Citizens in New York and Connecticut filed lawsuits against their states. Among the three in New York:
1. Filed in New York Supreme Court:
It attacks the state rules on medical marijuana, marijuana product labeling and marijuana advertising. It is based on federal preemption as it violates federal law to have marijuana medicine, labeling and advertising. Marijuana is a Schedule I drug and cannot be used as medicine or advertised and labeled as medicine.
2. To beFiled in the New York Supreme Court: This suit argues preemption in that the state cannot spend state taxes on setting up marijuana stores. This practice involves marijuana trafficking and money laundering.
3. To be Filed in the New York Supreme Court: A third lawsuit will argue that there is a state constitutional right to clean air that is violated by public marijuana smoking. Marijuana smoke is more dangerous than tobacco smoke; it is carcinogenic and causes allergic reactions. (It’s ironic to think how hard it was to get tobacco smoke out of public places, only to find the smell of marijuana ubiquitous.)
Connecticut
Residents of Stamford, Connecticut filed a lawsuit aiming to shut down pot shops throughout the state. The Stamford Neighborhoods Coalition is seeking an injunction in Superior Court to prohibit commercial cannabis operations, not just in the city, but in all of Connecticut. The chief argument supporting the petition is that the 2021 legalization of marijuana in the state violated the federal Controlled Substances Act and should never have happened.The lawsuit also argues that legalization is a public safety issue, saying, “Siting cannabis facilities anywhere in Stamford necessarily increases criminal activity in Stamford, putting children at greater risk.”
As of January 2024, we’ve tracked 312 child abuse deaths related to cannabis in the United States over the past 11 years. Our data comes mainly from news stories found online. Where are the academic researchers who should be studying this problem?
In three states that track substance use in reports of child abuse — Arizona, Florida and Texas — marijuana is most frequently listed.
Our count begins in November 2012, when the first two states, Colorado and Washington, voted to legalize pot .Legalizing marijuana sends an underlying message, ‘If it’s legal, it must be safe’; we suspect the number is much higher.
When recreational pot shops opened in January 2014, the Colorado news media reported on three pot-related child deaths. Pro-pot activists wondered if it could dampen public opinion of legalizing pot, but national media chose not to report it.
Using Texas to typify what happens
Although a new report should be released any day, we share the chart from the report from Texas in 2022. Of 182 child abuse or neglect deaths in 2022, 73 of the perpetrators were active marijuana users at the time, 40 percent. Fifty-nine percent were former marijuana users. Texas includes unsafe sleeping as a factor in death, as it contributes to about 30 -50 deaths per year. Education on child safety and not using drugs would reduce that number. Texas has made admirable attempts to bring down the number of child deaths, but 60 to 75 percent of reported deaths over several years involve substance use. Continue reading Data to track Child Abuse and Neglect for 11 + years→
Cannabis advocates fight to prohibit parental pot use from being part of child protective services and custody agreements. NORML has long pushed for this legislation, but Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia saw right through this sham.
Billboards across the country advertise marijuana with false health claims that would never be allowed for tobacco or alcohol. Big, bold and high (no pun intended), these signs help to sell the drug — while being seen by thousands of children.
Seen in Massachusetts
Why can’t state regulators stop these assaults on the public that attempt to portray weed as the road to a long life and better health?
Our answer: the cannabis industry which has legions of lobbyists in state governments — routinely prevails against sensible legislation. Only the states of Vermont and Montana ban billboard advertising. Most states struggle to regulate marijuana because the industry overpowers legislators with incredible promises.
Portland, Oregon
This sampling of billboards from around the country proves that the cannabis industry gets away with “murder” in legalization states. It also proves that the ganjapreneurs, or so-called cannabis “doctors,” make fraudulent claims.
Las Vegas
Quack Medicine and Phony Doctors
No ethical doctor would claim that cannabis is the road to a long and healthy life. It’s about as medical as 100-proof alcohol. Heavy, long-term cannabis users, like smokers and heavy drinkers, shorten their lives. Even when some choose cannabis for palliative care, the drug doesn’t do anything comparable to real medicine. Many with cancer try cannabis and reject it. Washington state
The “medical” marijuana industry’s false advertising began when they adopted a green cross, a pharmaceutical sign used in Europe. The gimmick continued by using the term “dispensary, ” which means a clinic, or a room where medicine is dispensed. Marijuana is numbness, not medicine. Chicago in 2021
The pot industry understands addiction marketing. In Chicago, 2021, Cresco Labs ran billboards repeating the word, EVERYDAY several times. Of course, a public outcry followed.
Marketing sex
After public outcry, an advertisement for cannabis-infused drinks near O’Hare Airport was replaced with something less sexual.
More recently, drivers into Chicago and O’ Hare Airport were greeted with a large billboard exclaiming that cannabis-infused drinks are better than SEX. Big bold letters and hot red on a white background were used to capture attention.
A public outcry followed, with complaints written in the Chicago newspapers. We’re happy to see that the sign was recently replaced, but it still advertises for cannabis-infused drinks.
In Washington state, signs of pretty young women lure people into a pot shop called “Green Lady Marijuana.”
What about the Freebies?
In Colorado, one billboard announced Free Dabs.
Even worse, an activist group in Washington, DC, gave out free marijuana with COVID shots. The program was called “Joints for Jabs.” Washington, DC, bans pot shops but allows gifting.
Most despicable are the advertising campaigns trying to get parents, and particularly women, to use weed. Based on the number of child abuse deaths caused by pot-using parents and the knowledge that pregnant women must not use cannabis, these promoters must be stopped.
We may hate the cannabis industry, but give them credit for being some of the biggest con artists of our era — better than Big Tobacco and the opioid industry.
