Alaskan’s enjoy not only an extra dose of freedom, separated by snow-capped mountains and a three-hour jet ride to the nearest continental U.S. city, but an extra dose of asphyxiation. I could blame it on breathing too much of our incredible clean air, but after reading the State’s study on pot attitudes, I’m thinking of blaming it on toking.
I am alarmed at the results of Alaska’s Health Department Survey on Marijuana Use, Awareness, and Beliefs. Yet, the ADN’s article on Feb. 15th about the survey shames us into tossing out the entire results because of the imbalanced demographic of its respondents – meaning too many older people and too many white people answered the survey. Literally.
Even with the skewed numbers of respondents, which I agree to, the results are alarming for the opposite reasons than you might think.
The survey concluded that “the majority (70%) considered it very harmful to an unborn baby if a pregnant woman used marijuana multiple times per week.” Can you imagine any reason why that number is not 100%? After all, we’ve determined that smoking cigarettes was harmful years ago.
It could be that the other 30% are made up of the 22%, who admitted in the survey of being current marijuana users, combined with another 8%, who must be their friends. I just don’t know.
The survey results then take us still higher into the dizzy state of Alaskan attitudes on pot smoking.
The study reports that “most (66%) considered it very harmful to an infant if marijuana use occurred while breastfeeding.” Huh, to an infant? Are we talking about plastic Barbie dolls or real infants? I’m stunned. Now tell me, what would such a close encounter be, first-hand or second-hand smoke?
This number should be 100%. The ability to envision a baby’s mom toking, while she’s cuddling up breastfeeding her baby, does not fit into my small brain. Maybe I need to light up, too. Expand my brain size.
Hundreds of studies already declared cigarette smoking harmful to women breastfeeding. “Yeah, but those studies are NOT talking about marijuana smoking.” Oh, I forgot.
Generally, I can expect older white Alaskans to be more conservative in their attitudes toward marijuana use but the asphyxiation mentality displayed in the results continue.
Despite this skewed group of respondents, only 56% were “highly concerned about young children accidentally eating edible marijuana” products; only 32% were “highly concerned about adults and adolescents” doing the same thing.
For me, this concern seems rather low. Our tolerance as Alaskans is naturally generous due to our fresh air and sense of independence here. And yet, these results underscore the need in Alaska for more awareness of the mental health issues of marijuana use.
Eugene Harnett, editor of APEonline.org
Steven Craig / February 26, 2016
Nice article and agreed. There are all sorts of opinions…medical experts…policy decisions…all the taxes proposed by Gov Walker won’t fix the problem. Tobacco is bad and eCigs…who knows? But Cannabis, legal or not, is certainly not healthy nor positive any more than a soothing cigarettes is to those in need of mental comfort. Don’t smoke anything when you’re pregnant. Your baby will thank you.
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Steven Craig / February 26, 2016
Nice article and agreed. There are all sorts of opinions…medical experts…policy decisions…all the taxes proposed by Gov Walker won’t fix the problem. Tobacco is bad and eCigs…who knows? But Cannabis, legal or not, is certainly not healthy nor positive any more than a soothing cigarettes is to those in need of mental comfort. Don’t smoke anything when you’re pregnant. Your baby will thank you.
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