{"id":2698,"date":"2021-11-29T22:19:10","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T22:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=186666"},"modified":"2021-11-29T22:19:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T22:19:10","slug":"is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2698","title":{"rendered":"Is it time to regulate alcohol like marijuana?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Is it time to regulate alcohol like marijuana? &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. 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You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<h4 id=\"h-the-haymaker-is-leafly-senior-editor-bruce-barcott-s-opinion-column-about-cannabis-politics-and-culture\"><em>The Haymaker is Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott\u2019s opinion column about cannabis politics and culture.<\/em><\/h4>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Legalization campaigns often win with this simple idea: \u201cLet\u2019s regulate marijuana like alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a notion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coloradoindependent.com\/2011\/07\/07\/marijuana-legalization-effort-launched-in-colorado-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first popularized<\/a> by legalization advocate Mason Tvert and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mpp.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marijuana Policy Project<\/a>, who rode it to victory in Colorado in 2012. The idea makes perfect sense to voters. So why do so many politicians not get it? <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img alt=\"haymaker-column-logo\" class=\"wp-image-172448 has-ll lazyload\" width=\"361\" height=\"171\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana.png,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana.png,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana.png,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana.png,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Case in point: Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p>Five years ago, Bay State voters agreed to regulate marijuana like alcohol. Today cannabis is legal for adults but it is in no way regulated like alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis companies must sign Host Community Agreements (HCAs)\u2014often on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/massachusetts-town-charges-cannabis-businesses-fees-for-policing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extortionate terms<\/a>\u2014just to open their doors. The plant is taxed at 10.75%, while the beer tax is less than 1%. A single edible serving is limited to 5mg, while boozers are welcome to fill their shopping carts with $19 bottles of 190-proof Everclear.<\/p>\n<p>And now state legislators in Boston want further restrictions on weed. <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/massachusetts-town-charges-cannabis-businesses-fees-for-policing\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts town charges local cannabis companies $866,000 for \u201cpolicing\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-40-proof-whiskey-3-beer\">40-proof whiskey, 3% beer<\/h2>\n<p>One <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/192\/HD2841\">active bill<\/a> would limit flower and concentrates to no more than 10% THC (Flower typically contains 15% to 25% THC, concentrates 60% to 90%.) <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/192\/SD465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Another<\/a> would expand the authority of the state Cannabis Control Commission to set (similarly low) potency limits. A <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/192\/H170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">third<\/a> would increase the legal age for cannabis, but not alcohol, from 21 to 25.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>\u201cAll these restrictions on weed worked out so well. Why don\u2019t we apply them to alcohol?\u201d <\/p>\n<p><em>\u2013 Peter Bernard<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>A lot of people in Massachusetts are fed up with these sore-loser actions by diehard prohibitionists.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Bernard is one of them. Bernard, a medical cannabis consumer and Taunton, MA, home grower, is the executive director of the Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is bullshit that\u2019s been going on for five years,\u201d Bernard said of the prohibitionist proposals. \u201cHow would they like it if beer was limited to three percent [alcohol content], or if whiskey was only 40 proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That gave him an idea. Under Massachusetts law, citizens have the right to file their own bills in the state legislature. So last month Bernard filed <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/192\/SD2811\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SD 2811<\/a>, The CALM (Control Alcohol Like Marijuana) Act.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-flipping-the-script\">Flipping the script<\/h2>\n<p>Under his proposal, <em>alcohol<\/em> would be regulated like <em>marijuana<\/em>. That would mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Potency limits of 20% alcohol by volume (40 proof max)<\/li>\n<li>Strict limits to on-premises consumption<\/li>\n<li>Enforcement of codes relating to purity and potency, container size, and vendor security systems<\/li>\n<li>Childproof packaging requirements (no screwtop bottles)<\/li>\n<li>Credit and Interpol security checks for all licensees and employees<\/li>\n<li>Elimination of branded paraphernalia, and extreme limits on advertising<\/li>\n<li>Mandatory host-community agreements for all alcohol-related businesses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI filed this bill to make a point,\u201d Bernard told me earlier this week. \u201cLet\u2019s compare apples to apples. Cannabis is not poison. Alcohol is. We see alcohol-related deaths on our state college campuses every year\u2014somebody chugs a fifth of Jack Daniel\u2019s and ends up in the emergency room.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-let-s-look-at-alcohol-potency-first\">Let\u2019s look at alcohol potency first<\/h2>\n<p>Bernard himself came to the cause through medical marijuana. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>\u201cThree-percent wine not strong enough to get drunk on? It\u2019s okay. Just drink more.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><em>\u2013 Peter Bernard<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>About 10 years ago he suffered a broken spine and endured five years of morphine and Percocet prescriptions. Then he turned to cannabis. \u201cAfter surgery, I needed pain relief but not Percocet-level relief,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are people in my life that have gone the wrong way on that. I wanted off. [Medical marijuana] got me off and kept me off. I can actually walk, I don\u2019t need a cane anymore, and I\u2019m out of this [opiate-induced] fog. You know what\u2014this stuff saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bernard left his former corporate career to represent the state\u2019s cannabis farmers and manufacturers, and to advocate for sensible regulations.<\/p>\n<p>He knows his bill won\u2019t get passed. He just wants to make the obvious visible to his state\u2019s legislators: Cannabis isn\u2019t the substance that needs tighter regs.<\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts is one of America\u2019s worst states for drunk driving fatalities, Bernard pointed out. \u201cMeanwhile, teen use [of marijuana] is down, stoned driving is actually down,\u201d he said. \u201cAll these restrictions on weed worked out so well\u2014why don\u2019t we apply them to alcohol?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-dec-1-hearing-on-these-bills\">Dec. 1 hearing on these bills<\/h2>\n<p>The state legislature\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Committees\/Detail\/J50\/192\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy<\/a> is scheduled to hold a hearing on all active cannabis-related bills this coming Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 1 pm EST. Due to Covid restrictions it will be a virtual hearing, and video will be available <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Events\/Hearings\/Detail\/4102\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll be testifying [at that hearing] against all these bills that want to restrict potency,\u201d Bernard told me. \u201cI\u2019ll hold up my own bill and tell them I want to give them a taste of their own medicine. Lower weed potency? Fine, your wine is now limited to 3% alcohol. Not strong enough to get drunk on? It\u2019s okay. Just drink more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe whole idea of legalization was to tax and regulate it like alcohol,\u201d Bernard said. \u201cRight now the job is only half done.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>The Haymaker: Taking a swing at politics &amp; culture<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana.jpg\" alt=\"Bruce Barcott's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Bruce Barcott<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/bruce-barcott\">View Bruce Barcott&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-11-29 22:21:35 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is it time to regulate alcohol like marijuana? &#8211; Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Haymaker is Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott\u2019s opinion column about cannabis politics and culture. Legalization campaigns often win with this simple idea: \u201cLet\u2019s regulate marijuana like alcohol.\u201d It\u2019s a notion first popularized by legalization advocate Mason Tvert&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/is-it-time-to-regulate-alcohol-like-marijuana.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}