One of the first things you’ll notice about the CDC is that it still uses the outdated word “marijuana” for cannabis. Even the FDA has adopted the newer terminology, but the CDC is more focused on the potential detractors of cannabinoid-containing substances.

At Best Dosage, we believe that all sides of a story need to be consulted to come to the right conclusions. The CDC’s perspectives toward cannabis may commonly be critical, but we still cite this agency as a source just as frequently.

Learn why Best Dosage considers the CDC to be a reputable source of information on the health effects of cannabis.

CDC quick facts

1. Established in 1946

2. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia

3. Focuses on preventing the spread of pathogens

4. Also promotes general public health by preventing exposure to harmful substances

5. An authoritative source on the health effects of THC

An organization dedicated to public health

The CDC often figures prominently in dystopian movies about deadly viruses. There’s a lot more to this federal agency, however than simply preventing the spread of pathogens.

Intersecting somewhat with the FDA, the CDC works to prevent the contamination of food, drugs, and supplements. This focus is part of the CDC’s overall initiative to promote public health by preventing contact with toxic substances.

Cannabis is a very hot topic across the country these days, and legalized cannabis is being adopted almost everywhere in one form or another. Components of cannabis appear to have genuine therapeutic value, and the FDA is intently looking into this plant’s medicinal potential.

Someone also has to, however, examine the potential drawbacks of the cannabis boom. The CDC is never unreasonably derogatory of cannabis, but this agency certainly does its best to inform the public of any cannabis related-health risks it discovers.

Authoritative source of cannabis health information

A section of the CDC’s marijuana website titled “Health Effects” is commonly cited as an authoritative source on the safety of cannabis. On this page, the CDC impartially reports the various health benefits and risks of cannabis that have been discovered to date.

With headings like Addiction, Cancer, Lung Health, and Poisoning, the CDC succinctly details the current state of official knowledge regarding various aspects of cannabis use that might impact your health. For the most part, the CDC does not distinguish between the effects of specific cannabinoids.

Instead, this government agency has a tendency of referring to cannabis or “marijuana” as a monolithic entity defined solely as Cannabis sativa flower with (probably) 15-25% THC. This failure to properly integrate the evolving dynamics of the cannabis market is in line with the CDC’s methodical, informative, but a somewhat out-of-touch persona.

Hub of resources and related websites

If there’s something you can’t seem to find on the CDC’s main cannabis website, it’s time to go off to the e-archives. In the “Resources and Tools” section, you can find:

 – A gallery of infographics that visually illustrate the health effects of cannabis,

 – A glossary of related cannabis safety websites

 – And a compendium of every relevant CDC publication on cannabis use and health.

This single page alone can provide endless hours of reading material. It turns out that the CDC has had quite a lot to say on the subject of cannabis over the decades, and this agency’s handpicked list of resources helps you learn more about the government’s perspective on cannabis.

An excellent resource for cannabis data and statistics

Any aspiring government nerd knows that the CDC loves its statistics. This number-crunching federal agency certainly didn’t change its ways when investigating the subject of cannabis.

In the CDC cannabis site’s “Data and Statistics” section, you can peruse a seemingly endless array of statistical information the CDC has accumulated on the subject of cannabis and health. In many cases, the CDC has acquired this statistical data itself, and the CDC also posts statistics collected by other federal agencies.

Further on, you can take a look at data on the latest cannabis-related trends and learn more about the government’s efforts to monitor the effects of cannabis legalization on public health. If you’re looking for the nation’s most definitive source of statistics on the health impact of cannabis, this is it.

A deciding voice on cannabis safety

The CDC can be quite pushy when it needs to be. This agency is, after all, tasked with letting the nation know if a life-threatening risk to public health is on the loose.

If the CDC were to suddenly declare, for instance, that the legalization of cannabis is a pandemic, many in Washington might listen. While this hypothetical event is very unlikely to occur, it illustrates the CDC’s ability to shape cannabis discourse in the USA.

Even if the CDC’s pronouncements on cannabis aren’t always the most flattering, it’s our duty to be aware of them and share positive developments far and wide. It has long been clear that cannabis is not without therapeutic value, and the CDC is fated to play a critical role in determining the nation’s perspective on cannabis safety.

CDC overall score

The CDC is a faultless cannabis source on almost all fronts. We give this resource a flattering overall score of 4.94.

Authority: 5.0/5

Clarity: 5.0/5

Sourcing: 5.0/5

Topics: 5.0/5

Community: 4.7/5

The cannabis community is becoming more vocal in its rejection of the term “marijuana.” The CDC is one of many federal agencies that still use this archaic verbiage, revealing the extent of its cultural disparity from the cannabis community.

The CDC is the nation’s foremost authority regarding cannabis safety. Other cannabis presences on the web automatically defer to the CDC’s position on the safety of cannabis products.

CDC content is drenched in the clarity and efficiency of the US federal government. This agency’s cannabis website is filled to the brim with highly useful, authoritative sources. Some of these sources are the CDC itself, others are related to federal agencies or trusted civilian partners.

For any matters regarding the health impact, either positive or negative, of cannabis, there’s no resource more useful than the CDC. We’ll continue to defer to this authoritative source as it grapples with the vast social changes cannabis has unleashed.