What's In Your Cannabis?

WHAT'S IN YOUR CANNABIS? 

BREAKING: Get your copy of the Patient & Consumer Guide to Navigating Cannabis Safety

You deserve to know what's in your cannabis and should be able to trust that the markets providing these products are prioritizing your health. If you agree, then you are going to love this campaign! In the spirit of ASA’s decades-long commitment to ensuring that cannabis products adhere to the safety and labeling standards like all other consumer goods in the U.S., the What's in Your Cannabis? Campaign is designed to empower patients and consumers with the knowledge to make informed decisions about cannabis and provides the tools they need to advocate for themselves and a safer cannabis future. 

Let’s face it: when it comes to cannabis, consumers need a credible source for information about cannabis safety. On the one hand, 50 years of racist, “reefer-madness” propaganda about the evils of cannabis has left consumers wary of warnings from government agencies. On the other hand, a history of corporate whitewashing of harms of products can make product safety claims from companies seem like brand competition strategies.

FACING THE FACTS:

Most symptoms from contaminated and adulterated cannabis are not always associated with cannabis use, making it hard to decipher if a product’s contents are labeled accurately or if experiences from consumption are due to cannabinoids, adulterants, contaminants, or even a placebo effect.

The prevalence of cannabis products being sold across the country in regulated and unregulated markets gives consumers a false sense of security in the safety of these products, leading consumers to choose price and convenience over quality assurance.

Most cannabis consumers and patients don’t realize the risks contaminants and adulterants can pose to their health, and unfortunately, most policymakers don’t either. This increases the chances of potential policy blowback that could impact our current access if we face a public health crisis, real or perceived.  

It is up to medical cannabis advocates to educate stakeholders across the country on the importance of knowing where their cannabis products come from, how they are produced, and how to improve regulations to protect patients if we are going to see change.

TAKING ACTION 

EDUCATE:  Dive deep into the facts about cannabis product safety. Learn how to identify safe products and understand what's really in your cannabis. Use these resources to educate yourself and others. 

ADVOCATE: Demand higher standards and call for better oversight from regulators. It's time for the cannabis market to be as regulated and trustworthy as any other medical product.

GET INVOLVED: State and federal policymakers hold the key to shaping and refining the regulatory framework surrounding cannabis product safety and quality. The regulated cannabis market is relatively new and complicated. Unless policymakers hear from patients, they may not understand the impact poorly regulated products have on our lives.

The What’s in Your Cannabis? Campaign is your chance to advocate for safe, reliable cannabis. ASA is calling on patients, consumers, health agencies, policymakers, and advocacy organizations to unite to create the consumer demand needed to push companies to strive for excellence and the constituent demand needed to force policymakers to pass the laws and regulations patients need and deserve for a safer cannabis future.

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