On 11/01/2022, WFAA News broke a story that shocked us all.
Four small children were taken to the hospital and found to have ingested THC. It was then discovered that a worker at the daycare where these children were being cared for was responsible for the exposure. The childcare had allegedly given them THC laced gummies. The employee was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance along with four counts of endangerment to a child.
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This is the type of story we are all worried we will hear. It is one of the things we as advocates have faced as push back from lawmakers for years as one of the reasons why they will not support legalizing cannabis. While we can totally understand that stance, we must ask that we open our minds to the ‘real perspectives’ we should be looking at here.
First and foremost, this incident is a direct result of a person’s actions or lack thereof. Just like in cases of gun violence, the person caused the issue & not the gun. In this instance, the person is responsible & not the THC. This person should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. For multiple reasons beyond the fact that THC was involved at all.
This person was trusted with the safety of these children and they violated that trust. The actual specifics are truly irrelevant beyond that breach of trust.
Second, we have to be honest. Even if not one state had ever made cannabis legal in any form, there would still be instances like this possible & they would still be happening. The prohibition of cannabis for over 80 years has done absolutely nothing to stop or even reduce the number of people who use, have used, or will eventually try cannabis.
The same can be said for prohibiting opioids. Statistics from studies have repeatedly shown that the laws prohibiting these substances only entice our youth to try them even more. In states with legal cannabis programs teen use has consistently gone down. It appears that the problem is not the substances but the laws surrounding them.
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And third, do we really want to fix the problem? If we do, then that means unlocking the ability to fully research the plant so we know everything about it’s benefits and possible downfalls.
That requires a well and properly regulated system. That would include packaging requirements that reduce child exposures and age restrictions with real consequences if not followed. That means we stop trying to blame a plant for people’s actions.
It really is pretty simple folks. Something has to change. The question that remains is do we go backwards or forward?
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