The stigma surrounding the consumption of cannabis remains unrelenting in many quarters despite the emergence of the drug’s increased legalization and the increasing use of the drug for medical and social purposes. Such stigma comes out of centuries of misinformation, criminalization, and prejudice that have led to the given state of cannabis. Combating cannabis stigma will be instrumental in cultivating the environment for acceptance by those already using cannabis for health or recreational purposes and, most importantly, will help elevate the rational debates about its use in society.
What are the Roots of Cannabis Stigma?
To best respond to the stigma surrounding cannabis, it would be worth looking at the reason why it exists in the first place. Cannabis stigma was not always there. The weed and medical plant that it is has been in use across cultures for ‘spiritual,’ recreational, and medicinal purposes. However, by the twentieth century and more so in the 1930s, the United States propaganda against marijuana took shape, and political, racist factors came playing their part.
In the 1930s, the U.S. government also initiated anti-cannabis movements and, more often than not, attributed its usage to immigrants such as Mexicans and African Americans, branding them as violent or deviant. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and later the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 lumped cannabis with hard drugs as Schedule I; hence, more negative stereotypes about the drug and its use grew within society.
While messages against the use of drugs and stigmatizing any person who uses drugs have continued, penal codes that were extreme for marijuana-related offenses have all created a perception that marijuana use is related to being lazy, criminal, and irresponsible. Such prejudices are still seen in society despite scientific evidence and legal changes showing the complete opposite of how successful or beneficial the plant can be.
Why is It Important to Address Cannabis Effects on Society?
It’s important to tackle cannabis stigma for a number of reasons, including:
- Health: The stigma surrounding cannabis use is one of the reasons many people do not access medical cannabis treatments that can help them. Those who do have a go at cannabis for medical reasons may feel too shy to share information about the plans for their treatment.
- Criminal Justice: Every effort to demonize or stigmatize the general use of cannabis products has centered on the more marginalized people of society. Even in states and countries where cannabis products are legalized, people of color continue to be arrested and charged with various drug crimes at a higher rate than the general population to whom cannabis has been made legal.
- Informed Decision-Making: The negative connotation of cannabis products simply feeds the false sense of bias in society, which deprives society of participating in discussions on the effects of marijuana. Stimulating the end of this stigma will promote a culture with healthy views of cannabis use disorder and the medical use of marijuana rather than those influenced by fear.
- Social Acceptance: As the trend continues for wide legalization, people who consume cannabis for recreational purposes as well as medicinal purposes should not be judged. Addressing these issues benefits the users and cultural communities connected with such extensive adoption.
How to Deal with Cannabis Stigma
Educate the Public: One of the effective ways of combatting the stigma surrounding the consumption of cannabis is by educating people. There is a need to redress the poor public image of weed − that has been due largely to misinformation.- Critique Benefits: Cannabis is proven as a treatment for medical conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety, epilepsy, and many more. The use of patient stories who have undergone medical cannabis is a persuasive center of shifting the opinion of the people and making its utilization more humanistic.
- Dispelling False Information: There are many misconceptions that must be addressed and corrected, such as cannabis falls under the category of ‘gateway drug’ and every cannabis user is irresponsible, lethargic, or both. Emphasizing the research that reveals there are no connections between cannabis use and aggression or negative outcomes, in general, will serve to change these outdated paradigms.
- Healthcare providers who support the use of cannabis for the treatment of different ailments.
- Public individuals who do not shy away from the use of cannabis, either for therapeutic or recreational purposes, eroding the depiction of the ‘couch potato stoner.’
- Normal users who can talk about the usage of cannabis in their lives with an emphasis on its benefits, proving that the society of cannabis users is very diverse.
- Talk About Marijuana in Families: Parents, teachers, or community leaders have to communicate freely about cannabis with children of younger age. Instead of using scare measures that do more harm than good health-wise, caregivers should engage children in true discussions to enable them to make sane decisions concerning their use or non-use of cannabis.
- Consult Medical Professionals: Medical cannabis use may be a sensitive topic, and patients should avoid any stigma so as to be able to talk about it with their doctors. It also means that healthcare providers should improve their knowledge of cannabis so that they don’t give biased information.
- Erase Past Offences: Relieving someone’s criminal history should pertain to non-violent offenders who were prosecuted due to cannabis charges, particularly those from affected populations that suffered unequally during the War on Drugs.
- Equalize Enforcement: Proclaiming fair law enforcement policies that help prevent racial imbalances in Cannabis-related arrests may help address one core aspect of stigma.
- Creating Positive Media Portrayals: Society’s views on who a cannabis user is have been changing even if negative media representation of the lazy stoner stereotype still exists. Even though the images of cannabis users in the media are changing, with the help of normalization, a lot more has to be done to shift the lazy cannabis user stereotype.
- Encourage Implementing Legal Cannabis Businesses: We enhance the trust in the industry and the perception that cannabis is a safe and useful product if used in moderation by supporting legal cannabis dispensaries, producers, and other product manufacturers.
People in public places should not be scared to bring up the topic of cannabis use. Organizations that seek to mitigate the stigma of cannabis use through community education will need to have cannabis-inclusive social events, more specifically, social events that include some education, such as cannabis sativa yoga classes, cooking classes, or wellness retreats.
Conclusion
Combating cannabis stigma is a complex issue that requires education, further dialogue, policy change, and cultural change. We can change societal knowledge and attitude towards marijuana use through the cultivation of correct information rather than allowing negative stereotypes and stigma to linger. This reduction in stigma further improves the lives of cannabis users because more people and institutions support the positives of cannabis use without judgment.