Singer Promotes Her Own Pot-Infused Wine

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Published: Saturday, November 01 2014 10:53

October 28, 2014

Melissa Etheridge, singer/songwriter, breast cancer survivor, and proponent of medical marijuana use, is cashing in on both the infused alcohol and marijuana-product crazes by launching her own brand of marijuana-infused wine. Etheridge says she wants to bring cannabis-infused products including her wine to states like California, New Hampshire and the other 21 states with medical marijuana laws. Unfortunately, she is placing her name on a mixture of 2 potentially harmful drugs in order to make profit. Encouraging the simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana is a risk to public health, particularly to youth.

While research on specific health risks of combining alcohol and marijuana is still growing, studies have already shown that the combined influence of the two products acutely impairs several driving-related skills, more so than either substance alone. Ingesting both at once also increases the risk of unsafe driving among teenagers. At minimum, mixing marijuana and alcohol increases risk of potential harm in several ways. Promoting a product that makes it easy to ingest both at once puts public health and safety at risk.

What's more, marijuana-infused wine is not a medical treatment. Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, significantly related to cancers of the larynx, pharynx, liver, oral cavity, female breast, esophagus, and colorectum. Combining marijuana with alcohol, a substance that is a causal factor for multiple types of cancer certainly undermines the singer's intent.

Even if Etheridge believes that cannabis has properties to relieve medical problems, owning and promoting a product that contributes to the cause of those problems and other health-related harms with her well-known name/brand is no solution. It makes the problem worse.