Storytelling changes the world.
This is especially true for cannabis. The narrative around this cash crop is so impactful, as we’ve witnessed the opposite end of that coin — damaging effects of the War on Drugs over the last century. As a consequence of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, cannabis was removed from the U.S. Pharmacopeia in 1942 and prohibited. Anti-weed propaganda called “Reefer Madness” has been potent ever since.
The truth about cannabis was suppressed by fear-mongering propaganda which exaggerated its negative claims. These types of media, often posters and articles, “demonized” the plant, stoking fear by publishing drug busts and punitive news for low-level weed offenders. They also often ran with surveys that were alleged to show the harms of cannabis without offering balanced reporting on the peer-reviewed studies that show the health benefits of cannabis.
For most of the last century, scientists’ hands were tied. They couldn’t debunk the myths around the plant because there was a ban on studying weed in the U.S. since 1970 (with a few exceptions, including ditch weed grown by the DEA themselves). Because of the plant’s criminalization, there was a freeze on studies looking at whether cannabis was beneficial or harmful for decades.
Why? Money. A targeted anti-cannabis effort began with Harry Anslinger and William Randolph Hearst (yep, that Hearst). The newspaper mogul had a massive stake in the paper industry, which was industrial hemp’s direct competitor. Hemp and cannabis (both are the same plant — cannabis sativa L.) were not only used in the pharmacopeia as a reasonable pain treatment of the time, but also used industrially, for paper, cloth and more. Hearst needed to change the narrative to show the harms of cannabis, pushing its prohibition so he could make money on paper.
A bias against cannabis still exists today. While the roots of weed prohibition have many unfortunate layers, storytelling played a huge role in negative public opinion around the plant. Some publications continue to feed into the modern version of “Reefer Madness,” what I call Reefer Madness 2.0. One article from a respected legacy publication just last year centered on how to get your neighbor evicted for smelling like weed. Not only is this type of storytelling cruel and inhumane (what if they are a medical patient, or a child with epilepsy?), most importantly, it’s not based on science.
The lingering stench of “Reefer Madness” is so deeply entrenched in the minds of the American population that it takes decades to undo the damage done. How can modern weed activists — including business owners, marketers, scientists, and entrepreneurs — amplify the truth as urgently as “Reefer Madness” was amplified? Here are three tips on how to use storytelling to change the narrative:
Shine your light on the good instead of being on the defense, reacting or responding to what is false. You get to frame your company’s story. You are in control of the light you shine. Use your platform to educate the masses, including how cannabis has benefited your consumers. Offering up quotes from reviews is helpful. Lean on the experience of your founding team and staff. Make it personal by showing the plant’s healing benefits in your own life. I document my time in the garden growing weed from Fast Buds because it’s genuinely the healthiest and most life-altering medicine I’ve ever experienced. Putting your hands in dirt always is.
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Storytelling focusing on wellness and education builds consumer trust. You have to be really careful: you cannot claim weed cures ailments it does not cure, but you can offer up the studies by peer-reviewed scientists in the space.
The truth will set you free. Find peer-reviewed studies to support and uplift your brand’s story. There is a mounting pile of respected research on plenty of ailments. Make sure to highlight educators in the space, or have your own team of experts explain a cannabis-related topic on social media.
Offering data moves the audience because we finally have legitimate studies to back up claims. Some really amazing scientists in the space publish information and peer-reviewed studies all the time, including Harvard medical professor and practitioner Dr. Peter Grinspoon, Dr. Miyabe Shields, PhD in endocannabinoid pharmaceutical science, and Dr. Riley Kirk, PhD in Pharmaceutical Science and author of the forthcoming book aptly titled Reefer Wellness.
Follow along with new studies from accredited universities around the world on PubCrawler. It’s an old-school website, but you can set up alerts directly to your inbox anytime they mention “cannabis,” “THC” or other words you’re interested in following studies on across the globe. Keep in mind that some studies are more expansive and valuable than others. You will get a lot of information either way. Dig in.
I grew up in the ’90s. DARE was the narrative when I was younger, which was anti-drug. They had some valid points, I still have a T-shirt (the logo was cool; that’s just good branding). But the far more fearful, damaging War on Drugs holdovers are still alive and well in the community guidelines on social media. Meta platforms heavily censor weed information.
Educating the population about the plant has been an uphill battle for modern cannabis scientists. They are trying to get the truth out on social media and are often shadowbanned or deleted for even mentioning cannabis. It’s a targeted effort to silence cannabis educators and brands, and it’s been a challenge for the industry to reset and offer new narratives. I love to use censorship-free platforms for my garden, including invite-only Discord, GrowDiaries, a safe-haven for nug photos and a resource for growers, and Budist, an app for product reviews. You can find the truth, but it might not be on the existing platforms.
In a world where misinformation often leaves people in the dark on cannabis, data is your guiding light. Imbue the truth into your storytelling, marketing and brand mission. Through education, you can help change the narrative surrounding weed.
