Industry Experts Slam 60 Minutes’ Biased Report, “The Pot Vote”

“The Pot Vote” aired on October 30 by 60 Minutes, and it has caused some controversy in the cannabis industry. In the segment, Dr. Jon LaPook travels to Pueblo, Colorado to highlight the effects of legalizing recreational cannabis.

The segment begins by highlighting the five recreational cannabis bills that are on the ballot in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada. It explains how Colorado passed recreational cannabis in 2014 and claims that the legalization is an experiment. The show also shared how Pueblo County is known as the “Napa Valley of cannabis.” On Election day, voters in Pueblo County may vote to prohibit the sale and production of recreational cannabis in their community, which could devastate the local

In the segment, Dr. LaPook interviewed a pediatrician at Saint Mary Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo. Dr. LaPook shared his support for banning recreational cannabis in the county, because there have been a higher percentage of babies born with THC in their systems this year versus last. However, La. Pook did not share that Pueblo County’s population has grown dramatically in recent years. Also, in 2015, three times more babies were born with intrauterine opioid addiction in 2015 than in 2014.

Industry experts have expressed their concerns about the information shared in “The Pot Vote.” Denver Consulting Group (DCG) is a respected consultancy in the cannabis industry. DCG’s Co-Founder, Justin Jones, shared what he believes the real problem is behind Pueblo County’s drug use, according to TheStreet. “Perhaps illicit drug use is the bigger issue here,” Jones said. “Since drug use is often attribute to economic hardship, it should be noted that the legal cannabis industry has created 1,300 new jobs and more than 60 new businesses in Pueblo. A more important story would be on the town’s opioid addiction, which legal cannabis can also help solve.”

The story failed to mention the many neuroprotective properties of cannabis, or the fact that legalized cannabis has dramatically helped people overcome opioid addiction. While the legal cannabis industry continues to push forward and iron out any discrepancies, we can only hope that large media platforms like 60 Minutes are going to consider all the facts surrounding cannabis legalization.