NORML Pushes Back On New York Times Alarmist Cannabis Potency Coverage

NORML Responds to Times Potency Claims

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is pushing back against recent New York Times coverage that raises concerns about cannabis potency and the number of people using it. NORML argues the reporting omits key context.

Potency, Titration and Consumer Preferences

According to NORML, consumers practice a self-regulatory process known as titration, meaning they ingest lesser quantities when they encounter higher-strength marijuana. The group also cites retail sales records from legal states showing most consumers gravitate toward lesser-strength products, like flower.

NORML further observes that THC is incapable of causing lethal overdose regardless of its potency or the quantity consumed, unlike alcohol, which is readily available in many states in a variety of potencies, including highly potent formulations like grain alcohol and absinthe.

Today, a wide range of cannabis products are available in the marketplace, some of which, like concentrates, are far stronger than others, NORML notes. The organization says higher-strength marijuana products do not dominate state-legal markets.

Regulation as a Feature of Legalization

Nearly all state-legal markets impose limits on certain products’ potency or on the total amount of THC permissible per single serving, according to NORML. The organization says this trend speaks to one of the primary advantages of legalization: it provides governments with the ability to oversee the market, establish regulations and best practices for those who participate in it, and sanction those who don’t play by the rules.

NORML says none of this context is reflected in the Times’ coverage, which the organization characterizes as one-sided on the issue.

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