Reactions to President Biden’s surprise pot pardon last week for people convicted of simple marijuana possession as a federal crime continue to roll in, with some analysts arguing that it might help the Democrats in upcoming midterms while others noting that there are, in fact, are no prisoners currently in federal prisons for pot crimes. In the Washington Post, health columnist Dr. Leana S. Wren takes up an equally important topic: while decriminalization is long overdue as part of criminal justice reform, and misplaced drug policies, it should not be regarded as a signal that marijuana is safe for everyone or that recreational use—especially among youths—should be normalized. She deconstructs the dominant narrative about marijuana—that it s essentially harmless—detailing its genuine dangers, from addiction (cannabis use disorder) to its impact on cognitive ability, memory, motivation, and learning, as well as much research linking it to schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and psychosis in some people. In the column, she quotes Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as saying that marijuana is not a benign drug," especially for children and adolescents. Volkow says that if legalization goes ahead, we should also be thinking about a public health structure to provide treatment for people who have harmful patterns of marijuana consumption. Dr. Wren concludes by noting that none of these observations, as well as a growing body of evidence debunking the myth of harmless pot, contradict Biden’s pardon or efforts to decriminalize the drug. Along with criminal justice reform, we need more robust education and prevention programs and more robust regulatory control to protect vulnerable young people.
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