The New York Times, a longtime supporter of legalizing marijuana in the United States, reversed course in an editorial published Tuesday.
in the workTitled “It’s Time for America to Admit It Has a Marijuana Problem,” the editorial board stated that the United States has “recently gone too far in condoning and even promoting marijuana use.”
This is a clear departure from the publication’s longstanding support. mainstream marijuana. In a 2014 editorial, the Times argued that federal drug prohibition should be repealed and that decisions should be left to individual states.
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A 2014 paper states that “Prohibition proved to be a costly failure, with harsh consequences for millions of Americans.” “The criminalization of marijuana has been a boon for people.” illegal drug market And it has placed a disproportionate burden on minority communities. ”
But the Times now admits that many of its predictions were wrong, and that marijuana legalization has caused more problems than expected, primarily because marijuana use has become much more widespread.
A 2024 study from Carnegie Mellon University found that approximately 18 million Americans use marijuana daily or nearly daily. This is a “very worrying number”, he said. Dr. Mark SiegelSenior Medical Analyst at Fox News.
By comparison, 14.7 million people drink alcohol every day or almost every day.
The study, based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, found that daily cannabis use became about 15 times more common between 1992 and 2022.
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Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University who led the study, pointed to several trends that may have contributed to the increase in use.
“I think the increased use of ‘new’ product forms, meaning vapes, dabs and edibles as opposed to joints and bongs, has been going on for quite some time and is probably continuing,” he told FOX News Digital.
Different forms of cannabis carry different risks, Caulkins said. “For example, edibles take a long time to take effect, so it’s easy to accidentally take more than you need,” he said.
However, smoking marijuana is also unhealthy because cannabis smoke contains carcinogens, tar, and other dangerous elements.
“It’s more dangerous to breathe it in.” into the lungs “It’s a more fragile and sensitive organ than the stomach, which is better equipped to deal with pollutants,” Caulkins said.
The surge in marijuana use is creating serious health risks, the Times wrote.
People who use cannabis frequently are much more likely to become dependent on the drug, with at least 1 in 10 develop an addictionAccording to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“Cannabis is definitely addictive. It affects the brain and leads directly to addiction,” Siegel told Fox News Digital. “It also interferes with performance and memory.”
The doctor said the question is not whether legalization was a mistake, but whether it can be done without the possibility of addiction, which “promotes negative consequences and a zombie society.”
“One day, [Trump] “The government is focusing on addiction and cannabis needs to be part of that,” he added.
Peer-reviewed studies have also found that cannabis users are more likely to develop paranoia and chronic illness. mental disorder.
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Dr. Laura Gardner, a psychiatrist and director of the Mental Disorders Program at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, said she has seen firsthand the public health effects of increased cannabis use after legalization.
“As a psychiatrist who specializes in treating psychiatric patients, mood disorder“I have witnessed the devastating effects that heavy use of potent cannabis can have on some vulnerable young people who develop severe and persistent psychotic disorders,” she told FOX News Digital.
“When I treat young people in the hospital whose lives have been completely upended by the onset of severe psychosis associated with cannabis use, the typical reaction I receive is anger: ‘Why didn’t we know about this? Why didn’t anyone warn us that this could happen?'” Gardner said.
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“Right now, our country’s psychiatrists, nurses, and mental health worker “People are trying to pick up the pieces to put their broken hearts back together, but sometimes it feels like it’s too late,” she continued. “These incidents may be preventable. We need to do more.”
Cannabis use disorder is also associated with an increased risk of both. bipolar disorder and depressionGardner added that this constitutes what she called a “mental health crisis.”
Another risk is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. This occurs when frequent marijuana use for a long period of time causes repeated episodes of severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Research shows that approximately 2.8 million Americans have this condition each year.
“The unfortunate truth is that the loosening of marijuana policy, particularly the decision to legalize cannabis without properly regulating it, has had worse outcomes than many Americans expected,” the Times editorial said. “The time has come to acknowledge reality and change course.”
The editorial board does not call for marijuana to be recriminalized, but it does suggest stricter regulation.
“The United States should not return to prohibition to solve these problems,” the paper said. “There is a lot of room between strong criminal prohibition and the legalization of unlicensed commerce.”
To reduce use, the editorial recommended imposing federal taxes and raising state taxes. It also requires restrictions on most things. harmful marijuana.
“Today’s cannabis is far more potent than it was before legalization,” the Times said. “The appropriate response would be to make marijuana products with THC levels above 60% illegal and impose higher taxes on potent marijuana.”
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The average THC concentration in marijuana in the United States rose from about 4% in 1995 to 12% in 2014, Gardner said. She noted that in modern state-regulated markets, low-potency THC currently averages around 20%, while ultra-high-potency concentrates reach levels as high as 90% to 95%.
The editorial also proposed cracking down on false medical claims.
“Decades of research on this drug has proven disappointing to its promoters…Yet many dispensaries claim, without evidence, that marijuana treats many conditions. medical condition“The government should crack down on these outlandish claims,” the board said.
Siegel agreed that marijuana’s “medical value is limited and unproven.”
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Liana Durrett, director of the Cannabis Policy Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), agreed with the editorial that the United States should not return to cannabis prohibition and that the federal government should reform its approach.
“One aspect of cannabis legalization that’s not mentioned in the article is that the industry already pays a lot of tax,” she told FOX News Digital.
“Anyone who thinks legalizing marijuana is harmful needs to focus their attention on redirecting tax revenue to: Public health initiatives And the campaign. ”
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“Ending legalization will not work, but using tax dollars to educate the public about the realities of cannabis consumption can help dispel misconceptions about its health effects.”
