Many religious leaders, especially in African-American communities, once warned their congregations about the dangers of marijuana—even calling it a plague on their communities. But now, as marijuana legalization gathers strength, and in the wake of the movement for criminal justice reform, some leaders are weighing the damage the drug might cause against the number of people of color who have been sent to prison, and the benefits it can provide to those in physical pain.
While some leaders remain staunch opponents of pot—saying it is neither medicine nor a harmless recreational drug—others find themselves in the middle of a heated debate over health, race and law enforcement. Many are embracing cannabis reform, with one church even launching its own like of CBD products, with its pastor saying he wants to raise awareness about holistic medicine and entrepreneurial opportunities.
The debate within religious communities echoes a wider conversation taking place across the country about marijuana’s increasingly important role in our society—and how our perceptions and attitudes about put will impact policymaking.
And finally, a Canadian study in Pediatrics finds that restricting e-cigarette ads aimed at young people could help prevent teens from taking up vaping. Canadian provinces that allow retail displays promoting e-cigarettes had nearly three times the teen vaping rate, and teens that said they noticed ads were more likely to start vaping. The study also revealed that the rate of teen vaping more than doubled to nearly 18 percent after e-cigarette laws were relaxed—a finding that should be taken into consideration as the U.S. continues to debate partial bans on flavored vaping devices and e-cigarette advertising.