(Marijuananews note: This is just too delicious.
Not only do the prohibitionists not understand what we are saying, they often do not seem
to understand even what they are themselves saying. This is a wonderful example of that
taken from the Stockholm-based Hassela prohibitionist organization. It is a staple of
prohibitionist propaganda that marijuana is now 10 to 60 times stronger than it was
"back in the sixties when everyone thought that it was harmless." They will then
cite numbers from one example which is always something over 20% THC, with the implication
that this is typical of what tiny little school children are being sold.
See
Marijuana Prohibition
And Potency, Price, And Safety --
"Is Marijuana Stronger Than It Was Back In the '60s, When Everyone Thought It Was
Harmless?"
Analysis By Richard Cowan
Of course, in the infamous marijuana dens of Amsterdam surely the evil weed must be
vastly stronger.
Well, it turns out that this is not the case. The average seems to have been around 8%
for several years. This is only a little more than twice what the average has been in
DEAland for the last 20 years. And if a prohibitionist wants to argue about it, the source
is a Dutch lab cited by the Swedish prohibitionists at Hassela.
This report does not fully explain all the sources, but it would appear that the
samples were taken in raids. Probably most were grown indoors.
Remember, commercial grow operations are illegal in Holland and the police will raid
them especially if neighbors complain about the smell. Some samples were also taken in
raids on coffee shops. These raids may have been caused complaints about noise from
neighbors or suspicion that hard drugs were being sold.
This is not really the best way to get representative samples, but it is analogous to
the DEAland method of getting data by testing seized contraband, so it has the virtue of
consistency.
The samples were manicured in accordance with the usual Dutch practice: "the
flowering tops were plucked." So this does not understate the results by including
seeds and stems, etc.
The total of the samples is also rather small, only around 200 per year, but the fact
that the results were consistent over a period of four years is reassuring.
There are two points here. One is that the prohibitionists are lying about the
"new potent pot" menace, which should come as no surprise. There is simply not
going to be enough volume of marijuana with double digit THC to be a threat, even if it
were more dangerous, which it is not. Even if kids could afford, which they can’t.
Second, as much as some of us would like to believe otherwise, it would appear that it
is very difficult to coax the cannabis plant into yielding more than 10% THC. Most growers
can’t do it, and most buyers probably would not want it.
But – in any case -- thanks to our drug crazed friends in Sweden for information
that the reform movement might not have had the resources to find. With our brains and
their money, we make a great team!)
Supported