It’s a searing indictment from the Los Angeles Times — a scathing investigation this past week into how the legalization of marijuana in California has actually led to a boom in illegal pot farms, accompanied by fear, violence and worker abuse.
Yet, at the same time, readers of the LA Times and other newspapers from states where marijuana is legal continue to see a steady stream of light features portraying pot use as just another way to have fun with friends. It’s a head-snapping contradiction that some news media outlets appear reluctant to address.
The LA Times’ lengthy investigation is brutal in its details. As the article recounts, California voters in 2016 were promised that legalized marijuana would crush gangs, reduce crime, and begin to repair the environmental damage often caused by outlaw growers. Instead, the Times reports, “the law triggered a surge in illegal cannabis on a scale California has never before witnessed.”
Journalists for the paper travelled to rural Northern California and the Mojave Desert to uncover enormous illegal marijuana farms with as many as 100 quonset-hut style greenhouses. Locals in nearby small towns described lives lived in fear of armed guards who patrol the cannabis complexes. Late night gunfire is not uncommon. One Times photographer was threatened. Understaffed police units are overwhelmed.
The expose is beyond sobering. But in that same edition of the printed newspaper, in the lifestyle-heavy “Weekend” section, readers found a full-page guide to “clean weed” — healthy, organic cannabis, free of pesticides and chemicals. And, back in July, just two days after the Times posted an earlier report about the boom in illegal marijuana farms, the features section published suggestions for “what to pack in an ultimate weed themed picnic-basket.”
To be clear, the paper is far from alone in trying to blend these discordant tones. In the years since Colorado legalized pot, the Denver Post has done a consistently strong job covering the increase in ER visits linked to cannabis use — especially among teens and children. But, like several other news organizations, it also continues to offer articles focused on “cannabis friendly” activities, including something called “weed church.”
Other articles published by various news outlets include a guide to the biggest marijuana celebrations and tips on the best coloring book for adults who are high. Most reports do make sure to tell consumers they should purchase cannabis legally.
It’s possible this content clash exists because the news side and feature side don’t talk to each other often enough; each assigns stories and publishes them without coordination. But you’d then assume that editors of these sections read their own paper front-to-back and eventually find out what’s being reported. That alone should start to temper the tone of certain kinds of cannabis coverage.
The other possibility: Publishers may have made an uneasy peace with the contradiction. They may believe that pot-positive features are a good way to bring younger readers to their websites — and, therefore, need to continue.
There’s no debating that the push to legalize cannabis did have — and still does have — a strong moral imperative. Prisons in states like California were filled with people, usually poor people, locked up simply for carrying small amounts of marijuana. Over-restrictive laws produced generations of ruined lives, long after society began to see pot consumption as significantly less dangerous than other drug use.
But it seems this moral foundation needs to be balanced now with harsh realities coming to light. Investigative work by the LA Times and others clearly demonstrates the severe, often unanticipated, downsides to marijuana legalization. In many cases, law enforcement isn’t fully prepared; legislation doesn’t always consider potential loopholes. Federal anti-cannabis laws make it difficult for legal farmers and distributors to be successful, creating opportunities for the illegal trade to step in and supply an increasing demand.
And a follow-up LA Times investigation posted at the end of last week reveals a “corrupting flow of money” brought on by legal cannabis businesses, including a “torrent of campaign cash” directed at local politicians and demands for bribes by other public officials.
Many of these issues will most likely be dealt with over time; something of civic equilibrium will be established. State laws will be adjusted and rural police staffing increased. Prosecutors will charge and convict crooked office holders. But until these situations begin to improve, news outlets really need to adjust the character of their marijuana content to better conform with the hard truth their investigative teams keep uncovering.
Anything else just feels irresponsible.
Joe Ferullo is an award-winning media executive, producer and journalist and former executive vice president of programming for CBS Television Distribution. He was a news executive for NBC, a writer-producer for “Dateline NBC” and worked for ABC News. Follow him on Twitter @ironworker1.