Disadvantages to Marijuana Legalization in Washington DC?

Introduction

Just like any other substance, marijuana is not 100% safe for everyone. In contrast, the available research suggests relatively few health risks associated with moderate use.

It's vital to remember that there are also potential downsides to legalization. For example:

Legalized marijuana leads to greater use among youth.

If a state decides to legalize marijuana, several factors can influence the youth use rate.

One study found that states with legal recreational or medical marijuana have higher rates of cigarette smoking and alcohol use among adolescents than states without these laws.

Increased availability may also play a role: states with legalized recreational or medical marijuana have higher rates of teens reporting easy availability at home than teens in other states.

Another study suggests that advertising and marketing might increase youth tobacco and alcohol use after legalization.

Research shows that tobacco companies target young people through advertisements on social media, in magazines, and during sporting events.

As more states move toward legalizing cannabis sales or decriminalization and as researchers examine how this affects public health, you should be aware of these potential risks if you consider changing your family's substance use behavior.

The legalization of marijuana leads to an increase in car crashes

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health showed that drivers with positive marijuana tests were 2.75 times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than those who did not have marijuana in their system.

The same study found that drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher had an accident risk 1.86 times greater than those who did not have alcohol in their system.

In contrast, drivers with a THC level of 5 ng/mL and above had an accident risk of 4.6 times greater than those who did not use marijuana.

Using marijuana can lead to mental illness.

Marijuana use can lead to mental illness. If you are going to use marijuana, talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of this drug.

Marijuana use can cause psychosis in some people. A person who has psychosis may be unable to tell what is real from what is not real, so they might think that their thoughts are being read by someone else or that aliens are coming down from outer space to take them away (or even worse).

Marijuana use can also worsen existing mental illness symptoms or trigger new symptoms in people with a mental illness such as schizophrenia.

Marijuana use negatively affects workplace safety.

Marijuana use negatively affects workplace safety. Marijuana users have a higher risk of workplace accidents and injuries, absenteeism, unproductive time, and health care costs.

Marijuana users are more prone to workplace accidents than non-users. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States Department of Transportation (NHTSA), marijuana-related traffic fatalities increased 100 percent between 2007 and 2014.

Conclusion

There are several arguments for and against marijuana legalization. However, the benefits of legalizing marijuana far outweigh any potential disadvantages.

Marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, both legal for adults to use in the United States.

Legalizing marijuana would also generate significant tax revenue that could benefit society by funding programs such as health care, education, and substance abuse treatment services, among others.

The bottom line is that we have nothing to lose by trying cannabis regulation because it will not make matters worse than they are today.