I've written a few times about how the medicinal properties of marijuana, or THC specifically, have helped me a great deal. For years I struggled with insomnia, probably related to anxiety, and 5 mg of THC via a gummy has largely solved that problem. Unexpectedly, it also treats my restless leg problem. I've never been formally diagnosed with that, but I know that I don't have it when I'm taking the THC. Diana uses it for back pain management, which is especially useful since the conventional pain killers have not been good for her kidneys. There's a lot of potential upside, but we don't really know what the negatives are, because they haven't been studied.
I was thinking about this because I'm in Colorado at the moment, where recreational THC in all its forms is a thing, and it's everywhere. There are four dispensaries within four blocks of my hotel. Because of the federal status, I can't fly across state lines with my gummies. The least I can do almost anywhere is 10 doses of 10 mg, which sucks because I need only 15 mg total for three nights. It's cheaper here than in Florida, but it's still a little wasteful. Also, the brand that I bought sucks, such a weird texture compared to what I get at home. That's the Wana brand, by the way. They're delicious and don't taste like weed. Unfortunately it's been raining, and the nearest store here is too far away.
One of the things that varies so wildly with product is potency. If you like to smoke it, who knows what you might get. Growers have worked hard to breed more potent strains. But even for edibles, it varies wildly. Even for the brand that I like, the real dosages are between 8 and 9 mg per gummy, and when you're only using half of that, that's a lot of difference. The batch I got here was about 10.8 mg, which is almost 30% more than what I'm used to. Again, I'm not a heavy user, and not trying to get high. The most I've had in an awake situation is that 8.something, and honestly, I don't really like the feeling. It's not like being drunk, but I can't explain why. Maybe it's just the difference in familiarity.
Where I'm going with this is that if it was legal, we could see a lot more precision in how it's regulated consistently, especially as it relates to potency. If you make an alcohol product, the ATF will fuck up your business if you don't exactly land the proof that you're selling. With THC products, there is no uniform scrutiny in that respect. And I understand, when you're dealing with plants, variability is impossible to control. But it seems weird that it isn't more consistent in every other form of THC, including edibles, tinctures and vapes. That's a lot of chemistry.
Again, I have to point out that it's not like alcohol. Alcohol is essentially poison. There is no evidence that it provides any health benefit, despite the longstanding myth about red wine having some benefit. There is, however, a ton of evidence that THC can be beneficial for a range of health issues. It might also have negative long-term effects, but we can't study that with the rigor that we can with legal products. I know it helps me, but I want to know that it isn't going to cause harm, or that the risk is relatively low. We also don't know what percentage of people will find it addictive, but it's a non-zero number, and I'm sure it's higher than clinicians would prefer.
The feds need to reclassify. I realize we have bigger problems right now, but a healthy government can do more than thing at once. (If only we had a healthy government.)
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