Researchers Express Concerns Over Contaminated Marijuana Products

Marijuana,

A recent journal article highlights concerns about contaminants in “medical” marijuana and other cannabis products.

Nationwide, many states have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and the Trump Administration has moved to ease federal restrictions on the drug. But while policymakers push for more marijuana, scientific evidence shows there are serious health concerns surrounding marijuana.

Researchers writing in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases say there are no standards for testing “medical” marijuana and other cannabis product for microbes and other contaminants.

The article says “microbial contamination” may happen “during cultivation, harvesting, processing, storage, and distribution, allowing potentially pathogenic organisms to persist in final consumer products.”

In other words, contaminants in marijuana may be harmful to the people who use it.

This is not the first time experts have warned about marijuana products being contaminated.

In 2024, lab testing from California found many marijuana products contained “concerning” levels of pesticides. Other research found marijuana often was contaminated with arsenic, lead, or mold, and that marijuana users may have higher levels of heavy metals in their blood.

Last year, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission tested 51 samples of industrial hemp flowers as part of the commission’s “Operation Clean Leaf” initiative. All 51 samples contained more THC than federal law allows, and authorities said some were tainted with dangerous pesticides.

Marijuana products are easily contaminated by pesticides and mold spores, because the marijuana plant itself easily absorbs toxins in the soil as well as chemicals or other substances sprayed on the plant.

These contaminants are passed along in marijuana products — posing serious health risks for marijuana users.

There are other concerns about marijuana besides the dangers from mold, pesticides, and other contaminants.

THC — the main psychoactive substance in marijuana — has been tied to everything from heart disease and cancer to stroke, mental illness, and even birth defects.

In fact, researchers now say marijuana use doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease. That ought to give everyone pause.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Guest Column: Spielberg Wants to “Mess With” Your Faith

Christianity,

Award winning film director Steven Spielberg said recently that his new film will likely “mess with” a lot of people’s theology. “Disclosure Day” is about what would happen if there were a sudden mass revelation about the existence of extraterrestrial life. According to Spielberg, it will force people, especially Christians, to rethink Who God is. 

As he told CBS Sunday Morning, 

What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? … Is God our God only on this planet or is God a God for every system where there’s civilization, intelligent life, and even developing life? 

It’s not unusual for celebrity artists to weigh in on things outside of their expertise, but this talented filmmaker is out of his depth. Even if there were a real life disclosure day, it would not alter anything about Christians’ fundamental beliefs. The God portrayed in the Bible created and oversees the entire universe. As the Psalmist said, “The Lord established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” That could easily include other worlds and other life forms. But of course, there is no evidence of that anyway. This is a film. Spielberg must think that Christianity is barely hanging on from falling into the dustbin of history.  

If so, he’s certainly not the first. Expectations of Christian extinction go back to the beginning. According to the Gospel of John, the High Priest Caiaphas thought that killing Jesus would erase His influence. When He failed to stay dead, the Jerusalem authorities thought that bribes and rumors would stamp out the new Faith. Those same authorities hoped that beating and scolding the apostles would keep them quiet. 

The Romans spent centuries trying to stamp out Christianity, from Nero who infamously burned believers in his gardens to Marcus Aurelius who believed he could mock them out of their faith. By the 200s, the Church had grown so much that Emperor Decius decreed an empire-wide assault on Christians. By the beginning of the fourth century, Diocletian instigated the Great Persecution. In the end, persecution set the stage for toleration. Eventually, under Theodosius I, the Roman Empire was Christianized.  

Later, when the Western Empire fell to Germanic tribes, the Church did not fall with it. Instead, Christianity not only endured but the pagans were converted. Islam tried to take down the Church a few centuries later. After subjugating Christianity in the Middle East, Muslim raiders seemed poised to conquer Western Europe. They were stopped in the middle of what is France. Almost 1,000 years later, armies of the Turkish Sultan advanced to Vienna, twice, before being pushed back. The smart money would have been that Christianity would fall, but it did not. 

During the Enlightenment, confidence that the Church would fall was at an all-time high. In the 1700s, the influential French thinker Voltaire claimed that he was “living in the twilight of Christianity.” In 1822, Thomas Jefferson added that, “I trust there is not a young man now living in the U.S. who will not die a Unitarian.” Voltaire’s home later housed a Bible society, and Jefferson’s generation was followed by religious awakenings and an explosion of missionaries sent around the world. 

In the twentieth century, the Communists predicted the end of what Marx called the “opiate of the masses.” Everywhere they went, revolutionary groups assaulted religion, especially Christianity. In Russia, China, Cuba, and elsewhere, the first targets of the Communists were churches, pastors, priests, and other religious groups. Often the persecution worsened out of frustration that the Faith simply would not die. In the end, Christianity stood over Communism’s grave, after contributing to its demise. 

Whether from internal failings or external threats, Christians can be discouraged. But, to borrow a quip from Mark Twain, predictions of the church’s demise are greatly exaggerated. If emperors and empires and armies haven’t stamped it out, Steven Spielberg doesn’t have a chance.

Copyright 2026 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

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Democratic Congressmen Ask FTC to Investigate “Prediction Markets” Over Deceptive Trade Allegations

Gambling,

Earlier this month a group Democratic congressmen called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate whether “prediction markets” are engaging in deceptive trade practices.

Gambling has exploded across the U.S. in recent years, and studies show more than half of men ages 18 – 49 now have an active sportsbook account online. But experts are sounding the alarm over internet gambling and federally regulated “prediction markets” that many say are just as addictive as other forms of gambling but not accountable to state gambling laws.

Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi exploit loopholes in federal law to bring casino-style gambling to anyone with a smartphone. The companies running these platforms claim it’s not gambling. They just offer “financial products” that let people “invest” in the outcome of a ballgame, tomorrow’s weather, foreign policy, and so on. But calling it an “investment” does not change what it is: Gambling.

On June 3, a group of congressmen led by U.S. Reps. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) sent a letter urging the FTC to investigate whether online “prediction markets” are misleading consumers by engaging in unfair and deceptive trade practices.

The letter alleges that “prediction markets” like Kalshi and Polymarket have advertised themselves to consumers as gambling platforms, but have claimed in court that they are actually just investment companies. The letter says that is a contradiction that the FTC needs to investigate.

We have written before about how prediction markets are particularly troubling because they operate without state oversight. When prediction market platforms let users trade hundreds of millions of dollars on the Super Bowl game outcomes — plus millions more on trivial bets like which song would play first at halftime — that is not investing. That is gambling.

Several states have tried to enforce their state gambling laws against “prediction markets.” However, the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed lawsuits to stop those states from regulating “prediction markets.” That’s a problem.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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