The recent successes of the marijuana legalization movement can be attributed to many factors—including, as it turns out the financial support of a boatload of billionaires, from conservative political activist Charles Koch to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who are on the front lines of the cannabis revolution. For his part, Koch told Forbes he supports legal pot because prohibition is a basic infringement on personal freedom, as well as a destructive policy that adds to America’s mass-incarceration problem. That’s why the devout libertarian is spending a fortune to help end federal marijuana prohibition.
Before they write some more checks, however, perhaps the deep-pocketed businessmen should take a look at this new study that found an increase in overdoses among children who ingest marijuana edibles. The number of children under 12 who have ingested edibles at home jumped from 132 in 2015 to almost 2,500 last year, according to the Association of Poison Control Centers, and those requiring medical attention jumped astronomically, too. This parallels the legalization of marijuana in many states. One reason for the rise, doctors say, is that the packaging for these substances looks very attractive to kids.
And finally, an analysis of the most popular vaping-related TikTok videos on a single day last year showed that nearly two-thirds portrayed potentially dangerous e-cigarettes in a positive light. The videos promoted vape use, joked about e-cigarette use, and showed tricks to do with a vape pen, all at a time when vaping has reached epidemic levels among young people. Collectively, the videos were viewed more than 1.5 billion times. Although other social media platforms have taken steps to ban such content, TikTok remains a ready source for positive messaging about vaping despite the risks posed by e-cigarettes.