Recently I released a podcast on the legalisation of CBD to see what an online audience would think about CBD and medical cannabis as a treatment. I shared the podcast over my personal Facebook and received some responses and thoughts on the matter and the piece itself.

One of the toughest parts of making this audio was finding a way to explain a complicated topic in only three minutes but listeners did get the message "Being able to have it medically could help people manage their pain or stress in a healthier way than having to also deal with the side effects of getting high and then feel the come down from that as well." This comment shows that listeners understand cannabis is not just a drug for recreational use but has medical benefits, a more refined strain containing more CBD won't get a user high and could help someone deal with their anxiety.

The stigma around cannabis means a lot of us just associate it with recreation use rather than having any kind of medicinal property, full legalisation being quite a sensitive topic "Cannabis should not be legalised, it hasn't been researched enough and this will just be another way of telling young people that cannabis is okay to smoke" says one listener. I agree that further research needs to be done to see some of the more long term effects of cannabis although after loosening of laws states in the US, research is much easier carry out when the substance isn't completely banned. These states have imposed age restrictive laws, just the same as the laws on drinking and smoking which some critics say have worse long term usage effects that cannabis. I understand your concerns around full legalisation and the effect this may have on younger people if full legalisation was to happen. I believe the people who need help should be able to receive it, and if that’s in the form of medical cannabis prescribed by a doctor that’s ok.

I'm glad my listeners have engaged and let me know their thoughts on the topic and I hope they see cannabis in a different light after this. One commenter mentioned the piece "Allows you to see a side to cannabis that the news doesn't talk about"  which is what I aimed to do, show a more positive side to an illegal drug many dismiss as just another drug. I hope that moving forward a lot more of us can see it in a different light and eventually help make a change.