US marijuana grows stronger than before - report
WASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - The marijuana being sold across the United States is stronger than ever, which could explain a growing number of medical emergencies that involve the drug, government drug experts on Wednesday.
Nowhere in the article does it explain what “emergencies” are involved here. When I think of the term “medical emergency”, I envision ambulance rides and IV tubes. The use of the phrase in this context is either inflammatory, or at least highly inappropriate.
The term evokes images of heroin junkies and cocaine users overdosing and either dying, or LSD users freaking out and being put in a psych ward.
Chris
Are you just a stenographer for the government or do you actually do any investigation of what your sources say??? What kind of “medical emergencies” result from marijuana use?
V.O.
Your article refers to medical emergencies caused by stronger marijuana. Please tell me about even one medical emergency caused by marijuana, I know of no recorded emergencies due to this substance.
Please enlighten me!
F.C.
Surely you have more to do than to parrot the latest version of Reefer Madness. Surely facts have some role to play in what your news service publishes.
Ken
Lots and lots of readers asked for examples of these emergencies. We updated the story with an explanation which should have been made clear from the start, that medical emergency “means that the patient mentioned using marijuana and does not mean the drug directly caused the accident or condition being treated.” GBU Editor
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7 comments so far
This article was probably taken straight off of an Office of National Drug Policy press release. Very despicable and reprehensible propaganda released by my government the day after the Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch hearings which also involved false propaganda intentionally created by and released by my government.
- Posted by Joel RosenauThe explanation should have been in the lead paragraph, which would essentially make the report a non-story.
I’m certain that aspirin is mentioned much more often than marijuana by ER patients. Let’s link aspirin use with medical emergencies.
If you want to do a story. Investigate NIDA and its unscientific studies on marijuana. Check out the footnotes, and you’ll find that the facts have been twisted or taken out of context.
Check out the methodology used in each of the studies.
If you’ll check emergency room records, you’ll find that more people have died of a water overdose than a marajuana OD. No One has ever ODed on pot.
- Posted by G. ray haireGiven the immense number of car crashes caused by people who are high on weed (almost as many as those caused by alcohol, which is more easily available), I don’t see what the problem is with this quote. *Of course* it can cause medical emergencies, as any mind-altering substance can if taken at the wrong time.
Weed may not be the evil the drug czars paint it as, but it sure isn’t the always-harmless perfect substance some assume it is.
- Posted by CharleneWhere do you get your statistics, Charlene? NIDA? Show me where I can find anything to substantiate your claim:
“Given the immense number of car crashes caused by people who are high on weed (almost as many as those caused by alcohol, which is more easily available), I dont see what the problem is with this quote.”
You’ve obviously been gobbling up the propaganda and sending your common sense on vacation.
- Posted by G. ray haireCharlene,
- Posted by adYou theory is highly disputable, chiefly because most of the weeders don’t own a car. Of course by car crashes, if you meant car on person accidents you might have a point.
This is great, but what’s the point of even mentioning the medical emergencies when it has nothing to do with the rest of the article? The article is about the potency of the latest marijuana, not about any sort of relation between ER visits and marijuana. I just don’t see how it’s relevant to the article, other than to somehow many marijauna tangental to this idea of an emergency. It is still flawed, in my opinion.
Thank you,
- Posted by Steven SquiresSteven
I have an idea for a story. How about analyzing the claim that increased potency = increased harm? Do you think that connection is obvious? Because it isn’t. What an interesting premise for a report: “Government claims increase in potency as part of scare-tactic, suggests un-founded claim of a corresponding increase in harm.” Even better: if it wouldn’t be too painful, maybe you could be slightly more, I don’t know, ‘critical’ of the information handed out by the ONDCP and NIDA regarding marijuana. Maybe you could look at the actual studies, rather than the press reports! I know that might be difficult, but I think you can do it. I believe that someone, somewhere in the world media still has some concept of journalistic integrity.
- Posted by Nathan