“…Because when medical marijuana is fully accepted for what it is, we will see a phenomenon that makes Viagra’s phenomenon seem limp.”

~ Peter McWilliams ~

Welcome back to The Magnolia Leaf !!!!

I’m here to tackle another important issue that might have crossed your mind lately, Destigmatizing the Use of Medical Marijuana. It’s time we embrace dispensaries and destigmatize cannabis.

Seemingly, there has been a lot of discussion taking place recently about the need to destigmatize marijuana consumption for medicinal purposes. But how can it be done?

 Let’s take a few minutes to go over some ways we can promote the use of cannabis to improve quality of life for the patients that need it the most. 

One important thing we can all do is place an emphasis on opening dialogues that promote embracing wellness with an understanding that physical, emotional, and mental health are all tied together.

In a 2019 survey by Pew Research Center, less than 10% of surveyed Americans actively oppose legalizing marijuana (https://pewrsr.ch/3doCMAq ). However, anti-dispensary sentiment is seemingly rampant as more states have made medical and even some allowing the recreational use of marijuana legal. The general misconceptions in the survey centered around the “type of people” that use cannabis. The data users pose some sort of threat; when, in reality, no scientific findings show any correlation between marijuana use and violence, psychosis, or criminal activity. There is substantial evidence proving this point, yet the underlying sentiment suggests that cannabis “doesn’t belong in this town” suggesting that people who use cannabis are automatically horrible influences on society. Even as younger generations have accepted marijuana into our culture-older generations are generally more inclined to oppose change in public policy and acceptance. This line of thought seems to be most prevalent among those who believe cannabis as a “gateway” to more illicit drugs like cocaine. Regardless of the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC states that the majority of marijuana users do not transition to other drugs. Various resources conclude that the generational gap is partly to blame for this sort of misinformation. The government and the war on drugs is also to blame. There is a direct link to the government’s war on drug campaign to marijuana criminalization and stigmatization according to a 2020 study published in the European Journal of Criminology
(https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1477370820983560).

So, what is the bottom line??? To begin a general shift in acceptance levels of medical marijuana across demographics and generations, we must continue to refuse to see dispensaries as some type of an invasion led by criminal or “shady” people. We need to educate the world and help them realize these perceptions are outdated and misinformed. Education, in my opinion, is the key to turning these notions around. We need to help society understand the benefits that medical cannabis has to offer for the patients of chronic, debilitating, and painful illnesses that so many are forced to endure with little available in the way of true help. This education should aim at normalizing, safe and legal marijuana use. People who use cannabis should also be aware of the rules and regulations to protect the health and safety of others. I have given you guys a quick overview of why there is a stigma attached to the use of medical marijuana and ways to begin to normalize the public views on its benefits to the chronically ill patients. These patients desperately need the understanding, compassion, and legal access to cannabis to find peace and comfort in the difficult times they face. Doing the research, knowing the laws, and having informed, open-minded conversations are vital elements in destigmatizing cannabis use. We are all in this journey together, let’s make a difference!!!

Thanks so very much for visiting The Magnolia Leaf, and until next time, continue to

Embrace Wellness

Julia R. Kelly

P.S. Enjoying the blog so far??? Have additional questions, concerns, comments??? Ideas on future topics you would like to learn more about??? 

Please always feel free to leave a comments or questions on the blog site or even email me at julia.kelly@gmagnolia.com. I would love to hear from you and will respond just as soon as possible to every single request. My goal, along with every Magnolia team member, is providing unequalled patient care and this will always be our top priority!