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In 2015, Ted 2 hit the scene. (Yeah, yeah, yeah - we know it's 2024.)
There's no need to argue about whether the original was better than the sequel (it was) or whether Ted has a functional Endocannabinoid System (uh, duh). When it comes to Ted, there's really nothing to debate - wicked-awesome, raunchy dialogue and childhood-best-friend adventuring is pretty darn fantastic.
Nearly a decade after its release, why should we talking about one of the raunchiest stuffed animals of all time? There is something we should be talking about because we can find important lessons everywhere...even from Ted 2...almost 10 years later.
It should come as no surprise - Morgan Freeman. More specifically, Morgan Freeman's wisdom. In cannabis, we should be reminding ourselves of what his character, attorney Patrick Meighan, explains to Ted and John. (It's just a coincidence that the takeaway arrives via a conversation about proper concert preparations.)
Meighan: Would that positive effect be your joint arrest...for purchasing marijuana in 2003?
Ted: How the $*#! do you prepare for a Foo Fighters concert?
Meighan: You know why you lost this case? It can't be argued by reason. The precedent it sets would affect the public directly. And unfortunately, the public doesn't judge by reason. It judges by emotion...
It's an old movie. It's a work of fiction. It's about a toy that has come to life. This is all true.
But.
The message conveyed still rings true. And in the cannabis industry, we benefit from lots of reminders about this particular notion. Because of the messaging about and status of cannabis over the last century in this country, cannabis hasn't had the benefit of reason. In fact, much of the misinformation and propaganda hinged on preventing the discovery of supported reasoning in combination with intentional emotional manipulation throughout these last 100 years or so, especially sentiments involving the protection of youth and preservation of values themes. If public default is already emotion-driven judgment, then combatting false narratives and intentionally harmful messaging with reason isn't effective...initially.
The public can eventually harness reason, but only after working through all of the emotion-driven stuff first. During our Cannabis Community Conversations, in our Green Shoulder sessions, and throughout The Diary of Mari podcast - we encourage the indentification of emotions and foster acknowledgement about how views formed. After that, we explore the history and facts and only THEN do we all arrive at a place ready to talk about why cannabis is such a complex topic. It's a process.
Should we be exclusively turning to Ted 2 for all life lessons? Probably not.
But, when we hear messaging about the realities of human behavior and how we make decisions and reach conclusions, we can and should use those reminders to help ourselves have more productive conversations that benefit from a balance of emotion and reason.
Contact Elucidation Strategies to learn more about cannabis education and consulting services.