Yo, what’s good, fam? It’s your boy Dan coming at ya with some lit news about the legalization of that dank herb. Back in 1996, California made history by becoming the first state to legalize medical marijuana. And since then, a whopping 40 states and the District of Columbia have jumped on the bandwagon and legalized that medicinal Mary Jane. But check it, 24 states and the District of Columbia took it a step further and said, “Yo, let’s make it legal for recreational use too!” However, four of them ain’t got their commercial retail markets up yet. It’s all good though, ’cause just like alcohol, you gotta be 21 or older to puff puff pass that sweet green goodness.
But hold up, in Washington things might be changing up. There’s this bill called House Bill 2320 that wants to increase the legal age to buy cannabis products with over 35% THC to 25 years old. That’s right, they tryna make you wait even longer to get your hands on that fire bud. This bill was introduced by Representatives Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline) and Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake) on January 11, and they got a public hearing scheduled for January 16. These guys say that high-THC products can mess you up physically and mentally, so they wanna put some restrictions on ’em. But don’t worry, if you got a medical card or you’re a designated provider, this bill won’t apply to you.
Now let’s talk about why they wanna do this. Davis says there ain’t no legal limits on the potency of THC in concentrates. That means you can find vape oils, dabs, and shatter with THC levels almost at 100%. That’s ten times stronger than when they first legalized weed in 2012! And these concentrated products are no joke, they come with some serious risks, ya feel me?
Dent says that the cannabis game has changed a lot since it became legal. So they gotta make sure they’re doing everything they can to keep users and especially the youngins safe. I respect that, but here’s the thing: Washington was one of the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis back in 2012, along with Colorado. They let people who are 21 and older buy that good good. And now, 18 more states have joined the party. But if this bill passes, you gotta be 25 to cop some weed. They tryna make it match up with the drinking age, but some folks think that’s a bit much.
Look, here’s the deal. Our brains don’t stop growing until we hit our mid-to-late 20s. That prefrontal cortex thing in our forehead, it’s one of the last areas to fully mature. It’s responsible for making smart decisions and stuff like that. Some studies say that using weed as a teenager can mess with your brain development, so they say you should wait until you’re an adult to start smokin’. But c’mon, this bill is kinda whack. We’ve seen how well prohibition works, right? And comparing it to the drinking age? Nah, fam.
The peeps behind this bill say they got scientific proof to back ’em up. Researchers from Washington State University and the University of Washington did a report last November called “Cannabis Concentration and Health Risks.” They say that using high-THC cannabis can lead to addiction and mental health problems, especially for teens. They even say that using it every day can mess with your head and make you more likely to develop a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia.
But hold up a sec! That evidence they talkin’ about is all about teenagers aged 14-19, not adults aged 21-25. So like, what’s the deal? And get this, the bill wants the Department of Health to set up training programs for weed store employees and have the University of Washington teach healthcare peeps about the risks. Some folks think that’s just a waste of money and time.
So here’s where we at, my peeps. This bill might mess with the cannabis market and make things even more complicated. Yeah, they tryna protect us and all, but it might not do much to change how we use weed. Some people say we should treat weed and alcohol differently ’cause they affect us in different ways. It’s a tough gig, tryna find that balance between keeping people safe and letting the cannabis industry grow.
At the end of the day, we gotta think about all this stuff. Scientific evidence, how it’ll affect the market, and what it means for the future of cannabis legalization in the US of A. But for now, let’s just keep puffin’ and passin’, my friends. Stay lifted! Peace out.
