“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” ~ Not actually an Albert Einstein quote, but that’s a story for another time.
The point of that quote is to highlight that we are once more witnessing Congress make a huge stink about copycat marijuana edibles… for the second time in as many months. And once again, they are doing a lot of talking and not a lot of acting. Not that this is surprising in any way, considering how much US legislators love to stonewall.
On Wednesday, a group of 23 Attorneys General got together and drafted a letter to Congress, pressuring lawmakers to take action against copycat cannabis edibles that bear a resemblance to well-known food brands such as Oreos and Doritos.
The Song Remains The Same
If you read our last blog on the subject, you’re likely already well acquainted with these knock-off cannabis-infused edibles being sold online and in the illicit market, such as Stoneos, Cannabis Toast Crunch, and Medicated Nerd Ropes. In May, major brands like Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Pepsico implored lawmakers to crack down on copycat marijuana edibles. Though, as is par for the course with Congress, nothing was done on the subject.
Now, the coalition of 23 Attorneys General are weighing in on the subject. In a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday, led by Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D), and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), the coalition wrote, “Congress should immediately enact legislation authorizing trademark holders of well-known and trusted consumer packaged goods to hold accountable those malicious actors who are using those marks to market illicit copycat THC edibles to children,” according to Marijuana Moment.
“Well-known and trusted consumer packaged goods” – full of sugar, salt, and other processed ingredients – that are… also marketed to children.
“Won’t Somebody Please Think Of The Children!”
The fact that this letter once again harps on the idea that these marijuana edibles are being marketed to children conjures up images of parents, teachers, neighbors, police officers, etc., warning children of the dangers of poisoned, drug-laced, or razor blade-embedded Halloween candy.
And, like all of the Halloween horror stories that have cropped up year after year for decades, the idea of children ingesting marijuana-infused edibles because they’re marketed specifically to them is, by and large, propaganda.
Have children accidentally ingested cannabis edibles and gotten sick? Yes, of course. Are children jumping online, navigating to illicit websites and ordering a pack of Stoneos with their mom’s credit card because they think they’re regular Oreos? Of course not.
In fact, the majority of cases of children consuming marijuana edibles come about because the parents left their own stash within reach of said children. Wouldn’t the onus lie on the parents to ensure that their edibles are out of reach of little hands, rather than on companies marketing copycat THC-infused products?
And further, if it was really all about the children, wouldn’t these lawmakers be questioning and examining the ingredients in the regular mainstream brands and making changes so that the US rate of childhood obesity wasn’t a staggering 19.7%?
The truth of the matter is that the real problem lies in the inaction of US federal legislators to enact sensible policy regarding the consumption of marijuana for recreational and medical use. If proper policies were in place, consumers wouldn’t be turning to illicit black market online stores to buy their edibles. They would instead happily turn to licensed shops that sold regulated and tested THC-infused products.
Enjoyed that first hit? Come chill with us every week at the Friday Sesh for a freshly packed bowl of the week’s best cannabis news!
