Fake News Site Sparks Concern About Deadly Cannabis

Recently, a fake news story got people stirred up about deadly cannabis in Colorado. According to the Huffington Post, the news report was from the .

While the initial news post was easy enough to disprove by looking up the website and the fake company claiming to be making the recall, many were still disturbed by the framing of this false story. While there have never been any cases of cannabis overdose or reports of dangerous side effects from cannabis use, the same cannot be said for artificial cannabis like K2. Synthetic cannabis has caused overdose and even death, and is associated with issues like mental and cardiovascular disorders.

For this reason, a general panic set in when cannabis users or residents of legal states read this article, even if it was easily detectible as a fake. Also, because many are still cautious about cannabis having negative side effects from the days of prohibition, many felt that this story was more negative and alarmist than funny.

“The use of synthetic cannabinoids in Rite Greens products with the intent to create a more potent and competitive product was done so without the consent or knowledge of Rite Greens Senior Leadership,” claimed the fictional online statement.

It is not surprising that for those in the know about legal cannabis, the idea of a company including Spice or K2 in their products was simply scary. Although the article may have been intended as a harmless prank article, stories like this can cause undo panic, create nasty rumors and help the cause against legal cannabis by spreading false information.