Big mistake to legalize marijuana? Health experts warn of ‘worse outcomes'

After years of backing the legalization of marijuana successful the U.S., The New York Times changed people successful an editorial published Tuesday.

In the piece, entitled "It’s Time for America to Admit That It Has a Marijuana Problem," the editorial committee stated that the U.S. "has precocious gone excessively acold successful accepting and adjacent promoting its use."

This is simply a stark departure from the publication’s longtime enactment of making marijuana mainstream. In a 2014 editorial, the Times argued the national prohibition connected the cause should beryllium repealed and the determination should beryllium near up to the idiosyncratic states.

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"Prohibition has proved to beryllium a costly failure, with harsh consequences for millions of Americans," the 2014 portion stated. "The criminalization of marijuana has been a boon for amerciable cause markets and has disproportionately burdened number communities."

Now, however, the Times is acknowledging that galore of its predictions were incorrect — and that marijuana’s legalization has led to much problems than anticipated, chiefly that its usage is acold much widespread.

Many of its predictions were wrong, The New York Times has acknowledged, noting that marijuana’s legalization has led to much problems than anticipated — chiefly that its usage is acold much widespread. (iStock)

A 2024 survey from Carnegie Mellon recovered that astir 18 cardinal Americans utilized marijuana regular oregon near-daily — a "a profoundly disturbing number," according to Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News elder aesculapian analyst.

By comparison, 14.7 cardinal radical are regular oregon near-daily drinkers. 

Between 1992 and 2022, regular marijuana usage became astir 15 times much common, according to the survey, which relied connected information from the National Survey connected Drug Use and Health.

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Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis argumentation researcher who led the survey astatine Carnegie Mellon University, pointed to immoderate trends that whitethorn person contributed to the accrued use.

"Greater usage of ‘new’ merchandise forms — meaning vapes, dabs and edibles, versus joints and bongs — are reasonably longstanding, and I would conjecture that much apt than not, they astir apt person continued," helium told Fox News Digital.

"Cannabis is decidedly addictive … It besides interferes with show and memory."

Different forms of cannabis make antithetic risks, according to Caulkins.  "For example, edibles are prone to radical inadvertently taking much than desired due to the fact that determination is simply a hold earlier the effects hit," helium said.

Smoking marijuana is besides unhealthy, however, due to the fact that cannabis fume contains carcinogens, tar and different unsafe elements.

"That is riskier to inhale into the lungs — a fragile and delicate organ — than the stomach, which is well-equipped to woody with contaminants," Caulkins said.

Health risks

The spike successful marijuana usage has led to immoderate superior wellness harms, the Times wrote. 

Frequent cannabis users are overmuch much apt to go babelike connected the drug, with astatine slightest 1 successful 10 processing an addiction, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

"Cannabis is decidedly addictive — the encephalon is affected, starring straight to addiction," Siegel told Fox News Digital. "It besides interferes with show and memory."

It isn't a question of whether legalization was a mistake oregon not, the doc said, but whether it tin beryllium legalized without the imaginable for addiction, "which fuels antagonistic outcomes and a zombie society."

Cannabis users are much apt to make paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders, peer-reviewed studies person found. (iStock)

"At a clip erstwhile the [Trump] medication is focusing connected addiction, cannabis needs to beryllium portion of this," helium added.

Peer-reviewed studies person besides recovered that cannabis users are much apt to make paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders.

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Dr. Laura Gardner, a psychiatrist and manager of the Psychotic Disorders Program astatine Silver Hill Hospital successful Connecticut, said she has seen firsthand the nationalist wellness effects of the emergence successful cannabis usage aft legalization.

"As a psychiatrist specializing successful the attraction of psychotic and temper disorders, I person witnessed the devastating interaction that dense usage of high-potency cannabis tin person connected a subset of susceptible young adults who make terrible and persistent psychotic disorders," she told Fox News Digital.

It isn't a question of whether legalization was a mistake oregon not, a doc said, but whether it tin beryllium legalized without the imaginable for addiction, "which fuels antagonistic outcomes and a zombie society." (AP)

"When I dainty young adults successful the infirmary whose lives person been wholly derailed by the onset of terrible psychosis associated with cannabis use, the emblematic effect I get is outrage — ‘How did we not cognize astir this? Why did nary 1 pass america that this could happen?’" Gardner said.

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"Right now, our nation’s psychiatrists, nurses and intelligence wellness workers are trying to prime up the pieces, to assistance propulsion fragile minds backmost together, but it feels similar excessively small excessively precocious astatine times," she went on. "These cases whitethorn beryllium preventable. We request to bash more."

Cannabis usage upset is besides linked to an accrued hazard of some bipolar upset and depression, Gardner added, constituting what she calls a "mental wellness crisis."

"It is clip to admit world and alteration course."

Another hazard is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which occurs erstwhile long-term, predominant marijuana usage causes repeated bouts of terrible nausea, vomiting and tummy pain. This information affects astir 2.8 cardinal Americans each year, studies show.

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"The unfortunate information is that the loosening of marijuana policies — particularly the determination to legalize cookware without adequately regulating it — has led to worse outcomes than galore Americans expected," the Times editorial said. "It is clip to admit world and alteration course."

Call for change

While the editorial committee did not telephone for marijuana to beryllium re-criminalized, it does suggest stricter regulations.

"America should not spell backmost to prohibition to hole these problems," it wrote. "There is simply a batch of abstraction betwixt heavy-handed transgression prohibition and hands-off commercialized legalization."

The mean THC attraction successful U.S. cannabis roseate from astir 4% successful 1995 to 12% successful 2014, according to 1 expert. (iStock)

To trim use, the editorial recommended imposing a national taxation and raising authorities taxes. It besides calls for restrictions connected the astir harmful forms of marijuana.

"Today’s cannabis is acold much potent than the cookware that preceded legalization," the Times said. "The due effect is some to marque amerciable immoderate marijuana merchandise that exceeds a THC level of 60% and to enforce higher taxes connected potent forms of pot."

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The mean THC attraction successful U.S. cannabis roseate from astir 4% successful 1995 to 12% successful 2014, according to Gardner. In modern state-regulated markets, lower-potency THC present averages astir 20%, with ultra-high potency concentrates reaching levels arsenic precocious arsenic 90% to 95%, she noted. 

"Ending legalization volition not work, but utilizing the taxation dollars to amended the nationalist connected the realities of cannabis depletion tin wide up misconceptions astir wellness impacts," 1 manufacture adept stated. (iStock)

The editorial besides suggested cracking down connected mendacious aesculapian claims.

"Decades of studies connected the cause person proved disappointing to its boosters ... Yet galore dispensaries claim, without evidence, that marijuana treats a big of aesculapian conditions," the committee said. "The authorities should ace down connected these outlandish claims."

Siegel agreed that cannabis has "limited and unproven aesculapian value."

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Riana Durrett, manager of the Cannabis Policy Institute astatine the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), agreed with the editorial that the U.S. should not spell backmost to cannabis prohibition and that the national authorities should betterment its approach.

"Today’s cannabis is acold much potent than the cookware that preceded legalization."

"One facet of cannabis legalization that is near retired of the nonfiction is that the manufacture already pays important taxes," she told Fox News Digital. 

"Anybody who believes cannabis legalization has been detrimental needs to absorption their attraction connected dedicating the taxation gross toward nationalist wellness efforts and campaigns."

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"Ending legalization volition not enactment — but utilizing the taxation dollars to amended the nationalist connected the realities of cannabis depletion tin wide up misconceptions astir wellness impacts."