The corporate-backed marijuana industry has convinced most Americans that marijuana is essentially benign, using that myth to drive the legalization of recreational pot in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Five more states will vote on legalization in this year’s midterms, at a time when business interests including tobacco and food and drinks companies are investing in cannabis products and distribution and fueling sales in legal states. Yet even as the legalization movement continues to gain strength, there is a growing body of evidence that pot is anything but harmless. In a recent story in the New York Post, emergency room doctors in San Diego report a dramatic rise in cannabis-related cases every day, with the most common symptom being psychosis. Studies have routinely linked marijuana products with high levels of THC—the psychoactive ingredient of the drug—and now doctors say the number of patients experiencing psychosis is increasing, by up to 24 percent in one Colorado study, in the five years following the legalization of pot in the state a decade ago. This parallels the rise of high-potency pot with up to 90 percent THC in products such as edibles, compared to 25 percent in the strongest marijuana flower. Even a moderate dose of THC can cause psychotic symptoms in many individuals while prompting paranoia in others. As more and more states legalize the drug, we have to tell the truth about its potential risks and dangers and convince lawmakers to draft legislation that includes tough rules and regulations to safeguard public health.
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Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies