UN: Legal cannabis poses risks – Cannabis | weed | marijuana

The United Nations (UN) Drug Control Committee says legal cannabis poses health risks. They warn of “negative health effects and psychotic disorders” if legalized. They also fear that legalization violates the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

One would think that after 62 years of evidence against the reefer madness myths, the UN would have an updated view. But unfortunately they repeat the mantra that cannabis is “highly addictive and prone to abuse”. According to the convention, it has no scientific or medicinal use.

“In all jurisdictions where cannabis has been legalized, data shows that cannabis-related health problems have increased,” said the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

But what exactly does this data show?

UN: There are risks to legal cannabis… but what are they?

The UN says legal cannabis has adverse risks and cites data to support these claims. But what are these risks?

According to Global Busybodies, “The most worrying impact of cannabis legalization is the likelihood of increased use, particularly among young people.”

Keep in mind that no country or state has legalized cannabis for children (except for medicinal purposes). So you’re talking about young adults—individuals who are capable of making their own decisions.

But the UN’s legal cannabis risks also affect children who have accidentally consumed cannabis products such as edibles. Of course, the data is legally skewed, as a parent can take their child to the hospital without criminal charges.

And even if they control this, the accidental ingestion of edibles by more children is not a valid argument against criminalizing adults who choose to use cannabis.

We wouldn’t reconsider the liquor ban because kids get in the liquor cabinet.

If that were the UN’s only concern about legal cannabis risks, we could safely ignore it. Public health busybodies concerned about children accidentally using cannabis are nothing new.

However, the UN goes even further. It has been said that the “most worrying effect” of legalization is increased consumption. Even among adults. They are concerned that “legalized cannabis products reduce risk perceptions and the negative consequences of their use.”

The UN is concerned about the “trivialization” of legal cannabis risks.

INCB President Jagjit Pavadia said, “The expanding cannabis industry is marketing cannabis-related products to appeal to young people and this is a cause for concern, as is the way the harms associated with the use of potent cannabis products are being downplayed.”

What is this damage?

The UN says these are the legal cannabis risks

According to the United Nations, “Between 2000 and 2018, global medical admissions related to cannabis addiction and withdrawal increased eight-fold. Admissions for psychotic disorders related to cannabis have quadrupled globally.”

They also say, “Statistical evidence from Colorado (USA) shows that fatal traffic accidents involving drivers under the influence of cannabis almost doubled from 2013 to 2020.”

We’ve covered many of these myths before. But consider the various problems in using statistical evidence.

1. Correlation vs. Causality: Statistical evidence often shows a strong correlation between two variables, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that one variable causes the other. Policy decisions based solely on correlation may not be practical or may have unintended consequences.
2. Misleading data: Statistics can be manipulated or presented as dishonest, leading to wrong conclusions and bad policy decisions. For example, almost every study of fatal traffic accidents and cannabis use uses a biased sample or selectively selects data to support an anti-cannabis conclusion.
3. Incomplete data: Researchers can limit statistical evidence by the availability of data. Government policy decisions based on incomplete or insufficient data can lead to poor outcomes.
4. Disturbing variables: Other factors may affect the results observed in the data. Ignoring these confounding variables can lead to wrong conclusions and ineffective strategies.
5. Ethical concerns: There are ethical concerns about using statistical evidence to inform government policy. For example, the UN infantilizes a group of single adults because of their “juvenile” status.

What about the successes of cannabis legalization?

While no state or country has gotten the legalization of cannabis right, it’s clear that not criminalizing people for a plant is a step in the right direction.

According to the UN, this is not the case. Although legal states are in the early stages of this industry, the UN has declared the legalization of cannabis a failure.

Pavadia said: “Evidence suggests that cannabis legalization has not been successful in discouraging young people from using cannabis and illegal markets persist.”

Tax revenues are also lower than expected. Ergo, the successes of cannabis legalization do not outweigh the adverse serious health risks the UN claims to have found.

While the UN uses its skewed and incomplete data to make claims about the supposed harms of legal cannabis, they later cite that this data is “limited and often too recent to draw any meaningful conclusions.”

The UN says governments should conduct studies and research before making “long-term binding decisions”. Funny, because the same argument could have been made in the early 20th century when cannabis was originally banned.

The UN reminds governments that they have “considerable flexibility” over cannabis offenses – all the way down to actual legalization.

God forbid the citizens make decisions about the production and use of a non-poisonous medicinal herb within their own borders.

According to the UN, the “lobby of the cannabis industry” wants legalization to “increase their commercial profit”.

The UN also wants regulations on medicinal cannabis to meet World Health Organization standards.

How useless is the United Nations?

On a scale of one to ten, how useless is the United Nations? I would say 11 or 12.

This UN drug report is also concerned about an increase in cocaine production and trafficking. Of course, the United Nations has been just as effective in disrupting the cocaine trade as it has been with cannabis.

The UN also blames the opioid crisis on “illegal manufacture and increasing drug smuggling” rather than the illegality of these substances.

If I set out to achieve a goal in 1961 and by 2023 the result was worse than before, I had to seriously examine myself.

But not the UN

You will never win the drug war by focusing on supply. You’d think the UN would understand after all these years, but if your paycheck fools you into misdiagnosing the problem and applying the wrong remedies…

Speaking of which, the UN Drugs Committee is also concerned that not enough nations have an adequate secure supply of patented medicines.

The UN report states that legal cannabis poses health risks and that we should trust the pharmaceutical industry. Exactly what you would expect from this international body.

The United Nations is perhaps the most useless institution ever invented by mankind. Consider this report another nail in your coffin.