Gallup highlights cannabis consumption alongside alcohol and tobacco.
Gallup, which has been tracking self-reported cannabis consumption for decades, recently wrote about cannabis in comparison to alcohol and tobacco use.
It’s not a new poll, but it’s noteworthy that cannabis — a federally illegal substance — was put on a similar playing field as cigarettes and alcohol.
“Over the centuries, the use of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana has become intertwined with a complex tapestry of cultural and political disapprobation and constraints,” the piece highlighted.
Which direction will cannabis go? Gallup itself acknowledged the big question mark here.
“Americans are more ambivalent about the effects of smoking marijuana, and its future use by Americans will depend partly on changes in recognition of its potential harms and partly on the continuing shifts in its legality in states across the union,” Gallup noted.
John Fetterman is back at it on cannabis.
Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman hit the campaign trail again this month for his Senate run after suffering a stroke in May. And it didn’t take long for him to use his megaphone to advocate for cannabis reform, an issue for which he’s been a loud supporter for years.
In this case, ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to Pennsylvania this week, Fetterman is calling on Biden to deschedule cannabis.
“It’s long past time that we finally decriminalize marijuana,” said Fetterman. “The president needs to use his executive authority to begin descheduling marijuana, I would love to see him do this prior to his visit to Pittsburgh. This is just common sense and Pennslyvanians overwhelmingly support decriminalizing marijuana.
“I don’t want to hear any bullshit coming out of Dr. Oz’s campaign trying to conflate decriminalizing marijuana with seriously harmful crime. Are we supposed to believe that neither he nor any members of his staff have ever used marijuana? As mayor of Braddock, I made it my mission to combat serious crime. I know firsthand what real crime looks like. Marjiuana does not fit the bill. It’s time to end the hypocrisy on this issue once and for all.”
The Dept. of Transportation is collecting information about cannabis impaired driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filed a notice on the Federal Register seeking some “new information” the Administration wants to collect in an effort to “help improve Officers’ performance” and programs related to Drug Recognition Experts, or DREs. These are the officers who receive extra training to spot cannabis impairment on the road.
A reminder: despite increasing conversations in Congress about cannabis, and state-legal cannabis programs, there’s no national standard for cannabis impairment, nor is there a reliable test for cannabis impairment.
“Impaired driving resulting from cannabis or other drug use poses challenges for our nation’s law enforcement officers, prosecutors, toxicologists, highway safety offices, and others. As the number of States legalizing marijuana continues to increase, the need for effective strategies to address the growing concerns about impaired driving is imperative,” the notice reads.
“Law enforcement agencies are eager for strategies to improve their efficiency, consistency, and completeness of their DRE programs. This program will play a critical role in a State’s efforts to reduce impaired driving.”
