BIG WEED BIG FEARS: Health experts warn marijuana legalization stokes longterm concerns
In this DML Report…
Health experts are warning that marijuana legalization has produced worse public health outcomes than anticipated.
A New York Times editorial reversed the paper’s prior support for legalization, stating the U.S. has gone too far in accepting and promoting marijuana use, leading to widespread consumption and unanticipated problems. A 2024 Carnegie Mellon University survey found 18 million Americans use marijuana daily or near-daily, exceeding the 14.7 million daily or near-daily alcohol users. Daily marijuana use became about 15 times more common between 1992 and 2022, per the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. At least one in 10 frequent users develops cannabis use disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. THC concentrations have risen sharply, from roughly 4 percent in 1995 to 12 percent in 2014, and now average around 20 percent in regulated markets, with concentrates reaching 90 to 95 percent.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said cannabis is addictive and interferes with performance and memory. Dr. Laura Gardner, psychiatrist and director of the Psychotic Disorders Program at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, reported seeing young adults whose lives were derailed by severe, persistent psychotic disorders linked to heavy high-potency cannabis use. Patients often express outrage that they were not warned of the risks. Gardner noted cannabis use disorder is associated with increased rates of bipolar disorder and depression, describing it as a mental health crisis. Nearly 2.8 million Americans suffer from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome each year, involving severe nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain from long-term frequent use. Peer-reviewed studies show users face higher risks of paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders.
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Jonathan Caulkins, the Carnegie Mellon researcher who led the study, pointed out that newer product forms such as vapes, dabs, and edibles carry additional risks, including delayed effects from edibles that can lead to overconsumption and lung damage from smoking due to carcinogens and tar. Experts recommend against re-criminalization but call for stricter regulation, including a federal tax, higher state taxes on potent products, limits on THC levels above 60 percent, and enforcement against false medical claims by dispensaries.
Riana Durrett, director of the Cannabis Policy Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the industry already pays significant taxes and urged that those revenues be directed toward public health education campaigns rather than ending legalization. Siegel said cannabis should be addressed as part of the Trump administration’s focus on addiction.