Why Is Smoking Marijuana So Common In Newsrooms These Days?
Why Is Smoking
Marijuana So Common
In Newsrooms These Days?
Written by Lois Lane
🕒 September 12, 2020
If you’ve sat through an editorial meeting within the past five or 10 years, chances are you’ve heard story pitches about the fluctuating legality of marijuana.
Whether it’s for medical use, or a good time, countless staff in newsrooms across the country aren’t just reporting on the green stuff. Marijuana use has increased.
Not just among people age 18 to 25, but, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, people age 26 and older are also using marijuana more frequently. In 2016, 11 percent of people age 26 and older said they’d used marijuana within the last year, and 7.2 percent said they had within the last month. By 2018, those numbers were 13.3 percent, and 8.6 percent, respectively.
The reasons for using marijuana are personal, and unique to each individual, but it’s no secret that the news industry is highly stressful.
The stories that we cover day-to-day can be tough to stomach, and the long hours demanded of news employees are exhausting. So it may come as no surprise that many journalists, and support staff, are using marijuana to take the edge off.
Some strains of cannabis help you sleep, allowing news employees on crazy morning or night shifts to get much-needed rest. If you’re struggling to fall asleep on an irregular schedule, THC-dominant strains can assist in a full night sleep.
Though it’s still illegal at the federal level, recreational marijuana use is legal in 12 states and medical marijuana use is legal in 34 states. It’s important to note that even if it’s legal in your state, your employer can still prohibit you from using it.
Many talent contracts stipulate no drug use, which includes use of marijuana.
Though most news employees are smart enough not to show up for work high, this issue may arise when it comes to work place injuries. If you are injured on the job, or involved in a crash while driving a station vehicle, most company insurance policies require the employee involved to undergo a drug test.
Marijuana can remain in your system for up to 30 days, depending on how often you smoke. That means you could still test positive for THC, even if you weren’t under the influence at the time of the incident.
So, you still interested in exploring the potential positive health effects of marijuana, but want to play it safe? Well, many reporters and photographers, who work long hours hauling heavy gear, get relief from CBD oils. This derivative does not create the high feeling associated with THC, but rather offers what some perceive to be pain relief and/or relaxation.
In 2020, it’s not uncommon to be reporting on changes to the laws surrounding marijuana while also dabbling in it yourself. Just as you would with any other issue you report on, maintain a neutral stance and share unbiased information. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do some off-the-clock investigating of your own. 😉🍁
How is what people put into their bodies in any of your business? Weirdos.
My first tv job was back in the mid-90’s in a small Gulf Shore town. I asked where I need to go to drug test. The ND looked puzzled, and said “If we did that I’d lose half of my best people!”. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience.