Several Australians have been hospitalised after consuming ‘mushroom gummies’. This highlights the challenges of regulating products that fall somewhere between a food and a medicine.
Cannabis and psilocybin – used under supervision – have the potential to work better than current pain treatments, but the research into both has long been hindered by federal legislation.
Policymakers will have to think carefully about pricing, taxation and providing discounts for buying in bulk. Else legalisation may not deliver a substantial tax windfall after all.
THC concentrations in newly available products far exceed those of traditional smoked weed, which can have dangerous unintended consequences in adolescents.
Alcohol and tobacco use carries significant health risks but they’re legalised – so why not cannabis? Despite the concerns, decriminalising cannabis could have public health benefits.
Many people wrongly assume that cannabis use during pregnancy is safe. Research is increasingly documenting a host of serious health harms from prenatal exposure to cannabis and other substances.
A Weed-Free January could do more good than cannabis users may realize. Regular cannabis users could expect to experience a number of positive physical and lifestyle changes from a 31-day pause.
There were concerns about changes that cannabis legalization might bring. But some trends that were already underway beforehand mostly carried on afterward.
Cannabis growers in the capital report many obstacles, from laws banning the purchase of seeds and artificial lights to the lack of information on growing conditions.