Our Mission
Every Brain Matters is a non-profit community created by families negatively affected by industrialized marijuana. We are a trusted educational resource grounded in science and personal experience.
The Every Brain Matters community offers family recovery resources, including support meetings, to help individuals cope with harmful cannabis use by their loved ones. We advocate against the predatory practices of the cannabis industry and work to challenge unhealthy drug policies. Our mission is to promote the health of families and communities by reducing drug demand, empowering individuals, and supporting initiatives focused on prevention, education, and recovery.
Key points:
- Marijuana policy should be guided by scientific evidence. Drug policies ought to be based on reputable research rather than profit-driven motives that promote drug use.
- The most effective harm reduction strategy is drug prevention. Keeping drugs illegal and providing education helps decrease demand and use. Increasing accessibility leads to higher rates of use.
- Marijuana use impacts more than just the user. It harms innocent individuals, including victims of drug-impaired driving, those experiencing child neglect or abuse, as well as people exposed to secondhand smoke and accidental ingestion.
- The legalization of marijuana is contributing to a growing crisis in mental illness and addiction. Currently, we lack the necessary resources to prevent, manage, or recover from issues such as cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Marijuana has been identified as a causal or risk factor in problems related to addiction and mental illness, including schizophrenia, homelessness, and violence.
- State regulatory policies on marijuana have proven ineffective. The FDA, not state legislators, is responsible for approving medications. The safety of state marijuana products remains unverified.
- The illegal marijuana market has expanded significantly due to the legalization of cannabis.
- Marijuana production poses significant environmental challenges that hinder responsible stewardship of our planet. Growers are diverting streams, depleting our water supply, and placing a strain on the electrical grid and other energy resources. In states where marijuana is legal, especially on federal lands, grow operations are leading to deforestation, the use of banned pesticides and rodenticides, wildlife destruction, and the depletion of natural resources, all without proper accountability.
- Expanding the sale of marijuana leads to widespread costs and societal harm, impacting our daily lives. It contributes to higher car and health insurance rates, increases homelessness, raises government spending (taxes), escalates public health expenses, diminishes productivity, fuels crime and violence, reduces potential opportunities, adds to workplace safety costs, and drives up business and housing expenses.
- No marijuana use is safe during pregnancy or for individuals under 25 years old. Marijuana is known to be harmful to a developing brain.
- There is no evidence that high-potency marijuana (10 mg THC or higher) is safe for adult use. Rates of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, cannabis-induced psychosis, and cannabis use disorder are on the rise.
- Intoxicating hemp products, legalized through a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill, should be prohibited.
Solutions
- Allocate funding for educational campaigns that inform the public about the actual risks associated with marijuana use, including potential links to violent behavior.
- Prohibit advertisements that promote marijuana products as safe or medicinal, especially those aimed at attracting youth.
- Ban edibles or THC-infused products that resemble everyday foods and candies, which may appeal to young consumers.
- Remove flavoring agents from vape products to ensure that consumers can taste the actual toxicity of marijuana products.
- Provide insurance-covered or state-funded long-term detox centers and treatment options, creating a safe environment for individuals recovering from the adverse effects of marijuana, including those experiencing irrational behavior and anosognosia.
- Oppose policies or efforts that promote drug use, advocate for more regulations in states where marijuana is legal, and support initiatives focused on drug and mental health prevention and recovery efforts.
