Opinion by Leana S. Wen: We need to talk about marijuana’s potential harm to youths
Volkow compares the favorable narrative built around marijuana to that created for smoking. “Initially, people said there was no harm from tobacco,” she said. “The data were manipulated by those who want to promote it. Now, people say that marijuana is safe and doesn’t lead to addiction, but the data show otherwise.”
Lack of treatment was one of the main concerns Volkow expressed. “If you’re thinking about legalization, you should make sure that you have the public health structure to provide treatment for people who have harmful patterns of marijuana consumption,” she said. “We need to provide a system of care for marijuana use disorder, which the United States doesn’t have.” She cited Portugal as an example of a country that decriminalized marijuana but also increased treatment access.
None of Volkow’s warnings contradict Biden’s announcement, which represents a shift in criminal justice policy to decriminalize marijuana possession. I think more needs to be done to correct previous drug policies, including expunging criminal records of those prosecuted for simple possession. We also need to distinguish recreational use from medicinal use, because there is evidence that cannabis can help certain patients, such as those with cancer, with intractable pain.
Perhaps the right balance to strike is to think of recreational marijuana as we do tobacco. Tobacco is legal, and people don’t go to jail for having cigarettes. But nicotine content is regulated, and tobacco sales to young people are banned. Treatment also exists for those who want to quit. Critically, just as there are concerted efforts to educate on the dangers of smoking, there should be national efforts to warn against recreational cannabis use. If not, the myth that marijuana is totally safe will keep getting perpetuated, and today’s generation of young people will pay the price.
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