgrounds in science and not the knuckleheads who run around spreading bad information on the internet and social media.
In the cannabis industry, we’ve seen this movie before. It was called “Reefer Madness.”
Or to put it another way, you should believe the same medical experts who consistently made the argument that cannabis was far less dangerous than the fearmongers who spread false information about THC in films, books and other media for decades. Scientists and other highly educated researchers aren’t always right about everything, but they’re usually far more accurate than kooky politicians looking to appease constituents and snake-oil salesmen looking to capitalize on ignorance or fear (think Jim Bakker and his Silver Solution, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told him to quit selling as a COVID cure).
I’m genuinely worried about this country and where it’s heading.
On one hand, the recent legalization of cannabis in so many states is a great thing and a move toward rational thinking when it comes to drug policy. You’d think we might finally be listening to scientists instead of politicians and religious zealots.
However, with social media and the internet, there seems to be this increased polarization over everything, including science, largely due to the nutty stuff spread by the far right and the willingness of some to believe completely outrageous garbage. Look no further than the recent statements by former President Donald Trump’s one-time lawyer, Sidney Powell, who’s facing a $1.3 billion lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, the company that makes the voting machines and software used in the last election. Along with Fox News, Lou Dobbs and other snake-oil salespeople, Powell is now looking at a potentially huge judgement against her because of the damages her statements caused the company. And guess what her defense is? She’s now asserting that no one would be stupid enough to believe her or the claims that the election was stolen. Tell that to the hundreds of knuckleheads now facing jail time for storming the Capitol, or the dead police officers’ loved ones, or the thousands of people who protested at state capitols around the country. The whole “stop the steal” thing was just more crap spewed from people with long histories of fraud, lies and contradictory behavior.
Now, their lies are even more dangerous because instead of lying about politics or a plant, they are lying about a virus that has killed about 1 in every 600 Americans who were alive on January 1, 2020, and they are spreading misinformation about how to best protect yourself and your loved ones from it.
The message, concerning cannabis, COVID or Trump is clear: Pay attention to experts, believe medical doctors over quacks, question what you read and where it comes from, and maybe most importantly, look for ulterior motives. Remember that false cannabis propaganda was often pushed by the folks who stood to gain the most financially from keeping it illegal.
Whether it’s Reefer Madness or misinformation spread by anti-vaxxers, don’t fall for it. Get vaccinated and let’s get back to normal life.
Greg James
Publisher