Last Sunday, The Hill published a story by opinion contributor Joe Ferullo titled, "Are the editors high? Why trendy news features on pot are a bad idea." Ferullo cites a few examples of newspapers publishing stories listing activities that pair well with pot or how-to guides for cooking with cannabis.
The point he's arguing, as made clear in the headline, is that these stories are a bad idea. Ferullo expands on that, saying they're irresponsible journalism, "given all that is known and — more importantly — unknown about pot consumption."
This very Green Zone section is frequently home to the exact sort of stories that Ferullo is calling out. One such story ran just two weeks ago. While I find his point ludicrous and his arguments thoroughly unconvincing, it would be irresponsible not to address it. Specifically, the knowns and unknowns he mentions.
"Scientific research and law enforcement practices had no time to catch up with the new legalized reality; the effects of that are now seen every day," Ferullo writes.
There are established practices for law enforcement to determine impairment from alcohol. A Breathalyzer can determine if someone is or is not over the legal limit. With cannabis, things aren't as cut and dry. It would be irresponsible to not note that in every story in this section. You know, like how every time a hip new bar opens and is reviewed by a responsible paper there's a large section of the story detailing law enforcement's relationship with alcohol. I'm being facetious, of course.
"Feature sections often highlight cocktail recipes and trendy bars," Ferullo notes, seemingly unbothered.
They highlight those despite "all that is known" about alcohol consumption, including myriad studies documenting the negative personal and societal impacts of alcohol consumption. Once again, as was the case with law enforcement, things aren't as cut and dry with cannabis. That's largely because federal prohibition on cannabis makes research incredibly difficult and risky, even in states where it is legal. Despite that, research is being done, and yes, some of it is showing negative impacts associated with cannabis consumption.
It would be irresponsible not to cover those stories, with alcohol and cannabis. That's why every responsible paper that writes about cocktails includes multiple paragraphs about cirrhosis of the liver.
Unfortunately, we don't have room for all those paragraphs in every single story. If you didn't catch the sarcasm, neither do the "responsible" papers. So, maybe some will find these stories irresponsible. What would actually be irresponsible, though, would be to stop running them altogether. ♦
