BY RUTH HILL R.N.
A white paper report recently issued by the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA), is declaring the nationwide sale of hemp-derived intoxicants is a “public health disaster.” Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC, THCO are synthetic cannabinoids developed with hemp products. The 2018 Farm Bill created a loophole in regulated hemp vape products and high-potency edibles readily available on the Internet. Synthetic cannabinoids do not occur in nature like the Delt-9 THC.
Rife with contaminants and chemical byproducts, many of these so-called hemp THC, and THC-like products are sold online and in convenience stores, gas stations, and smoke shops. Brazen marketing of products in a way intended to appeal to children is strictly forbidden. In contrast, “hemp” products need not abide by any such restrictions.
Absent a single federally regulated cannabinoid market that oversees both hemp and cannabis, the 2018 Farm Bill urgently needs to be amended to close the loophole allowing the unregulated sale of concentrated, intoxicating, and/or synthesized cannabinoids.
Deaths are occurring in Virginia, Colorado, Vermont, and Iowa, due to the contaminants in these gummies and hemp vape products. These products fall between neither non-psychoactive “hemp” nor regulated “cannabis.”
I have written several times about synthetic cannabinoids, but these deaths are always blamed on plant cannabinoids. See April 3, 2022, article on Super-potent Synthetic Cannabinoids are Escaping the Lab. Because these synthetics are so dangerous I propose a message to all parents during this holiday season.
While you are sitting at the dinner table eating your feast are you teaching your children how to drink alcoholic beverages? I know when I was a little girl in an Italian family I was introduced to wine at the table. My brothers were introduced to beer. While you are discussing alcoholic beverages are you also telling your children the dangers of alcoholic drinks?
Are you telling them how it can be very addictive and lead to alcoholism? Are you telling them how excessive use can lead to the hardening of the arteries? Are you telling them it can lead to liver failure and cirrhosis a disease for which there is no cure?
Your children will come into contact with students who want to entice your child into drinking alcoholic drinks and marijuana. Which one are you telling them to try? Are you telling them that no one in 500 thousand years has died from using the botanical plant cannabis? But 95,000 Americans die every year from alcohol-related diseases. I want you to make a concerted effort to compare the safety of ingesting cannabis to alcohol.
Please during this holiday season protect your children by educating them on the dangers of drinking and driving as well as the surreptitious dumping of hallucinogen substances into their unprotected drink. More than 6,000 fatal crashes in the U.S. during the holidays stemmed from drunken drivers, or 667 on average per year, from 2010 to 2018. In that same period, more than 6,700 people were killed in these holiday crashes. Do not mix drugs as they can potentially have lethal effects. Cannabis alone will not be deadly, mixing it with alcohol or other substances can lead to an ER visit and death. If they want to take marijuana be sure you provide it for them from a dispensary as that is the marijuana that is safe, tested, and regulated.
The synthetic marijuana obtained on the street or from friends is NOT tested, regulated, or safe. In fact, synthetic marijuana is Lethal. Anyone even a friend can spike their drink with a date rape drug, or another hallucinogen. Cannabis has an addiction rate of 9% the same rate as coffee. Alcohol has an addiction rate of 30% along with opiates. A fentanyl lased candy or pill leads to immediate death.
Please during this holiday season protect your children by educating them on the dangers of drinking and driving as well as the surreptitious dumping of hallucinogenic substances into their unprotected drink.
Learn more about how to use Marijuana Without the High at the Vault Dispensary Lounge. Starting in January 2023 lectures will be on the 2nd and 4th Fridays from 6 PM to 9 PM Call 760-866-9660 or send comments to cannaangel16@gmail.com
