One in two news stories today seems to center on large groups of the population banding together to blast individuals or institutions over their assumed lack of sensitivity toward something.

It’s gotten so bad that many people are afraid to even innocently compliment another person for fear of some type of retribution.  It’s interesting how as a nation we are so focused on matters like these.  Some of these discussions are important, of course, but many others seem downright distractive and silly.

A random click on the national news will show large segments of the nation bashing Kylie Jenner because she has the financial means to spend her 22nd birthday on a private yacht surrounded by luxury.  Apparently, as a young billionaire, it is not politically correct to be able to enjoy the fruits of your honest, decent labor by celebrating the way you choose on your special day.  Or how about individuals who have purchased NBA teams that can no longer call themselves owners due to a supposed reference to slavery?   Is that honestly relevant in most people’s minds?  If so, what will “homeowners” be forced to call themselves in the future?

Given what sometimes seems to be too intense of scrutiny on the optics of a word or phrase, I can’t help but wonder why we are not addressing the names of policy agencies that work in the cannabis field.

For example, why isn’t anyone lobbying for the legalization of this plant to help so many in need, instead of condemning the possible abuse of it?  These appointed agencies rightfully have a lot of say about cannabis (and that is an important voice) but let’s execute the initiatives of added trials, testing, research and data collection to be fair..  It is important to acknowledge and discuss the possible risks associated with marijuana use (i.e. abuse/dependency, underage use, impaired driving, paranoia, fatigue, memory impairment) but it is also important to present a balanced view including the benefits (i.e. anxiety reduction, pain relief, less violence among users, increased feelings of happiness and satisfaction, lower rates of opiate dependence, and domestic violence, better sex).

With current agency opinions skewed only to the side of possible dangers (however unlikely), I would argue that we are doing a disservice to cannabis.  In this age of hyper-awareness and sensitivity, I wonder why large parts of agency dialogues, agendas and even names haven’t been scrutinized quite so much as a celebrities’ choice of birthday party locations.  I think we’d all agree a balanced approach to cannabis is far more important a matter to be concerned with than what Ms. Jenner had for her birthday dinner.

Let’s all stand up and unite for the proper attention the Cannabis Community deserves!