(Newswire.net — August 13, 2023) — A Forbes Health survey polling 2,000 American adults reveals that 60% of respondents have tried CBD-based products and believe they offer medicinal benefits. The survey also finds that almost 65% of adults in the US think these products are safer to consume than alcohol.
Despite the growing popularity of cannabis and hemp products, Inesa Ponomariovaite, founder and CEO of Nesas Hemp, argues that a stigma around cannabis and hemp products still remains.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) cites a study to measure this stigma. The study reveals that a significant number of patients who seek help at medical cannabis dispensaries in California worry that they will be perceived as “potheads” and “stoners.” What’s more, these fears about how people perceive them negatively impact their medical access as they often put off treatment or tried to bypass help from their normal healthcare provider.
The stigma against natural cannabis and hemp solutions is rooted in propaganda
Ponomariovaite launched an international company to produce safe and effective CBDa products using hemp oil. “Hemp oil is a safe and natural treatment that got a bad rap in the last century,” she affirms. “It’s time we do away with the lingering stigma around this ancient remedy.”
In the US, efforts to stigmatize cannabis began in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, this century-old stigma lives on in people’s judgments and prejudices today.
In 1925, the League of Nations’ International Opium Convention targeted cannabis along with opium, heroin, and cocaine, and public opinion concerning the herb shifted. Not long after, Hollywood movies and international media linked the herb’s use to upticks in violence, criminal activity, and immorality. Many of the harmful stigmas associated with cannabis and hemp products today have their roots in this outdated propaganda.
Almost half a century later, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 labeled the herb as a Schedule 1 narcotic, along with heroin and cocaine. Although cannabis used in the case of chronic medical conditions was approved by California in 1996 — and 36 states have legalized medicinal cannabis programs since that time — the federal US government has not changed its classification.
The tide has turned, but prejudice and confusion still muddy the waters. This legal ambiguity leaves many cannabis users with lingering fears and doubts.
However, there is good news. As cannabis for medical purposes becomes more commonplace, public opinion as a whole is shifting in favor of the herb. The growing body of evidence demonstrating cannabis’ therapeutic potential will eventually lead to less institutional resistance to the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
“We have witnessed a dramatic shift in public opinion, but somehow this safe and natural health solution remains controversial,” remarks Ponomariovaite. “Stigma can force people who need medical cannabis to resort to unsafe, unregulated methods of obtaining products. These patients deal with debilitating pain and medical issues; they should not also have to face people’s outdated preconceptions and judgments.”
Breaking down the stigma against medical cannabis and hemp
“CBD and hemp oil are not new products,” asserts Ponomariovaite. “They have actually benefited mankind for centuries. In the past, hemp oil treated ailments from skin irritations to sleep disorders. Today, hemp oil improves the quality of life for people with health issues such as chronic pain, insomnia, arthritis, anxiety, PTSD, autoimmune diseases, epilepsy, and cancer.”
The potential medical uses of cannabis have been gaining support for some time now. As of 2023, the majority of states in the US — 38, in fact — now permit the use of cannabis for both medicinal and recreational purposes.
Additionally, both Canada and Uruguay have fully decriminalized its use. Several European countries have legalized medicinal marijuana use, and recreational use is legal in Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Furthermore, cannabis plants classed as “hemp” are readily available throughout the Western world, leading to a significant increase in the usage of additional cannabinoids.
“This all-natural cure has so many benefits to offer us today,” concludes Ponomariovaite. “Access to the drug is greater than it has been in decades, and the power of a century-old stigma is finally beginning to crack.”