Marijuana represents the Wild West of modern consumerism. Since I began smoking twenty-four years ago I’ve witnessed not only a profound change in reactions to cannabis, but also the numerous rebranding efforts trying to position marijuana as an elixir for every possible ailment.
Embedded within these scientific endorsements is a new vape pen, edible, or cream being sold.Not that some of these don’t merit attention—marijuana’s role in helping opioid addicts needs more sanctioned implementation. Beyond credible studies, however, this rebranding of cannabis as a spiritual lifestyle reeks of stale bong water. Bright colors and happy marketing are affronts to the national disgrace of minority and low-income Americans serving sentences for a joint. Marijuana is no cure-all, biologically or socially. It’s a plant with wonderful (but not overblown) benefits. Like with the consumption of any plant, there’s a downside.
Probably a number of downsides, which is why moderation is key in every facet of life. In a recently updated paper, now published in the Review of Economic Studies, economists Olivier Marie and Ulf Zölitz scoured over the grades of four thousand-plus students in the Netherlands to find out if legislation barring them from cannabis cafes resulted in improved grades. The answer is yes.
Maastricht sits on the southeastern border of the Netherlands, nearly touching Belgium and a short drive into Germany or France. Local officials began tightening marijuana laws beginning in 2011 as too many tourists were getting high in local cafes. Residents were growing tired of all-night partying and traffic jams.
The Netherlands decriminalized marijuana over forty years ago, but that does not mean the government is overly idealistic. The nation’s focus has been on addiction recovery, not recreational drug use.
That said, while cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, personal use is allowed. The first coffee shops offering cannabis opened in 1976.The 2011 decision meant that Dutch residents could toke while foreigners could…
The post Study Finds Marijuana Negatively Affects Some University Courses appeared first on FeedBox.