State governors in New York, New Mexico and Virginia want marijuana legalization—and they want it now. In the rush to commercialize cannabis, New York’s legislature is set to quickly approve a bill tabled just last week. Virginia’s governor has pushed forward the date for legalization to July—years ahead of the original schedule. And New Mexico lawmakers have been called into special session to consider a legalization bill. The politicians falsely claim that easier access to weed will quickly solve a host of problems, from social inequality to criminal justice reform, and pandemic-related budget shortfalls.
But they fail to recognize the potential risks and dangers to public health, as were revealed in a new study that suggests that adolescents and teenagers may be particularly vulnerable to the intoxicating effects of marijuana and prescription drugs. Many people who used such drugs at an early age went on to develop a substance use disorder, indicated that experimentation had spiraled into addiction. The research expands on early findings that marijuana use by teens can impair learning and cognitive development.
And finally, as an opioid litigation settlement takes shape, Dr. Marvin D. Seppala writes in an opinion piece in STATnews that the windfall is urgently needed now—and should be directed to expanding access to drug treatment and for a wider range of addictions, not just those directly related to the opioid epidemic.