John Stonestreet – Page 49

THC Gummies in Kid-Friendly Packages Endanger Children

May 2, 2022John StonestreetMarijuanaMarijuana

Legal recreational marijuana sales officially began in New Jersey. That’s the same state where, on Christmas Day in 2020, a 3-year-old was admitted to a hospital ICU after he ate a dangerous number of cannabis edibles. They were in a bag that looked like a package of Nerds candy.

According to CNN, knockoff candy bags that actually contain THC edibles are a big problem. The New Jersey Poison Control Center reported that the number of kids poisoned with cannabis was six times higher in 2020 than just two years earlier. There are similar reports across the country.

Marijuana lobbyists promise they don’t market to kids, and that it’s just a few bad apples selling edibles in kid-friendly packages. But making THC edible at all is a step towards marketing to kids, a genie that can’t be put back into the bottle.

As the nationwide march toward legalizing marijuana continues, the consequences of our culture’s worst ideas will be paid by the most common victim: the kids.

Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash

Microdosing: Coping with or Curing Depression?

Apr 11, 2022John StonestreetMarijuanaDrugs, Marijuana

W riting in Vox news, Luke Winkie describes a new and growing trend for health-conscious Americans: “microdosing.” It consists of introducing small amounts of marijuana, magic mushrooms, ketamine, or other formerly illicit substances into a daily routine. The goal is to stay on top of mental health issues.

“What the government once considered contraband is being claimed by wellness culture, one tiny dose at a time,” Winkie writes; “After all, the chaos of the last few years has left so many Americans with a singular priority: to be calmer and happier, by any means possible.”

While the health benefits of microdosing are inconclusive at best , what is becoming clear is how we’ve confused coping with curing. That should be a warning sign. A world that treats every problem as a medical one misses the point. A population that increasingly needs dubious chemicals just to feel “okay” is one that’s not OK.

One early adopter put it this way: “I felt a disconnect from my logical, ever-critical brain to my soul.” That feeling is real, even God-given. The answer she needs is one the Church is tasked with providing.

Public Opinion Trends Towards Nuclear Family

Apr 4, 2022John StonestreetFamilyFamily, Parents and Family

According to Pew Research, a growing number of Americans are realizing the importance of the nuclear family.

Just three years ago, 40% of Americans agreed with the statement “single women raising children on their own is bad for society.” That number has now jumped to 47%. The same is true of cohabitation, which nearly a quarter of U.S. adults say is “generally bad for society.” That’s up 5% from three years ago.

It’s an encouraging swing for public opinion, especially with both trends still on the rise. Kids do best with both a mom and a dad in the picture. They do better still when mom and dad stay married to each other.

Of course, there are a plenty of heroic single parents raising kids on their own, who will do everything they can to help their kids succeed. Data isn’t destiny for all individuals, but it is destiny for a society. The loss of marriage is unsustainable. As the world leader in single-parent households, Americans will either have to reckon with that basic truth, or the next generations will continue to pay the price.