Business
Talking To Your Kids About Cannabis In 2023
This is a discussion you should have with your child beginning in their pre-teen years and continuing through high school or college.
Increasing marijuana legalization has caused many parents to question what this implies for their kids’ future. Parents are increasingly asking how to approach this subject with their children and how to structure their responses to maintain the health and safety of their kids. For example, should parents use cannabis in front of their children?
Undoubtedly, it is unusual in modern society to see an illicit product become legal and accessible for purchase. Because no generation since the times of prohibition can recollect such a transition from illegal to legal, it’s reasonable that there are concerns and fears about cannabis legalization. Nonetheless, this topic, like most issues that parents are forced to confront, can serve as a wonderful springboard for parents to explain the truth about substance abuse and use in our culture, irrespective of how we feel about it.
First, parents and children must grasp what cannabis legalization entails for everyone. The rules and legislation differ significantly from state to state. Still, it’s vital to recognize that cannabis consumption is considered a substance designated for adults. In states like Colorado, it is unlawful for anyone under the age of 21 to possess or consume cannabis, and it is also prohibited to drive while under the influence of cannabis.
The federal law in the United States remains unchanged, meaning cannabis remains illegal. The minimum age requirement to use cannabis in Canada also varies by province. However, it is likely to be 18 across many places. While this information may appear minor, it is vital to remember when discussing marijuana use with your child.
Discussing With Your Kids
When discussing a complex subject with your kid, the best place to start is by providing them with the best information and facts you can gather. Conducting a web search with your kid to learn about cannabis and its effects on the human body is an excellent place to start. For example, you can learn about how marijuana compounds influence the body, the plant’s effects on the developing brain of an adolescent, sleep, judgement, and overall wellness.
Just as with alcohol, you can explain to your child the dangers of marijuana as a mind-altering substance, particularly for adolescents who are still going through physical and emotional growth. You can give your child the “task” of looking up several articles that go through the consequences of marijuana use on the brain from a medical standpoint. Use these articles as a starting point for a conversation on cannabis.
Talking to your child about cannabis legalization may be simple if you disapprove of it. It may be more challenging to persuade your youngster to understand the adverse effects of marijuana use if you are an advocate for its legalization or currently use it yourself. Remember that even if marijuana is legal in your state and regardless of how you personally feel about its legalization and use, it is still unlawful for anyone under 21. You should use this knowledge to decide what to teach your child.
Next, while talking to your child about marijuana, consider their age. Information can be best provided to younger kids (elementary age) on a need-to-know basis. It can be helpful for older children (middle school or high school age) to assist in separating reality from fiction on what cannabis is and its effects. Even if your child may object and claim that they already know everything about it, don’t let them off the leash that quickly.
Children of this age may believe they already have all the details based on information passed down through peer groups. However, as with alcohol and sex, much of their data is mostly false. Hence, it would help if you started the dialogue. Allow your youngster to speak freely until they have told you everything they know. If some information is inaccurate, ask them follow-up questions and provide the correct information.
Difficult Questions Your Child May Ask
Your child may ask challenging questions about cannabis use, and you should be prepared to respond as intelligently and honestly as possible. The following are some probable comments/queries you may encounter and some responses you may find beneficial.
Does legal weed mean it’s not dangerous to use?
Clarify to your child that this isn’t always the case. There are various legal substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and opioids, that can be hazardous or even deadly if used or misused. That also applies to cannabis.
Is weed a safer alternative to alcohol?
Point out that just because the headlines aren’t reporting deaths directly related to marijuana usage doesn’t mean it’s a safer substance to use. Reiterate that using cannabis impairs decision-making skills and lowers inhibitions, which can lead to poor decisions that are potentially deadly.
Have you ever tried cannabis?
First, ensure your response is brief and to the point without going into too much detail. Try not to dwell on the past. But instead, dwell on what you learned and understand now as an adult and why you worry for your child and their future.
What should I do if I am tempted?
You can tell your child, “We expect you to abstain from using any substances since we know their potential health risks. We are always available if anything ever pops up and you require assistance.” In addition to declaring that you would be around for them, improve your child’s confidence by practicing some replies for when this occurs.
Conclusion
A one-time chat with your youngster about this topic will not suffice. This is a discussion you should have with your child beginning in their pre-teen years and continuing through high school or college. Allowing your child to know that you are there for them every moment along the way, and continuing the dialogue at each phase of their growth, will go a long way to keep your kid substance free.
Source: https://thefreshtoast.com/how-to/talking-to-your-kids-about-cannabis-in-2023/
New Mexico regulators fined a cannabis operator nearly $300,000 and revoked its license after the company allegedly created fake reports in the state’s traceability software.
The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused marijuana manufacturer and retailer Golden Roots of 11 violations, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Golden Roots operates the The Cannabis Revolution Dispensary.
The majority of the violations are related to the Albuquerque company’s improper use of BioTrack, which has been New Mexico’s track-and-trace vendor since 2015.
The CCD alleges Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after it had received its vertically integrated license, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Because cannabis takes longer than two months to be cultivated, the CCD was suspicious of the report.
After inspecting the company’s premises, the CCD alleged Golden Roots reported cultivation, transportation and sales in BioTrack but wasn’t able to provide officers who inspected the site evidence that the operator was cultivating cannabis.
In April, the CCD revoked Golden Roots’ license and issued a $10,000 fine, according to the news outlet.
The company requested a hearing, which the regulator scheduled for Sept. 1.
At the hearing, the CCD testified that the company’s dried-cannabis weights in BioTrack were suspicious because they didn’t seem to accurately reflect how much weight marijuana loses as it dries.
Company employees also poorly accounted for why they were making adjustments in the system of up to 24 pounds of cannabis, making comments such as “bad” or “mistake” in the software, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Golden Roots was fined $298,972.05 – the amount regulators allege the company made selling products that weren’t properly accounted for in BioTrack.
The CCD has been cracking down on cannabis operators accused of selling products procured from out-of-state or not grown legally:
- Regulators alleged in August that Albuquerque dispensary Sawmill Sweet Leaf sold out-of-state products and didn’t have a license for extraction.
- Paradise Exotics Distro lost its license in July after regulators alleged the company sold products made in California.
Golden Roots was the first alleged rulebreaker in New Mexico to be asked to pay a large fine.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-mexico-cannabis-operator-fined-loses-license-for-alleged-biotrack-fraud/
Four marijuana companies, including a multistate operator, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in which they allege the federal MJ prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act is no longer constitutional.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, retailer Canna Provisions, Treevit delivery service CEO Gyasi Sellers, cultivator Wiseacre Farm and MSO Verano Holdings Corp. are all harmed by “the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing intrastate marijuana.”
Verano is headquartered in Chicago but has operations in Massachusetts; the other three operators are based in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the “Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state law.”
The companies want the case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
They hired prominent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to represent them.
The New York-based firm’s principal is David Boies, whose former clients include Microsoft, former presidential candidate Al Gore and Elizabeth Holmes’ disgraced startup Theranos.
Similar challenges to the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have failed.
One such challenge led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2005.
In Gonzalez vs. Raich, the highest court in the United States ruled in a 6-3 decision that the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to outlaw marijuana federally, even though state laws allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
In the 18 years since that ruling, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult-use marijuana and the federal government has allowed a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry to thrive.
Since both Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, currently headed by Garland, have declined to intervene in state-licensed marijuana markets, the key facts that led to the Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling “no longer apply,” Boies said in a statement Thursday.
“The Supreme Court has since made clear that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate purely intrastate commerce,” Boies said.
“Moreover, the facts on which those precedents are based are no longer true.”
Verano President Darren Weiss said in a statement the company is “prepared to bring this case all the way to the Supreme Court in order to align federal law with how Congress has acted for years.”
While the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana would help solve marijuana operators’ federal tax woes, neither rescheduling nor modest Congressional reforms such as the SAFER Banking Act “solve the fundamental issue,” Weiss added.
“The application of the CSA to lawful state-run cannabis business is an unconstitutional overreach on state sovereignty that has led to decades of harm, failed businesses, lost jobs, and unsafe working conditions.”
Alabama regulators are targeting Dec. 1 to award the first batch of medical cannabis business licenses after the agency’s first two attempts were scrapped because of scoring errors and litigation.
The first licenses will be awarded to individual cultivators, delivery providers, processors, dispensaries and state testing labs, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC).
Then, on Dec. 12, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations, a designation set primarily for multistate operators.
Licenses are expected to be handed out 28 days after they have been awarded, so MMJ production could begin in early January, according to the Alabama Daily News.
That means MMJ products could be available for patients around early March, an AMCC spokesperson told the media outlet.
Regulators initially awarded 21 business licenses in June, only to void them after applicants alleged inconsistencies with how the applications were scored.
Then, in August, the state awarded 24 different licenses – 19 went to June recipients – only to reverse themselves again and scratch those licenses after spurned applicants filed lawsuits.
A state judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Chicago-based MSO Verano Holdings Corp., but another lawsuit is pending.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/alabama-plans-to-award-medical-cannabis-licenses-dec-1/
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