Marijuana is not the harmless drug many of its advocates would have you believe, as we have pointed out. Fortunately, a growing number of lawmakers, including those who supported legalization in the past, are coming to the same conclusion based on the available science.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), co-chairman of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, recently acknowledged that marijuana “has proven negative consequences for the developing mind.” He is right. As we’ve noted for years, frequent marijuana use by people under 30 can cause permanent brain damage. Marijuana use by adolescents is associated with “depression, anxiety, and suicidality” by the time they reach young adulthood, studies show.
Smoking marijuana is not harmless among adults either. Fatal car crashes involving marijuana use doubled between 2000 and 2018. This is no coincidence.
Adult marijuana use appears to harm children, too. In states where marijuana is legal, one study found an increased incidence of asthma in minors aged 12-17 compared to states where it is not legal.
That says nothing either of an enormous spike in edible poisonings of minor children as marijuana legalization spreads. Children like candy and cookies, so when cannabis is in candy and cookies, children find it and eat it. Between 2017 and 2021, the number of children poisoned by marijuana grew from 207 to 3,054. Canadian…
