Cannabis Stigma
Pride or Problem? Admit to Smoking pot or not!
By: Delight Greenidge, Chief Operating Officer, Luxe & Little
Date: November 1, 2021
Cannabis is derived from a plant (tree) and has been used as a healing medicine for centuries. The question in 2020 is why is it still a prohibited drug in most parts of the world?
Marijuana was criminalized in Canada in 1923. The USA followed suit in 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act during the Great Depression. Canada legalized cannabis in 2018 and the USA and other parts of the world are still struggling to find ways to allow for adult-use of marijuana, although for medicinal purposes it is available in 33 states and the District of Columbia.
Around the same time Australia banned cannabis in 1926 and many other European countries followed including the UK, which banned it in 1928.
A century and a half later, why is there still a ban on cannabis? What have science and higher education failed to communicate with governments to get the ban reversed?
The answer: It’s the message of getting high.
During the early years of the Mexican Revolution immigrants from Mexico crossed over to the USA and brought with them their social practice of smoking cannabis for recreation to American culture. It was not accepted well by people in authority although the population at large embraced it. With the influence and world standing of the United States, countries around the world adopted the strict position of the US government, implementing their own form of prohibition.
However, once the recreational use of cannabis begun, there was no turning back. The 70s hippie culture was the global emergence of the marijuana movement and the openly widespread smoking of pot.
Adults tried it for medicinal benefits, others to fit into social circles and some others tried it just for the ‘high’. No matter the category, almost 100 years later, adults who openly embrace and smoke cannabis are given the side-eye by society and in areas where prohibited, they are prosecuted for its use.
In a small, non-scientific study by Renew Management of men and women between the ages of 30 to 54 from 10 countries, showed that 50% of them used or have tried marijuana. Surprisingly, 75% of the participants said their work colleagues and extended family members were unaware that they actively smoked weed. When asked why, 100% of them indicated that it was because they would be judged and considered a ‘pot-head’ and that would be bad for their reputation. 100% of the participants were senior level executives or business owners.
Conclusively, those who work directly in the cannabis sector are ‘free’ to openly use and admit their use of cannabis. They walk around smelling of weed. Yet, most recreational users still feel the need to hide it!
We can help. Here’s how.
Use a Luxe candle or spray to completely eliminate the smoke smell from your hands and home.