The Public Health Consequences of Marijuana Legalization

Evidence shows that the nation’s drug problem is a major public health and safety threat, and that drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and treated. Legalizing drugs would increase their availability and normalize their use, leading to increased negative health consequences, particularly among young people. Drug legalization also undermines preventative health strategies, a keystone in improving overall public health in the United States.

MARIJUANA USE POSES SIGNIFICANT RISKS TO PUBLIC HEALTH

Marijuana places a significant strain on our health care system, and poses considerable danger to the health and safety of the users themselves, their families, and our communities. We know that marijuana use, particularly long-term, chronic use that began at a young age, can lead to dependence and addiction. (Comparative Epidemiology of Dependence on Tobacco, Alcohol, Controlled Substances, and Inhalants: Basic Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2) 

Marijuana is not a benign drug:

• In 2011, approximately 4.2 million people met the diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on marijuana. (Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [September 2012].)

• Marijuana use is associated with addiction, (Comparative Epidemiology of Dependence on Tobacco, Alcohol, Controlled Substances, and Inhalants: Basic Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2(3):244-268.) respiratory illnesses, (Health care use by frequent marijuana smokers who do not smoke tobacco. West J Med 158(6):596–601, 1993.) and cognitive impairment. (. “Adolescent-onset cannabis and neuropsychological health.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [August 27, 2012].)

• Marijuana is also the second leading substance for which people receive drug treatment (Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions by Primary Substance of Abuse, 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [2012].) and a major cause for visits to emergency rooms.( Highlights of the 2010 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Findings on Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [July 2012].)

• Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, (“Potency Trends for Δ9-THC and Other Cannabinoids in Confiscated Cannabis Preparations from 1993 to 2008.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 55, No. 5. [September 2010].) raising serious concerns about implications for public health – especially among adolescents, for whom long-term use of marijuana may be linked with lower IQ (as much as an average 8 point drop) later in life.( “Adolescent-onset cannabis and neuropsychological health.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [August 27, 2012].)

It is for these reasons that ONDCP continues to oppose legalization, and instead focuses on drug prevention, treatment, support for recovery, and innovative criminal justice strategies to break the cycle of drug use and crime. This approach is helping improve public health and safety in communities across the United States.

For more information, please visit ONDCP’s Marijuana Resource Center: www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/marijuanainfo or contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com.  You can also check the Coalition Website for information at www.vbsafecoalition.com.