Christine Carr and Ali Mims on the Dangers of Hemp: “Synthesized Marijuana”

In an interview from the Alabama State House in Montgomery, ALCAP President Greg Davis discussed the issue of marijuana/hemp with Christine Carr (CRNA) and Miss Alabama’s Teen 2024 Ali Mims. Prior to this conversation, they had attended a Senate Committee meeting on a bill concerning these matters. Carr began the conversation by describing the issue:

“We have a lot of products being sold in various stores and we sometimes call it ‘the gas station weed’ and we wonder ‘how in the world, if marijuana is illegal or it’s kept behind the big firewall of that Medical Cannabis Commission, how are kids getting this? How are adults getting all of these products?'”

She explained that there is a loophole in the federal Hemp Farming Act of 2018. “Hemp is cannabis, but it is the non-psychoactive kind,” Carr said.

She further explained that THC levels in hemp are low, and THC is the part of the marijuana plant that causes a person to experience the customary high associated with the drug. CBD oil can come from hemp, as long as it is farmed at a low-enough THC level originally. The loophole comes into play, however, at this point. The CBD is sent off to laboratories, where other substances are added to strengthen the effects of the drug. This “Frankenstein” process can effectively create synthetic marijuana, with the same dangers.

Minors, through various means, are able to procure these products. Christine Carr laments that they are everywhere in schools, to the point where her daughter would avoid using the restroom until the end of the school day because of the prevalent smell.

There is an effort to close the loophole at the national level. Until then, the next best step is to try to implement positive legal changes at the state level. Carr mentioned how banning certain chemicals (or marijuana itself) completely would help, as opposed to trying to manage or regulate the industry.

Later in the interview, Ali Mims entered the conversation to share personal stories of how this issue has devastated certain individuals around her. One horrifying example she cited was seventh grade student who got addicted to vaping, went to meet someone she had been talking to online at a gas station in order to buy a product, and was trafficked. Another story involved a close family member who had been addicted to marijuana/vaping for over a decade; because of this, she was informed that there is a 75% chance that her future child will have birth defects. These stories, and others like them, have led Ali to advocate against vaping.

To listen to their entire conversation, click here.