It’s been a little over a decade since cannabis was first legalized recreationally in the United States. As of today, recreational weed is legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia, and Americans have never been more pro-weed. In a Gallup poll from last November, 70 percent of U.S. adults said they support the federal legalization of marijuana, up from 50 percent in 2013 and a mere twelve percent in 1969.
In May, the Biden administration moved to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I, where it sits alongside heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, a category of drugs that the DEA says have a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” States with legal marijuana report economic benefits, a reduced burden on the criminal justice system, and positive health outcomes for patients with chronic pain and epilepsy.
But is legal cannabis really such a no-brainer? A recent study found that marijuana use—whether through smoking, edibles, or vapes—is associated with a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Other studies have consistently shown that so-called “high-potency cannabis” increases the risk of psychotic episodes in young users.
Today, a debate with two leading advocates both for and against the legalization of marijuana: has decriminalization worked? Or should it be reconsidered with more sober eyes? And is the most widely used and most socially acceptable illicit drug in the world, actually. . . dangerous?
Dr. Peter Grinspoon is a physician and medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth About Marijuana.
Kevin Sabet was a drug policy adviser for presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama. He is the co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an advocacy group that has emerged as the leading opponent of marijuana legalization in the United States. He is the author of Smoke Screen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.
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There are many reasons why it should be legal. Pharmaceutical companies are against legalizing and probably fueling research and antedotal "evidence" against it.
I never smoked weed until college and I loved it. After graduating, I more or less stopped smoking regularly (if someone had some at a party or something, I’d partake), but I was far from the borderline-habitual user I was in my early 20s.
Fast-forward to now. I’ve dealt with moderate to severe anxiety and depression for my entire life, but it started getting REALLY bad around 2020 (gee, what awful bullshit happened then?). And it’s actually only gotten worse since things have opened back up (not because I’m scared of COVID, but because I’ve basically forgotten how to interact with other human beings). It got so bad that I basically couldn’t sleep. I mean by the time I was finally able to fall asleep, I’d get three hours, tops. My psychiatrist gave me a prescription for Ambien but I heard horror stories from friends who have taken Ambien so I never even filled the prescription, opting to try cannabis instead and it was a godsend. Sure, I enjoy the whole “getting high” aspect as much as I did in college but it calms my nerves and puts my mind at ease like nothing else can (including the several different medications I currently take for anxiety and depression).
I recognize that cannabis can absolutely be dangerous. I also totally realize that this is anecdotal evidence of the benefits of cannabis use, and that these benefits can vary wildly from person to person. But that’s why it’s so unbelievably hard for me to take any argument against cannabis legalization seriously. For starters, I’ve never had a bad experience when using legal weed … can’t make the same claim for weed I got from a friend or a friend of a friend. I’m not some hippy hanging out in my parents’ basement who spends all day smoking weed. I’m educated (I know that sounds so pretentious, please don’t hold that against me). I have a job, a family, a home. I volunteer with my daughter’s Girl Scout troop and chaperone her school field trips. And after I put her to bed at night, I like to sit on our deck, put on a podcast, and smoke my vape pen. I see no difference between that and someone who likes to have a drink after work. I’ve seen alcohol destroy SO many lives and relationships. I don’t know I’ve seen any ruined by cannabis (again, anecdotal, but I can just speak to what I’ve seen).