NYT’s Weed Flip Exposed: Cherry-Picked Stats & “Grudging Toleration”

Do you need to smoke different strains to be a good reviewer?

Join Rory as she tried a sample passed to her by chefdomo2 on insta. “GG4” smalls by preferred gardens Rory talks through online conversations, like if reviewers are stuck in the habit of trying the same strain over and over- and if that gives them the right to share their opinion. The reality of trying flower sometimes and more! (Watch the video on YouTube)

NYT’s Weed Flip Exposed: Cherry-Picked Stats & “Grudging Toleration”

In this episode of Roll Call, we break down the New York Times’ shocking 2026 shift from pro-cannabis legalization to calling America a “marijuana problem” with their push for “grudging toleration.” Join Rory as she dissects arguments from NYT editors Emily Bazelon, German Lopez, and David Leonhardt on rising potency, addiction, teen use, and taxes—then counters with real data showing stable youth rates, massive tax wins ($25B+ cumulative), and how high taxes fuel black markets in CA and NY. Is this media flip helpful or harmful? We dive into facts on daily use (17.7M vs. alcohol), CHS risks (17.8% in heavy users), FDA-approved benefits, and why stricter medical standards—not more regs or taxes—are the way forward. Perfect for cannabis enthusiasts, policy wonks, and anyone tired of Reefer Madness 2.0. Sources: * National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2022: Daily use stats [https://samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-national-report] * Monitoring the Future 2025 Survey: Teen use/abstention [https://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2025.pdf] * UCL/Cambridge/King’s College 2022 Study: Productivity/motivation [https://nature.com/articles/s41386-022-01334-2] * FDA-Approved Cannabinoid Drugs: Epidiolex, Marinol, etc. [https://fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/cannabinoid-medicines] * 2026 medRxiv Study: CHS prevalence [https://medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2026.01.26.24301789v1] * Vangst 2025 Jobs Report: 425K+ jobs [https://vangst.com/reports/2025-cannabis-jobs-report] * Marijuana Policy Project: $25B+ tax revenue [https://mpp.org/marijuana-policy/tax-revenue-states/] * CA UCETF 2026 Report: $609M illicit seizures [https://gov.ca.gov/2026/01/10/governor-newsom-announces-record-seizures/] * NY OCM 2025 Annual Report: $2.5B+ sales [https://cannabis.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/12/ocm-annual-report_final-2025.pdf] * SAM 2025 NY Impact Report: Unlicensed shops estimates

50 YEARS, STILL WAITING

For over 50 years, cannabis has been trapped under harsh federal restrictions—classified in 1970 as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD. Now, with the move toward Schedule III, many are calling it progress. But is this really the victory they want us to believe it is? In this episode of Roll Call, Rory takes you through the history of cannabis scheduling, the politics behind prohibition, and what this “step forward” actually means for the industry, consumers, and legalization efforts nationwide.

Roll Call With Rory: Big City F@ck Up

In this episode of Roll Call, we dive into a high-stakes legal battle that could make or break New York’s cannabis industry. Twelve dispensary owners are suing state regulators over a sudden change in zoning rules—shifting the 500-foot school buffer from a school’s front door to its entire property line. What sounds like a small tweak could force dozens of legal shops to close, bankrupt equity applicants, and hand the market back to unlicensed operators. We break down what’s at stake, why this matters beyond New York, and how the outcome could reshape cannabis legalization across the U.S. ⸻ Credits & Legal Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Music promoted by Copyright Free Music – Background Music For Videos @podcastbackgroundmusic