I have always favored legalizing pot but I've had misgivings about the industry. While there are legit medical uses for weed, especially in fighting inflammation, the pot biz wildly exaggerates the benefits. Second, all the research indicates it's better to not use it till you're like 25. It really can interfere with brain development in young people. Not radically, but it ain't good. And, many pot growers use pesticides and herbicides -- bad for Earth and your health. You're smoking pesticides.
@JohnShirley2023 My concern is that all those historically benign use cases involve remote ancestors of these new, incredibly concentrated cultivars with their advanced grow-ops. Pharmacologically bears as much resemblance to that Oaxacan ditchweed you remember from college as the F35 Joint Strike Fighter does to a house wren.
@mrcompletely @pieist There's a LOT of environmental damage--some down to cartels but definitely not all of it--from marijuana cultivation. For that reason and for health reasons people should try to grow their own or get something likely to be truly organically raised.
@JohnShirley2023 @pieist this is undoubtedly true. The huge cartel run ops in particular are devastating. Another potential benefit of legality in a theoretical, just system is that the environmental and resource costs would be fully priced in. That's true in some cases now but it's very very uneven. The impacts of electricity, water, chemical use are all significant
@mrcompletely The cartels SOAK the ground with chemicals...
@pieist @JohnShirley2023 perhaps, though imo that's an exaggeration, as someone that's been around the business since long before it was legal. One could also say you just need to smoke less now to get the same benefit. Regardless, that all just means we need better modern research and science, yes?
I personally don't use cannabis as medicine, though I know many who do. I use it recreationally in moderation and consider that a perfectly "benign use case"