From Newsday webinar: Today's pot is particularly potent, merits caution
The legalization of marijuana may have some Baby Boom-generation Long Islanders feeling nostalgic for their younger years. But modern cannabis is quite different from the product commonly used in the 1970s, industry experts told Newsday.
"What you smoked decades ago doesn't even exist anymore," said R. Lorraine Collins, distinguished professor and associate dean for research at University at Buffalo, who has studied alcohol and marijuana use.
Collins and Daniel A. Johnston, an attorney with a company planning to enter the industry, explained that today's marijuana is more potent. They provided insight on how Long Islanders can take a safe, responsible approach to cannabis during a Newsday Live webinar on Wednesday moderated by associate editor Joye Brown.
Here's what the experts had to say:
Q: What's different about modern marijuana?
Cannabis currently has significantly higher shares of the compound that produces a high — tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — than was customary decades ago, Collins said.
The crowds at Woodstock, the counterculture-celebrating music festival in 1969, smoked marijuana that contained about 5% THC, she said. Most cannabis products offered at dispensaries today start at about 25% to 35% THC and may contain more than 90% THC, according to Collins.
Left: R. Lorraine Collins, professor of community health and health behavior at the University at Buffalo and associate dean for research. Right: Daniel A. Johnston, general counsel of Gotham Growth Corp. Credit: Newsday
Q: Are edibles safer than smoking or vaping?
Consumers may now pick from a greater range of products, including food or "edibles" that contain marijuana, beverages and THC distilled into an oil that can be heated and inhaled through a vaporizer, said Johnston.
"The different ways to consume cannabis is generally limited only by the imagination of the processors," said Johnston, general counsel for Gotham Growth Corp., a Hauppauge business that intends to pursue a cannabis-processing license.
Inhaling smoke or vapor may damage the lungs, Collins said. Edibles may be safer, but users should be mindful that it can take up to an hour for ingested items to take effect.
"A lot of times people will have half a brownie, and 10 minutes later, they're like, 'Oh, I'm not feeling anything, let me have the other half,'" said Collins. By the time they've eaten that whole brownie, she said, they may have had much more THC than they intended.
Is this safe for young adults?
Marijuana can impact attention, memory and other cognitive skills in developing brains, Collins said. Anyone 21 or older may use marijuana under New York law, but from a strictly scientific standpoint, refraining until 25 may be safest, she said.
What will this mean for dangers on the road?
Driving while under the influence — or even smoking marijuana in a parked car — is not permitted, Johnston said.
Police may discern whether drivers are intoxicated by analyzing their motor functions, eyes and manner of speaking, Johnston said. But the methodology officers use is not substantiated by science and, by itself, will not be enough to convict someone of driving while intoxicated, Collins and Johnston said.
However, police observations provide enough reasonable cause to test someone's blood for THC levels, Johnston said. These levels may be used to secure a conviction for driving while intoxicated in court, he noted.
Sarina Trangle covers affordability and cost of living issues and other business topics. She previously worked as an editor and reporter at amNewYork.
