Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made his personal opinions on cannabis and cannabis products quite clear from the beginning — the man is even reported as having said, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” In modern-day America, however, this viewpoint is nothing short of archaic.

Sessions has also said that he does not believe legalizing marijuana will make America better, and believes that it is an unhealthy practice. On Tuesday, he told state attorney generals, “I’m dubious about marijuana. I’m not sure we’re going to be a better, healthier nation if we have marijuana sold at every corner grocery store.”

It is within reason to say that not smoking anything at all is clearly preferential to smoking — this belief is understandable, but it is not without its caveats. Cigarettes are totally legal in the United States, despite the enormous and overwhelming evidence that they cause cancer and a myriad of other health problems. Cigarettes are sold at every corner grocery store, and the negative health impact they’ve had on society is both sickening and astounding. Conversely, studies have shown that in addition to treating a number of health conditions, the THC compound in marijuana can also help to treat lung cancer. According to the CDC, between 80 and 90 percent of all lung cancers in the US are related to smoking.

It’s more than hypocritical for any member of the government to denounce marijuana in the name of public health while millions of Americans puff away on cancer-causing tobacco products, especially given the number of conditions and diseases that can be treated with cannabis. But when it comes to Jeff Sessions, this hypocrisy is taken to a whole other level. Sessions was a shill for Big Tobacco back in the 90s and fought against the litany of lawsuits facing the tobacco industry. But this… this is the man we’re supposed to believe is concerned about public health?

Parents have even moved across the country to states where it is legal to gain access to the medicinal plant or the plant-based CBD oil, to help treat their sick children. Recently, a 5-year-old boy with a severe seizure disorder made headlines for his switch from pharmaceuticals to cannabis oil. Jayden David’s seizures began when he was just a few months old and he had been taking over 20 different medications a day for much of his life. Despite the laundry list of drugs, nothing seemed to help manage his condition — until cannabis oil. After just one day of taking the cannabis oil, his seizures stopped. Eventually, Jayden was weaned off of his prescriptions entirely.

Wouldn’t you like to see Sessions tell a 5-year-old child that they are not a good person because they treat their intractable seizures with cannabis oil?

Jayden is not an exception to the rule — there are many, many people who use marijuana for medical reasons. The cannabis plant has a multitude of uses and can provide benefits for a number of diseases and conditions.

Sessions has also alleged that marijuana is a dangerous drug.

If one were to compare marijuana to alcohol, it becomes quite clear that cannabis is safer than alcohol in every way. Research shows that it is less addictive and less harmful to the body. Furthermore, some 30,000 people die from the sheer negative health effects associated with booze — never mind the number of accidental deaths caused by alcohol consumption and drunk driving. People die from alcohol overdoses.

Know how many people die from the adverse effects of cannabis each year? Zero.

Know how many people have overdosed on pot? None.

Sessions has even called the studies that show medical marijuana can be used to treat opioid addiction — which is currently plaguing the US — nothing more than a “desperate attempt to defend the harmlessness of marijuana.”

And yet, statistics show that states with legalized marijuana have seen a substantial drop in opioid-related deaths. Statistics also show that states with legalized marijuana are increasing revenues, creating jobs and reducing their crime rates. So, where is the problem exactly?

Apparently, it’s okay to kill yourself with a substance, as long as the government gives you permission. But if you want to treat yourself with a plant, all bets are off.

Marijuana prohibition is not just hypocritical, it also prevents many individuals from having free and legal access to a medically valuable plant that is used as medicine.  The continuance of marijuana prohibition is the real threat to humanity — not the plant itself.

Sources:

BusinessInsider.com

TheHill.com

MarketWatch.com

HuffingtonPost.com

MPP.org