The should have better things to do but they don’t….
Marijuana Moment
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is teaming up with an anti-marijuana organization to mark “National Prevention Week,” promoting a campaign that encourages people to share memes with dubious claims about the effects of cannabis—including the theory that it is a “gateway drug” to using other substances.
The memes run the gamut, citing certain reports and studies that have been contradicted by other research. One meme claims that cannabis use is associated with a 50 percent decrease in sperm count, which the DEA-promoted meme suggests could contribute to infertility.
The “Just Say Know” campaign isn’t being directly organized by DEA; rather, it’s coordinated by the organization Johnny’s Ambassadors, which was founded parents who say their child died by suicide after consuming high-potency marijuana concentrates. But the federal agency is hosting the memes on two of its taxpayer-funded websites and has sent email blasts to promote them.
Cannabis potency remains an area of concern for certain lawmakers and anti-cannabis advocates. But the claims being published in meme format by DEA’s JustThinkTwice.gov and GetSmartAboutDrugs.gov sites are fairly sensationalized, or at least disputed by conflicting research.
For example, DEA cited a study alleging that the top contributor of future opioid use is consuming marijuana before the age of 18—an assertion that aligns with the gateway drug theory that’s been challenged based on other scientific analyses.
Other claims in the memes include those stating “50 Woodstock Joints = 1 Marijuana Dab,” attributing cannabis use during youth to a “STRONG” likelihood of developing “psychotic symptoms” in adulthood and linking marijuana to increased risk of schizophrenia, depression and suicidal ideation.
“Failing in school? Stop using THC,” another DEA-promoted meme reads.
See the memes at MM
