[jamesssssss833]

In a lot of ways in the US i see the issue here coming down to prohibition. If Marijuana was legal and regulated then the FDA could prosecute fraudsters that claim the drug is “completely hazard free miracle herb that doctors HATE”.

Of course irresponsible fools are taking advantage in a gap in the law to make short term profits.

[MichaelCollins]

The FDA could go after any merchants making those claims, but for the most part those memes are spread by randos on reddit/etc. The FDA doesn't and shouldn't go after random people saying stupid shit they probably earnestly believe.

[jamesssssss833]

The FDA does and should if the person spreading the bs about the Miracle Cure That Has Doctors Mad is also selling the miracle cure. Thats the real issue.

[maxbond]

I feel like a lot of the boots-on-the-ground evangelist/sales people in this industry are themselves victims of fraud who have been sucked into pyramid schemes (now more commonly referred to as multilevel or network marketing for obvious optics reasons) and that society wouldn't especially benefit from bringing the hammer down on them.

I think there's a deeper problem here with the relationship between patient and doctor being undermined by a dysfunctional medical system, such that doctors can't spend any time with patients, patients can't afford to see doctors, and even when the stars align patients can't always rely on doctors to believe them and take them seriously. I think there's a reason why the particular empathetic and loving rhetoric of new-age bullshit is so appealing; it counters the sterile and often kafkaesque experience people have navigating the medical system.

I can totally imagine how much nicer it might be to drop by a friend-of-a-friend's house, in my neighborhood, where they give me a tarot reading, listen to my problems and validate my perspective, sell me something at a price that won't bankrupt me and that feels safe and natural, and they have all the time in the world to explain their theory on how it all works.

Obviously it matters whether or not the medication works and whether or not the provider knows what they're doing. But I think the problem is that there's a dysfunctional relationship here, not that law enforcement aren't cracking down sufficiently. And also that the people likely to have their lives turned upside down are losing money on the whole proposition, and are themselves just probably well-meaning people who are trying to hustle for a better life, and don't understand the harm they're causing.

[jamesssssss833]

Oh I completely agree with you there. Thats the way underground/illegal economies work generally. They identify a need not met by the legal market and charge a premium for something that they say addresses it. Personally im fine with it if you (bad/nonsense example) buy tree bark from your guy marketing it as organic aspirin. I take more an issue when whats being sold as organic aspirin is closer to sugar flavored with arsenic

[MichaelCollins]

As I said, the FDA can go after the merchants. But most of the people spreading dumb meme beliefs about cannabis aren't selling it. If the FDA wants to make a meaningful dent in the spread of these beliefs, they'll have to earn the public's trust and convince people of the truth.

[pyuser583]

It’s not merchants saying that. It’s users.

And in places where pot is legalized, the illegal trade continues.

[eurasiantiger]

Suprisingly, decades-old social networks are not toppled overnight and people don’t change their behavior if it’s more convenient not to.

[hutzlibu]

Especially if the illegal trade is economically still worth it. (they don't pay taxes)

[_-david-_]

What is stopping them from going after fraudsters now?

[jamesssssss833]

The FDA deals with enforcing standards on anything that is medicine (or claims to be) regulating vendors and suppliers. They’re able to enforce standards on any legal drug, however mj is still illegal at the federal level, leaving it to the DEA to enforce and they dont really care about standards and safety so much as seizing large sums of money from drug deals.