The white ash conversation has been positively insufferable. Heady bois and cannabis connoisseurs from coast to coast have been posting videos of their ash on Instagram for what feels like years now, indicating that they’re smoking top-shelf product solely based on the color of the ash.

As much as I hate to disappoint, not only is white ash not an accurate metric of quality, it can be easily faked, gamed, cheated, duped and bamboozled using particular cultivation techniques, smoking methods, and, as shown by recent court documents, adding small amounts of chalk to the rolling paper.

Recently unsealed documents from a years-long court battle between Republic Technologies LLC and BBK Tobacco & Foods, LLP revealed the ingredient lists used to make OCB Rolling Papers, including one particular additive that Big Tobacco has been familiar with for years, which weed smokers might not be aware of: calcium carbonate.

Chalk-Infused Papers

Court documents from 2014 with regard to OCB rolling papers showed that varying amounts of calcium carbonate were used in some of their rolling papers, specifically the following:  OCB No. 1 Single Wide, JOB Tribal King Size, OCB Slim, OCB Red 1 ¼, JOB Gold 1.25, OCB Organic Hemp 1-¼ and OCB Organic Hemp King Size Slim.

According to the National Institute of Health, calcium carbonate is an inorganic salt found all over the world in rocks like limestone as well as in the shells of many marine organisms and crustaceans. It’s the main ingredient in chalk, antacid medications like Tums, and as it turns out, it has also been used as a whitening pigment in cigarette rolling papers for decades. I was able to find three different patents, two of which date back to the 90s, from tobacco companies, including Phillip Morris, all listing calcium carbonate as a way to make cigarette ash more “attractive.” A study by the Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco describes how calcium carbonate can affect the color of ash:

“Generally, as the size of the precipitated calcium carbonate particle decreased, the ash became more cohesive. As the particle size decreased, the ash became slightly whiter until an optimal particle size was reached at about 0.3 microns,” the study said. “Further reductions in precipitated calcium carbonate size caused the ash to become grayer.”

Calcium carbonate is not necessarily a harmful substance to include in rolling papers, but the material safety data sheet of calcium carbonate does classify it as a potential respiratory tract irritant. A National Institute of Health study of autopsies in smokers versus non-smokers also found that the elemental components of calcium carbonate are found in the lungs of smokers but not in non-smokers, meaning it potentially leaves residual particles in the lungs.

“Potassium carbonate, sulfate, and chloride were not identified in any lung. The percentage of quartz was the same in both smoker and nonsmoker lungs,” the study said. “However, lungs from smokers contained a large percentage (average 23% of all particles) of particles composed of calcium, carbon, and oxygen (probably calcium carbonate) in all sample sites, whereas lungs from nonsmokers usually contained no such particles or only minute numbers (average 0.1%).”

Moving away from the ultra-sciency talk, cigarette companies have added calcium carbonate to their papers for years to make the ash whiter (please Google Marlboro white ash ads, and you’ll see this conversation goes all the way back to the 1950s). Whether or not OCB papers are trying to gain the favor of weed smokers looking for white cannabis ash, I haven’t the foggiest idea, nor would I want to insinuate such a thing for fear of incurring a lawsuit I absolutely cannot afford. The point is that if a substance this common can be added to rolling papers, it would be very easy for an unscrupulous marketing team to use this knowledge to their advantage to sell more cannabis via using these particular papers in pre-rolls or to roll with when making smoking videos for the company’s Instagram, etc. 

I Got a Fever, and the Only Prescription is More CalMag

It doesn’t stop there. I’ve been told by growers that you can also add greater concentrations of CalMag to flowering cannabis plants to achieve the white ash effect, which would make sense because CalMag is, somewhat redundantly, a mixture of calcium and magnesium. Calcium carbonate concentration is also, as far as I know, not included on any cannabis lab test COA, so there’s no concrete way for the consumer to tell if this method was utilized in the grow room. Again, not necessarily a harmful practice as far as I know, but also not an accurate measure of quality.

You can also achieve the white ash effect by rolling and smoking the joint in a particular way, which I’ll describe for you now in an effort to illustrate that you can absolutely, positively fake this shit for Instagram: Roll a full eighth into a joint as tightly as possible without suffocating it (see Doja Pak rolling tutorial from First Smoke of the Day for further reference). Now go buy yourself one of those mini torches that crack smokers use to heat up their pipes, the sketchier looking the better. Torch the end of your joint evenly and slowly. If it catches fire, gently blow it out and continue torching for a minute or two until you have a nice even cherry. Now you’re gonna want to hold the joint upside down, very gently, so that the smoke drifts upwards through your hands. Take a long, slow hit and return the joint to the upside-down position. Rinse and repeat, torching more if necessary until you have a nice white ash pile. Take your picture, post it to Instagram and receive a well-deserved pat on the back from your CEO.

Granted, you need at least somewhat decent weed to achieve this effect, even with the described method above. I will also fully admit I have never smoked a joint that burned completely black, which I would describe as quality weed. The point I’m trying to make here is that there are well-known schemes afoot to fool you into thinking you’re smoking good weed when that is not necessarily the case. Some people have purported that white ash is an indicator the cannabis was dried and cured properly, which has some truth to it because the moisture content of the flower needs to be within an ideal range to achieve a proper burn, but all the white ash really means is that the weed has burned completely, a process known as “carbonization.” An excerpt from “Whiteness of Cigarette Ash,” written by Isao Kanai in 1959 (again, please note the date), explains further:

“The whiteness of cigarette ash plays an important role in the burning quality of cigarettes, and it is considered to be related to the degree of carbonization of organic materials, the combustion-zone temperature of cigarettes, and other complicated ‘combustion phenomena’ of Cigarettes,” the report said. 

A cursory Google search will also populate about 50 different explanations from various tobacco clubs and tobacco companies explaining that white ash is related to combustibility and levels of calcium and magnesium in the soil the tobacco was grown. The same can be said for cannabis.

Fire is in the Eye of the Beholder

So where does that leave us? Well, here’s where it’s gonna get a little subjective on my part. Quality cannabis ultimately comes down to user experience and user preference. There are certain markers that may suggest a particular batch of cannabis can be considered a quality product, but it’s a multi-faceted conversation. There is no single metric that can tell you if flower is good. It comes down to several key factors including, but not limited to: appearance, ash color, density, taste, smokability, cultivation methods (this is a lesser point but while I’m on the subject, the living soil versus salt-nutrients conversation is equally as pointless as the ash conversation), plant genetics, a proper dry and cure cycle and in my opinion the most important factor: effects. Individual microbiome, how one person’s body reacts to cannabis versus another’s, also plays a huge role.

What I will say, and I’m shamelessly stealing this point from our fearless leader Jon Cappetta, is that a better ash-related metric for quality weed is how the ash stacks up on itself (a metric also stolen from age-old tobacco-funded studies, I might add). If you can smoke most of the joint without the ash falling off (infused products don’t count), it means there’s a lot of resin in the flower, causing it to stick together. If the ash is speckled or white on top of that, all the better. Oil ring to boot? Fugedaboutit.

There’s a certain threshold I think we can all agree on that flower has to reach to cross over from bad to mids but past that threshold, as we’ve all witnessed, we all start to argue as a community about mids versus fire and the conversation ultimately devolves into silly, unimportant metrics like “whose ash is whiter.” I think in general the key here is just awareness of what we’re consuming, and the knowledge that our own personal experience with the plant is all that really matters at the end of the day. Don’t let flashy Instagram videos or age-old Big Tobacco schemes fool you into consuming a particular brand or strain. Smoke what feels good to YOU and spread awareness wherever you can so we as a community can properly identify true fire. Past that, I only ask that we all stop arguing online about white ash because it makes the cannabis community look like a babbling gang of rabid hyenas.

Original publication date: February 29, 2024

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A New York state lawmaker is proposing legislation that would give regulators the authority to revoke the liquor, lottery and tobacco retailer licenses from stores that sell weed without a license. If passed, the legislation would go into effect immediately, giving officials new tools to combat the illicit pot shops that have proliferated since the state legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021.

Democratic Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr., a Democratic legislator from the Bronx, is the lead sponsor of the legislation in the New York State Assembly. The measure (A09520) has already attracted 70 co-sponsors in the chamber after being introduced late last month. A companion bill in the Senate (S08847), sponsored by Democratic Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, has 10 co-sponsors.

The legislation “Provides for the revocation of licenses to sell cigarettes, tobacco products, alcohol and lottery tickets for the possession or sale of illicit cannabis in violation of the cannabis law,” according to the text of the measure. Businesses caught selling cannabis without a license would be subject to losing their licenses for one year on the first offense. A second offense within three years would subject the businesses to license revocation for three years and a third violation would result in the loss of cigarette, liquor and lottery retailer licenses for five years.

Thousands of Unlicensed Pot Shops in New York City

The legislation was introduced as the state, particularly New York City, continues to deal with thousands of retailers selling cannabis without a license. The office of New York Mayor Eric Adams recently reported that approximately 2,500 unlicensed weed retailers were operating in the city. Meanwhile, a slow rollout of licensed cannabis retailers has seen only about 40 regulated pot shops open in the city since the first began serving customers in the closing days of 2022.

Zaccaro said that the unlicensed shops are “choking” the regulated cannabis market as it struggles to get on its feet. Most of the retailers selling weed without a license are smoke shops and bodegas, businesses that would be severely impacted by the loss of the revenue streams provided by cigarettes, alcohol and lottery tickets.

“We need to be able to go back to our districts and be able to let our constituents and people know that we took this issue seriously,” Zaccaro told the New York Daily News on Wednesday The lawmaker added that he hopes the legislation will pass quickly, either as a stand-alone bill or as part ongoing negotiations for the state budget, which have already exceeded a deadline of April 1.

State and city regulators have already made several attempts to combat the proliferation of unlicensed weed shops with little lasting success. In the New York City Council, local lawmakers are supporting a plan to shut down unlicensed pot shops under a decades-old nuisance abatement law that allows the city to close some businesses, such as brothels. Despite having 26 sponsors on the 51-seat council, however, the plan has not had a hearing.

While Zaccaro’s bill to revoke cigarette, liquor and lottery licenses from shops that sell marijuana without a license gives state and local officials new tools to combat the illicit operators, putting them to use is another matter. Cannabis attorney Fatima Afia said that state regulators at the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) will have to commit significant resources to enforcement for the legislation to be effective.

“I imagine that it would require a lot of resources, a lot of time, a lot of energy — basically all the things that OCM has clearly not had for purposes of enforcement up until now,”  Afia said, adding that the slow rollout of regulated cannabis retailers is exacerbating the problem.

“The biggest supporter of the illicit shops is the fact that we don’t have enough licensed entities out there to compete with them,” said Afia.

Zaccaro’s bill has been referred to the Assembly Economic Development Committee, while the Senate version is under consideration by the chamber’s Budget and Revenue Committee.

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A new study conducted by New York’s Columbia University researchers used a massive database from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in an effort to determine whether cannabis users had higher levels of any of 17 different metals in their blood or urine. 

The study ultimately revealed that cannabis-only users had higher lead levels in their blood and urine, compared to non-users of tobacco and cannabis, along with elevated levels of cadmium — ultimately affirming the need for testing of cannabis products for heavy metals in the legal market and the need for regulated cannabis as a whole.

Examining Cannabis Use and Heavy Metals in Body

Cannabis is a hyperaccumulator, a class of more than 700 plants that accumulate metals from soil, water and fertilizers at levels far greater than average, often hundreds or thousands of times more than other plants. 

To investigate the amount of metals in the blood and urine of cannabis users, researchers analyzed data from 2005 to 2018 representing 7,254 participants who reported on their diet, health, demographics and drug use, while providing single blood and urine samples. Researchers could not tell what kind of cannabis these individuals used, where it was sourced from or where participants lived, though they adjusted for other factors that can affect exposure to and excretion of metals (namely race/ethnicity, age, sex, education, and seafood consumption).

The study found that cannabis-only users had 27% high blood lead levels and 21% more lead in their urine when compared to non-users of tobacco and cannabis. They also had higher levels of cadmium — 22% more in their blood than non-users. Lead and cadmium can cause long-term health damage, like cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cognitive impairments and increase the risk of cancer. 

In regulated cannabis markets where products are tested, any cannabis that fails must be destroyed or remediated, with legal cannabis states often issuing recalls for any products that fail and mistakenly hit store shelves.

Tobacco Users Fare Much Worse

None of the other 15 elements researchers evaluated — like arsenic, cobalt, manganese and mercury — has a clear causal association with cannabis use, though tobacco users saw much higher levels. 

Urinary cadmium levels among tobacco users were three times higher than those of cannabis-only users and their blood lead levels were 26% higher. The study also found that tobacco use was associated with higher levels of antimony, barium, tungsten and uranium. 

In general, regulated cannabis undergoes more intense testing than tobacco, and previous studies have long documented the heavy metal content in cigarette smoke.

Underscoring the Importance of Legal Cannabis Regulation and Testing

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest known study on biomarkers of metal exposure in participants who exclusively use marijuana in a representative population of U.S. adults,” authors noted. The study findings reinforce that regulated, legal cannabis provides for more consumer safety, as illicit cannabis does not undergo this same testing.

Authors note that the study was limited by its small sample of exclusive cannabis users, along with its inability to hone in on the type of product used (i.e. vapes, combustibles and edibles) which kept researchers from determining the difference in metal concentrations by product.

Given that the data was taken from 2005 to 2018, it’s also uncertain how much cannabis was obtained through the legal or illicit markets — though it’s likely that most was illicit use, as the first states to legalize cannabis only began in 2014 and adult-use legalization was still limited in the years that followed.

“We found overall associations between internal metal levels and exclusive marijuana use, highlighting the relevance of marijuana for metal exposure and the importance of follow-up studies to identify the long-term implications of these exposures,” researchers stated. 

“Future investigations of cannabis contaminants must assess other contaminants of concern and potential health effects to inform regulatory, industry and other key stakeholders, to safeguard public health and address safety concerns related to the growing use of cannabis in the United States.”

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The Colorado Legislative Council Staff (LCS), described as the “nonpartisan research arm of the Colorado General Assembly,” released a report on Aug. 16 detailing how cannabis taxes are benefitting the state.

According to the analysis, Colorado annual cannabis tax revenue may have decreased in FY 2021-2022 and FY 2022-2023, but cannabis sales remain a consistent stream of funds for Colorado budget—more than any other regulated substance.

In FY 2022-2023, data shows that Colorado collected $282.3 million in cannabis tax revenue, compared to $233.9 million from cigarettes, $60.5 million from tobacco products, $56.4 million from nicotine products, and $56.1 million from alcohol.

Cannabis tax revenue comes from a 15% excise tax, 15% special sales tax, and 2.9% general sales tax. Recreational cannabis purchases are applied with the excise tax and special sales tax, but only state sales tax applies to medical cannabis sales.

In a breakdown of where cannabis tax revenue is distributed, medical cannabis 2.9% sales tax goes directly into the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund while the adult-use cannabis sales 15% special sales tax is divided into the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund, State Public School Fund, and local governments. The adult-use excise tax goes directly into the BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) Fund.

Some of the state’s cannabis tax revenue funds went toward a variety of programs such as substance use disorder services ($16.6 million), affordable housing construction grants and loans ($15.3 million), school health and professionals grant program ($15 million), mental health services ($6.1 million), black market cannabis interdiction/state toxicology lab ($4.4 million), pesticide control and regulation ($1.2 million), marijuana impaired driving campaign ($1.1 million), and school bullying prevention and education ($1 million).

“Taking into account the statutory distributions and the MCTF [Marijuana Tax Revenue and Education] appropriations, K-12 education received about 37 percent of total spending from marijuana revenue for school funding and school construction,” the analysis states. “The Department of Human Services received about 20% for a variety of programs, including those focused on behavioral health and addiction.”

The distribution of cannabis tax revenue was divided among the Department of Human Services ($57.5  million), school construction ($55.9 million), school funding ($52.4 million), general fund ($30.7 million), Department of Public Health and Environment ($23.6 million), local governments ($21.9 million), Department of Local Affairs ($17.5 million), Department of Higher Education ($11 million), Department of Public Safety ($7.6 million), and “other” ($14.1 million) which includes a variety of smaller departments.

While FY 2020-2021 yielded a record high of $425 million, FY 2021-2022 decreased slightly to $366 million, followed by FY 2022-2023 at $282 million.

A report released by the Tax Policy Center in September 2022 noted both Colorado and Washington cannabis sales generated more tax revenue than alcohol or cigarettes in FY 2022. 

Similar reports, such as one published by the Arizona Dispensaries Association in March 2022, showed that cannabis tax revenue reached $6.3 million, which is more than the combination of tobacco ($1.7 million) and alcohol ($2.7 million) for that month.

The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) awards cannabis tax funds to a variety of approved organizations. The most recent annual awards contained more than $50 million from FY 2022-2023 split between 31 organizations, from government agencies to youth organizations. In FY 2020-2021, GO-Biz split $29.1 million between 16 awardees, and in FY 2021-2022, GO-Biz awarded $30 million to 58 chosen recipients. The state recently opened up a new grant application window between Aug. 14-Sept. 18, with chosen organizations to be announced sometime in spring 2024.

A report from Whitney Economics in May showed that the legal cannabis industry paid more than $1.8 billion in taxes in 2022. However, the chief economist at Whitney Economics stated that these taxes, which are driving many cannabis business owners into strife, are on the “brink of systemic collapse.”

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Officials in Duluth, Minnesota this week approved an ordinance that will ban smoking marijuana in all city parks.

The passage of the measure came about two weeks after a new state law allowing recreational cannabis use for adults aged 21 and older took effect on August 1.

Minnesota Public Radio reports that the newly passed ordinance “also bans vaping marijuana, and extends a ban on smoking tobacco to all city parks,” although consuming “cannabis in other forms, such as gummies, is still allowed.”

Previously, according to MPR, smoking pot “was only forbidden in select parks.”

The ordinance was approved by the Duluth City Council on Monday by a vote of 8-1.

“I want to protect clean air for folks in our public spaces and our parks,” said Duluth City Council Vice President Roz Randorf, as quoted by Minnesota Public Radio. “When you’re smoking in public and in parks and in buildings, we really have to think of those folks that are around us that could have health conditions, pre-existing conditions, our youth.”

The lone councilmember to vote against the proposal was Azrin Awal.

“We’ve heard [from] constituents, that they’re worried about smoking taking place in sidewalks. But if they’re not able to go into a public facility, if they can’t smoke in their multifamily or public building, and they can’t go into a public park, what’s left is our sidewalks and streets … where there’s more traffic,” Awal said at Monday’s meeting, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

According to MPR, the city council “tabled an amendment to reduce the maximum $300 fine for violating the ban, but appeared close to agreeing to a new fee structure.”

Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis in May, when Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill into law. 

“We’ve known for too long that prohibiting the use of cannabis hasn’t worked. By legalizing adult-use cannabis, we’re expanding our economy, creating jobs, and regulating the industry to keep Minnesotans safe,” Walz said after signing the legislation. “Legalizing adult-use cannabis and expunging or resentencing cannabis convictions will strengthen communities. This is the right move for Minnesota.”

Walz’s lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, echoed those sentiments.

“Legalizing adult-use cannabis is about keeping our communities safe, advancing justice for Minnesotans, and investing in a strong economic future,” said Flanagan. “Prohibiting the use of cannabis hasn’t worked and has disproportionately harmed communities of color across the state. By expunging nonviolent cannabis convictions, we are removing the barriers that prevent thousands of Minnesotans from fully returning to work, to their communities, and to their lives. This is how we make safer communities.”

Although the law officially took effect on August 1, empowering adults to use and possess cannabis, sales are not expected to begin until sometime next year. 

An analysis prepared by the nationally recognized cannabis firm Vicente LLP suggested that recreational cannabis sales in Minnesota could generate as much as $1.5 billion annually by 2029.

“Minnesota stands to attract a significant amount of tourist traffic from neighboring states like Iowa and North Dakota, as consumers venture to purchase Minnesota’s cannabis products,” said Brian Vicente, a founding partner at the firm.

New York, which legalized recreational cannabis for adults in 2022, also adopted a measure banning the smoking of pot in state-owned parks and beaches.

“Smoking is a dangerous habit that affects not only the smoker but everyone around them, including families and children enjoying our state’s great public places,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said after signing the legislation into law last summer. “I’m proud to sign this legislation that will protect New Yorkers’ health and help reduce litter in public parks and beaches across the state.”

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It goes without saying that spreading reform and adult-use legalization over the past decade is transforming the way we look at cannabis and increasing its accessibility. Throughout this new journey, the opposition has regularly brought up concerns around increased underage access. While many studies have already worked to debunk that more legal cannabis innately means higher use among minors and young adults, a new study looks a bit broader.

Researchers with the University of Oklahoma tracked substance use patterns in a cohort of more than 8,000 young adults (aged 18 to 24 years old) over six years to track what kind of substances young people typically turn to first. Ultimately, the research shows young people typically try alcohol and/or tobacco before they experiment with cannabis.

Study Explores Substance Use Initiation in a New Cannabis Landscape

The study, titled “First use of cannabis compared to first use of alcohol and tobacco: Associations with single and poly-substance use behavior,” was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Study authors note that nearly 145 million Americans lived in a state with some form of legalized recreational or medical cannabis use in 2022, accounting for 45% of the U.S. population. They also noted that legal cannabis markets may be “particularly relevant” to young adults (18-24) since they have the highest proportion of past-year and past 30-day cannabis use (23.2%) compared to youth (6.3%) and adults over the age of 25 (10.4%).

They note that previous research examining the sequencing of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis initiation in young adults regularly identified alcohol as a catalyst to later substance use. It begs the question, has legal cannabis use changed the pattern?

“No studies to our knowledge have examined whether using cannabis before alcohol and tobacco compared to using cannabis at the same age as alcohol or tobacco confers greater risk of reporting current poly-substance use and other drug use,” authors state.

Researchers used data from Waves 1 through 5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study restricted use files, ranging from September 2013 through November 2019. 

Alcohol, Tobacco Use Still Precedes Cannabis Use For Most Young Adults

The results found that few young people (6%) initiated their substance use with cannabis, and those who did were less likely in life to consume alcohol or to report either substance abuse or mental health issues. Among those with exclusive cannabis initiation, the majority were male (62.3%), more than one-third were non-Hispanic white (38.3%) and the majority had at most a high school diploma or GED (65%), while 34.9% had at least some college experience.

They also found that those who initiated cannabis use at the same time they began consuming alcohol and tobacco (22%) were more likely to report use of multiple drugs later in life. 

The study suggests that alcohol is still the most popular substance initiation, with 52% of respondents consuming alcohol before any other controlled substance.

“Alcohol is overwhelmingly tried before either tobacco or cannabis,” authors concluded.

“Cannabis initiation at an earlier age than alcohol and tobacco is uncommon. Those who initiated cannabis before alcohol and tobacco appeared less likely to have a wide constellation of substance use and mental health vulnerabilities compared to those who tried cannabis at the same age as they tried at least one other substance.”

They added, “Finally, the odds of reporting current substance use and poly-substance use were greatest among young adults who initiated cannabis at the same age as alcohol or tobacco.”

Supporting Past Findings and Fighting Against the “Gateway Drug” Stereotype

As researchers noted, the results are consistent with previous studies—it’s simply the most recent, better reflecting the current reality of the expanding cannabis market.

One 2016 study similarly found that alcohol is the first substance consumed by individuals who report polydrug use later in life. Researchers evaluated drug use patterns from a nationally representative sample of 2,835 high school seniors. Not only was alcohol the most common first substance, but researchers said that the earlier one initiates alcohol use, the more likely it is they will engage in future illicit substance use.

A number of other studies have attempted to look into the longstanding assertion that cannabis is a “gateway drug,” leading to further substance use, though studies have repeatedly found the claim holds little weight. 

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Americans say that cannabis is much less dangerous than opioids, alcohol, and cigarettes, according to a new survey conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Morning Consult last week. The survey results come from interviews with 2,201 adults conducted between April 20 and 22 of 2023, with a +/-2 percentage point margin of error, analyzing public opinion on the dangers and addictiveness of six different substances—and technology. 

Regarding cannabis, 38% said that it is “very or somewhat unsafe.” Comparatively, 84% of respondents said they regarded cigarettes as unsafe. Sixty-four percent believe alcohol to be unsafe, 66% found prescription opioids unsafe, and 75% found non-prescription opioids unsafe. Reminding us of the negative public perception of vapes, 76% responded that vapes are unsafe. While technology will lose in other categories (here’s where we unintentionally ironically tell you to keep scrolling on your screen to find out), people said that technology was safer than cannabis, with only 23% described as very or somewhat unsafe, making it the only category deemed safer than marijuana. 

The survey also analyzed the public’s perception of addiction. In that category, they perceive cannabis to be less addictive than all of the substances mentioned, in addition to technology. Sixty-four percent said that cannabis can be addictive. Eighty-seven percent say cigarettes are addictive, and 84% deem alcohol addictive. Prescribed opioids are considered 83%, a figure that drops to 74% for non-prescribed opioids. Eighty-one percent think vapes are addictive, and 75% find technology addictive. 

“It is clear that we have gotten the message through that cigarettes are dangerous and addictive,” APA President Petros Levounis said in a press release. “We can help prevent more Americans from other potentially addictive behaviors, like drinking alcohol and technology use.” “For instance, vaping is just as, if not more, addictive than cigarette smoking,” Levounis adds. 

However, even though science agrees that addiction is a medical condition (check out this study published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience), 47% said that addiction results from “personal weakness,” which gives us insight into the stigma surrounding substance use disorders. While cannabis is generally not considered physically addictive, remember that other substances the survey covers, such as opioids, are highly addictive due to how they affect the brain, research confirms. If someone is prescribed opioids after sustaining injuries in an automobile accident, for instance, and they develop an addiction, it is scientifically proven to be due to changes in the brain rather than a lackluster set of morals. 

However, Levounis says the survey can be helpful by offering insight into how to educate the public best. “We can also make sure that people know about our current safe and effective treatments for both substance use disorders and behavioral addictions,” he says. “Addiction treatment works.”

And the numbers are higher for those with less regressive views regarding the cause of addiction. Seventy-six percent of respondents answered that addiction is a medical condition, and 93% of those polled said substance use disorders can be treated, with 76% responding that the condition is preventable. 

The survey also offers insights into the importance of increasing awareness regarding naloxone, a life-saving opioid anti-overdose drug. Only 58% said they were aware of naloxone, and only 35% said they’d know how to access it if they needed it for an overdose. Naloxone can reverse an overdose, but only if used 30 to 90 minutes after the incident is discovered. As a result, it is something everyone should have on hand rather than search for when discovering an overdose. Considering that the study found that 71% of Americans say they’d know how to help someone in their life who’s struggling with addiction, it’s clear that one of the biggest takeaways from the research is the importance of naloxone awareness. 

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A study published in the Journal of Health Economics addresses the topic of tobacco use in the wake of cannabis legalization. Entitled “Have recreational marijuana laws undermined public health progress on adult tobacco use?” researchers found that cannabis reform in individual states has led to decreased tobacco use. The study was conducted by Bentley University, San Diego State University, and Georgia State University. “This study is the first to comprehensively examine the impact of the legalization of recreational marijuana on adult tobacco use,” authors explained.

Researchers reveal three key findings in their study. First, that “first-stage” results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) “show consistent evidence that RML [recreational marijuana laws] adoption increases adult marijuana use by 2- to 5-percentage-points, including through vaping.”

Second, authors state that they “find no evidence that legalization of recreational marijuana increases adult tobacco use.” And lastly, that “RML adoption accompanied by the opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries is associated with larger increases in ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery system] use than RML adoption without open dispensaries.”

Ultimately, authors wrote that the increased number of recreational dispensaries “is an important supply channel to explain substitution between marijuana and tobacco among adults.”

However, they conclude that the rise of cannabis has led to cautionary warnings from public health experts who call for more research. One of their primary concerns is that the rise of cannabis smoking could lead to an unintended “renormalization of smoking” that could potentially set back existing tobacco control policies.

The Surgeon General report of 1964 is famous for connecting tobacco use to lung cancer, stating that smoking cigarettes was “responsible for a 70% increase in mortality rate of smokers over non-smokers,” according to the National Library of Medicine. According to Surgeon General Luther L. Terry, the report “hit the country like a bombshell. It was front page news and a lead story on every radio and television station in the United States and many abroad.” 

Nearly 60 years later, tobacco use has widely decreased. The authors found that tobacco use fell earlier in states with recreational cannabis legalization than those without. “The results provide some support for the hypothesis that tobacco use declined in several of the earliest adopting states, most notably in Colorado and Washington, which are also those states that saw the largest increases in marijuana use following RML enactment,” authors concluded.

Authors also pointed out that the tobacco use reduction is “consistent with the hypothesis that recreational marijuana and tobacco may be substitutes for some adults.”

In February, California legislators introduced a bill that would ban tobacco sales to anyone born after 2006 to phase out tobacco use and addiction. However, big tobacco industry leaders are continuing to find new ways to move into the cannabis industry. One of the biggest tobacco companies in the world, British American Tobacco (BAT), announced last September that it would be purchasing a Germany-based cannabis company called Sanity Group GmbH. “We continue to transform our business, through better understanding of our current and future consumers, as part of our A Better Tomorrow purpose,” said BAT Chief Growth Officer Kingsley Wheaton last year.

Data from other studies still shows evidence that tobacco use continues to plummet. A May 2022 study found that cannabis legalization has contributed to a decrease in alcohol and cigarette consumption. Another study from July 2022 shows that cannabis use is supported by Australians much more than tobacco use, and a Gallup poll released one month later in August 2022 also showed how Americans smoke more cannabis than cigarettes.

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One of the market leaders in CBD products is teaming up with a subsidiary of the world’s biggest tobacco company to seek regulatory approval for a new botanical drug. 

Charlotte’s Web Holdings, a market leader in full-spectrum hemp extract wellness products,  announced on April 6 that it is forming a joint venture with AJNA BioSciences PBC (or “AJNA”), a subsidiary of British American Tobacco billed as “a botanical drug development company focused on mental health and neurological disorders.” 

The companies said that the joint venture “was established to pursue FDA-approval for a novel botanical drug to target a neurological condition identified by the [joint venture] leadership team, which will be comprised of [Charlotte’s Web], AJNA and [British American Tobacco] representatives.” 

“This novel botanical drug will be developed from certain proprietary hemp genetics of [Charlotte’s Web],” the announcement said. “The [joint venture] plans to engage with the FDA to file an Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application and commence Phase I clinical development in 2023.”

The announcement of the approval also added that British American Tobacco is kicking in $10 million to the joint venture as its initial investor.

“This joint venture is a capital efficient way for Charlotte’s Web to unlock the value of its intellectual property to advance development of effective botanical alternatives to current neurological pharmaceuticals,” Jacques Tortoroli, CEO of Charlotte’s Web, said in Thursday’s announcement. 

The joint venture will be helmed by Orrin Devinsky, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist and researcher who will oversee both its clinical and regulatory strategy.

According to the announcement, Devinsky “is an early stakeholder in AJNA and is the Director of New York University (NYU) Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and a Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine,” and “was a principal investigator for the development of the cannabis-based FDA approved drug, Epidiolex,” which is used to treat various seizure disorders. 

“As one of the first clinicians to research novel cannabinoids, I am very excited to work on this project. I believe the properties of cannabis and hemp are well suited for the FDA’s new Botanical Drug Development pathway”, Devinsky said in the announcement.

British American Tobacco has diversified its portfolio in recent years to include holdings focused on both hemp and cannabis. 

Last year, the company acquired  a non-controlling minority stake in the Berlin-based marijuana startup Sanity Group GmbH, a move that a top executive at British American Tobacco described as part of the “ongoing work to explore numerous areas beyond nicotine, positioning BAT for future portfolio growth across a range of categories and geographies.”

“We continue to transform our business, through better understanding of our current and future consumers, as part of our A Better Tomorrow purpose,” Kingsley Wheaton, the chief growth officer at British American Tobacco, said in an announcement at the time.

Finn Age Hänsel, the founder and chief executive officer of Sanity Group, called the funding from British American Tobacco “an important milestone for us and a strong signal towards the future of cannabis in Germany and Europe.”

“I am grateful for the belief shown by both new and existing investors. Our goal is to leverage the full potential of the cannabis plant and to explore and harness the different cannabinoids—with the new capital, we will be able to accelerate our medical and consumer business units whilst preparing accordingly for cannabis legalization in Germany,” Hänsel said in a statement.

On April 7, James Barrett, the commercial director of wellbeing and stimulation at British American Tobacco, said that the new joint venture with Charlotte’s Web and approval “represents another step for BAT in our exploration beyond tobacco and nicotine.”

“We continue to transform our business, through strategic investments in innovative consumer, new sciences and technology businesses, as part of our purpose to build A Better Tomorrow,” Barrett said.

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The strongest and wildest approach yet to deter teen tobacco use at the state level is taking shape. A new California bill would ban all tobacco sales for any resident born on Jan. 1, 2007 or later.

Under Assembly Bill 935, current smokers would be able to continue buying tobacco products, but anyone younger than 16 years old today would not be able to buy tobacco—ever. 

It would essentially phase out tobacco use in California for an entire new generation.

Instead of punishing tobacco consumers, the bill would target retailers instead. It would do this by including a series of financial penalties and license suspensions for retailers who break the proposed law. Specifically, the bill would add Article 6 to Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to tobacco sales.

The ban, however, would not apply to cannabis sales. Lawmakers reasoned that the compulsive nature of nicotine compels youth to become addicted.

The bill was co-authored by Assemblymembers Damon Connolly, (D-San Rafael) and Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley). “This is not about taking away current rights of anyone; it’s about not creating a new generation of people addicted to nicotine,” Connolly said.

California has taken steps already to limit tobacco use among teens as much as possible. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law banning the sale of most flavored tobacco products. 

“This is a logical next step of that,” Connolly said. “The goal here is to lead, to actually change the conversation beyond our state’s borders and really try to move the needle forward in the direction that favors public health.”

Public health officials applauded the bill, saying that the tobacco industry in general exploits the health of American youth. Through the years, limits on tobacco advertisements unfolded incrementally. 

“The solution is a sustainable one, we should not punish our young people for the harms of an industry built on the exploitation of people,” said Oussama Mokeddem, the director of State Policy for Public Health Advocates.

The bill is highly likely to be challenged by Big Tobacco. The tobacco industry has fought hard against legislation of this kind in the past.

CBS News reports that if the ban were to become law, the tobacco industry could sue to block the bill from being implemented. Alternatively, the tobacco industry could also challenge the ban in a ballot proposal, asking voters to stop the bill from taking effect. But Proposition 31 was overwhelmingly approved by voters and prohibits the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.

The U.S. Supreme Court also refused to block California’s flavored tobacco law.

AB 935 is tailored to mirror a similar law in New Zealand: Last year, the country implemented a law that bans the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009. 

This has even happened already in the U.S. at the city level: Brookline, Massachusetts, passed a local law banning the sale of tobacco products within city limits to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2000. The law has withstood the courts and remains in effect.

California’s ban on flavored tobacco took effect on Dec. 21, 2022, banning retailers across the state from selling vaping and smoking products with flavors. A ballot challenge was launched by the tobacco industry after state lawmakers and the governor first approved the ban in 2020, but voters chose to keep the law in effect.

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