Is Cannabis Our Friend?

Buzzfeed is a popular media page that shares most of its blog-like articles on Facebook. While it uses other social media platforms like Twitter, the primary outlet is Facebook. The post discusses the popularity of Marijuana in the US. It focuses in on the fact that couples are beginning to replace open alcohol bars at their weddings with open marijuana bars. This has become a fad that most people are agreeing with. At the end of the article, Buzzfeed ran a survey to see if the reader thinks “It’s a great idea!”, “It’s crossing the line a bit…”, or “I don’t care, I only go to weddings for the cake." Sixty two percent of responses were in favor of the first answer, Twenty one percent thinks it’s “crossing the line a bit,” and seventeen percent didn’t care either way (Torres). Wedding favors at these events are usually cannabis-oriented, and there ends up being no alcohol present. There are many companies in states where weed is legal that cater these events with expensive cannabis-laced sweet treats and favors for the guests. For some couples, cannabis is incorporated into the ceremony as a substitute for the unity candle. Cannabis has also been proven to be cheaper than alcohol at weddings. For a 100 person wedding, the cost of a marijuana bar for two hours is around $300. For every hour after, there is a $100 fee (Torres). Proven to be cheaper than alcohol, many people are turning to this type of wedding. This is proof that the cannabis industry is thriving and becoming an extremely popular and acceptable aspect of US culture.

The cannabis industry is very well represented in the business world. There are many businesses and trade organizations that are latching on to the idea of owning cannabis businesses because they are aware that a lot of money lies in this field. The National Cannabis Industry Association, or the NCIA, is readily moving forward with many goals in mind to expand the industry (Home). This organization offers benefits to anyone who would like to become an advocate or member of the group. This is a smart way to get people to stand up for this industry as one. They also provide the opportunity to speak in political settings and give insight in situations where others who are not a member may not be able to. There are many educational experiences available to those who become members. Those who do join the association are working towards many main goals. The organization works to spread basic knowledge of the cannabis industry to citizens and politicians as well as working towards legitimizing the legalization process in the United States. The main goal of the industry organization is to further the knowledge and accessibility of cannabis products.

According to the US Congress, a bill has been introduced to end the Federal Marijuana Prohibition in the United States. The bill states that marijuana will be removed from the schedule I section of the drug administration’s tiers (Congress). This is an imperative step towards regulating the use of cannabis. Marijuana is considered to be as deadly as heroin. That is why it has been placed as a schedule I drug, but evidence has proven that cannabis is not deadly. Obviously, it has been proven beneficial to many patients in need of alternate medications for chronic illnesses and diseases. The US government is working to increase awareness of the usefulness of this drug, but is for now leaving those legal decisions for individual states to decide.

All three of these sites provide some form of sound evidence that marijuana use is growing and becoming more widely accepted. Buzzfeed, the NCIA, and the US Congress all provide proof that cannabis is on the road to popularity. What do you think? Is cannabis our friend?