The majority of Americans now favor marijuana legalization, and it is currently legal for recreational use in 8 states. But if you talk to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, this trend is comparable to normalizing the use of heroine. Is he right? Well, the short answer is: not even close.

The truth is that marijuana is a remarkably safe drug, with the growing body of evidence suggesting that limited use has no noticeable effect on the brain in the long-run, and that it has a host of medical benefits.

A Surprisingly Safe Drug

Every year in the United States, an estimated 480,000 deaths result from tobacco-related causes, 88,000 from alcohol-related causes, 20,000 from the opioid epidemic and close to 7,000 from cocaine use. And yet, the amounts of deaths every year that are marijuana-related is (maybe?) a couple hundred. There are possibly 2 recorded deaths of people who died directly as a result of marijuana use. The couple hundred deaths per year, is a total guess of mine, so don’t crucify me for it. But, I base it off some of the results I’ve seen from the states who’ve legalized marijuana. The marijuana-related deaths could be coming from a rise in the number of drivers who are getting into accidents with marijuana in their system. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration writes that:

…marijuana users are more likely to be involved in accidents, but that the increased risk may be due in part because marijuana users are more likely to be in groups at higher risk of crashes. In particular, marijuana users are more likely to be young men – a group already at high risk.

And they’re not the only agency having a difficult time quantifying this. The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) in Colorado issued a report stating that “from 2006 to 2014, marijuana-related traffic deaths increased by 154 percent, from 37 fatalities with drivers testing positive for marijuana in 2006 to 94 in 2014”. The caveat is that “terms such as ‘marijuana-related’ or ‘tested positive for marijuana’ do ‘not necessarily prove that marijuana was the cause of the incident…’marijuana-related’ entails ‘any time marijuana shows up in the toxicology report [of drivers]. It could be marijuana only or marijuana with other drugs and/or alcohol.’” Which still raises the question if whether these fatalities resulted from individuals who were solely intoxicated on marijuana, or whether they were cross-faded with alcohol or other drugs. It also doesn’t account for whether they are intoxicated at all, or it is lingering THC that is in their system. It’s unknown at this point.

 

In either case, there is an incredibly large gap between the deaths that can be traced back to marijuana and those of legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol.

And apparently, there’s more deaths attributed to selfies.

Overdosing is another story. It turns out that overdosing on marijuana is very, very unlikely, since the amount needed to overdose is astronomically high. And apparently, no one has gotten to that level yet because DrugAbuse.gov says that “there are no reports of teens or adults fatally overdosing (dying) on marijuana alone.” 

This isn’t really surprising, because according to Druglibrary.org:

…enormous doses of Delta 9 THC, All THC and concentrated marijuana extract ingested by mouth were unable to produce death or organ pathology in large mammals but did produce fatalities in smaller rodents due to profound central nervous system depression…Thus, evidence from animal studies and human case reports appears to indicate that the ratio of lethal dose to effective dose is quite large. This ratio is much more favorable than that of many other common psychoactive agents including alcohol and barbiturates.

Specifically, the “quite large” median lethal dose (LD50) would have to be “around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000.” In layman terms, “this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette.” The average marijuana cigarette supplied by the National Institute on Drug Abuse weighs approximately .9 grams. Therefore, “a smoker would
theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response.”

Druglibrary.org makes the point that “in practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.”

Wait a second. But smoking is bad for you, it causes cancer. So smoking marijuana MUST be terrible for you…right?

Weeeeell…that’s inconclusive. At least, if Cancer.gov is to be believed. Numerous studies have shown mixed results. One study suggests that tobacco smokers who also smoke marijuana have a much higher risk of lung cancer. Another study says that ever having used marijuana may result in an increased risk for prostate cancer. But other studies contradict these findings. One study suggests that low cannabis exposure doesn’t result in an increased risk for any type of cancer. While another systematic review of 19 studies also found that there were no “statistically significant associations between Cannabis inhalation and lung cancer after adjusting for tobacco use.” In fact, when it comes to cancer, a study even concluded that “Cannabis use was associated with a 45% reduction in bladder cancer incidence.”

In any case, users who want to avoid the chance of lung cancer or lung issues at all, have the choice of other intake methods, all of which are smokeless.

Clearly, whatever deadly consequences there are of marijuana use, if any, it’s tough to find. Considering that the millions of users in the United States, including the half the U.S. population who’ve tried it, haven’t dropped dead, I think it’s safe to say comparing heroine and marijuana is slightly exaggerated. Or, you know, kind of bullshittey.

Does Pot Make You Dumb?

It is often assumed that heavy marijuana usage makes you stupid. That’s not exactly true though. One publication called the ‘Dunedin study‘ purported to show that heavy pot use for adolescents had a negative impact on intelligence (an 8-point decline in IQ to be exact), and these effects were irreversible. However, Carl Hart, associate professor of psychology from Columbia University was quick to point out that “only 38 people in the study…used it heavily enough to get diagnosed with dependence during several follow-up periods”, which fuels his skepticism about how generalizable the results are. On top of that, a study published after the Dunedin cohort concluded that “although it would be too strong to say that the results have been discredited, the methodology is flawed and the causal inference drawn from the results premature.”

Another report by researchers at the University College of London looks at the link between IQ and pot usage. According to an article on the Washington Post by Christopher Ingraham, the University College of London study has a sample of “2,612 children born in the Bristol area of the U.K. in 1991 and 1992.” In the article, Chris claims that:

Researchers examined children’s IQ scores at age 8 and again at age 15, and found “no relationship between cannabis use and lower IQ at age 15,” when confounding factors – alcohol use, cigarette use, maternal education, and others – were taken into account. Even heavy marijuana use wasn’t associated with IQ.

However, Chris contradicts himself by saying a few lines later that “the UK study does find evidence, however, of slightly impaired educational abilities among the very heaviest marijuana users.”

 

On top of the self-contradiction, an article published in The Telegraph outright contradicts the article in the Washington Post about the findings of the study. It writes that “researchers said that access to the drug at least once a week led to ‘decreased intellectual performance’ by the age of 15.” After multiple attempts, I couldn’t find the report anywhere, so I can’t confirm what the study actually says.

Either way,  it seems safe to say that the evidence does suggest that marijuana is not good for brain development, and people under the age of 18 should avoid use, particularly heavy use, which seems to result in irreversible IQ decline. Even Leafly (a very pro-marijuana outlet) admits these findings. But, adults don’t seem to suffer any IQ differences from its use, compared to their non-user counterparts. It would be dishonest to say that pot generally makes you dumber, because it doesn’t, but heavy use for adolescents may decrease their intellectual ability.

A [Non]-Addicting Gateway To Taco Bell At 2 a.m.

Addiction is when someone engages in an activity that becomes compulsive and begins to interfere with ordinary life. Even if they want to stop engaging in that activity, they can’t. It is characterized as a brain disorder. The addictive factor of marijuana, is very low compared to other drugs.

According to Psychology Today,  “it is estimated that 32% of tobacco users will become addicted, 23% of heroin users, 17% of cocaine users, and 15% of alcohol users.” And if we take a look at Tobacco users, there are about 35 million Americans who would qualify as addicted. That number is much different for pot users. In 2015, only about 4 million users qualified as having a ‘marijuana use disorder’, which means that on average about 9% of users are likely to develop addictive behavior from pot use. For the vast majority of people, marijuana is not addictive. But even for those that are addicted, “long-term clinical outcomes may be less severe.”

The gateway drug theory is one of the most common arguments against marijuana legalization, and it is a highly misleading one. Available research suggests that marijuana could be something of a ‘stepping stone’ for people who go on to use harder drugs, but this doesn’t really support the theory that marijuana use in and of itself promotes the usage of harder drugs – it only suggests that people who are inclined to use harder drugs in the first place are likely to use marijuana first. In essence, there are a lot of social and environmental factors that are playing a role in the ‘stepping stone’ effect, which takes away firm ground from people who claim that using the drug actually innately promotes one to use hard drugs. In fact, most marijuana users don’t go on to use harder drugs. Interestingly enough, studies have shown there might be a stronger case for considering nicotine to be a gateway drug (90% of cocaine users started off with nicotine).

Health Benefits?

Everyone has heard of medical marijuana, and it’s not just a stoner’s excuse to smoke – there really are medical benefits of marijuana use.

How about this for a surprise, a large study on the effects of marijuana use on the lungs, found that low to moderate users had better lung function than nonsmokers and tobacco smokers.

CBD is an active chemical compound that comes from marijuana, or the cannabis plant. Studies have shown CBD to be an effective treatment against seizures. A study measuring the effects of a CBD-based medical drug concluded “our findings suggest that cannabidiol [CBD] might reduce seizure frequency and might have an adequate safety profile in children and young adults with highly treatment-resistant epilepsy.” Seizures dropped by an average of 54% during this study. Another report studied the effects of the same drug on children with Dravet syndrome (a severe form of infant epilepsy) and found that “the group taking [the drug] had 39% fewer seizures per month, while the placebo group saw a reduction of 13%. Differences between the two groups emerged within the first four weeks and continued throughout the study.” Yet another study conducted by a cohort in Israel found that most of the children in their sample reported significant reduction in their seizure frequency. All in all, they say “the results of this multicenter study on CBD treatment for intractable epilepsy in a population of children and adolescents are highly promising.”

A 20-year study published in 2007 on CBD and breast cancer cells indicated that CBD may slow-down the growth of the cancer cells. Follow-up studies from the team of researchers on the effects of CBD on other types of cancers yielded similar, promising results.

But cancer patients also find medical uses in pot. It has been shown to have anti-nausea effects, which counteract the brutal side-effects of chemotherapy. One such example is a study that says “cannabis-based medications may be useful for treating refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.” In addition, it is effective at stimulating appetite in patients reeling from chemotherapy. As if that wasn’t enough, research and anecdotal evidence suggests it is good for severe pain relief. Finally, cancer patients seem to benefit from marijuana overall, with increased quality of sleep and relaxation also reported. It should be noted that these effects – anti-nausea, appetite stimulation, relaxation, anxiety relief – are generally useful for other health problems too, like PTSD.

There is also evidence marijuana has neuroprotective properties for the brain. Researchers write that “the use of THC can prevent long-term cognitive damage that results from brain injury.” Other researchers have also supported this in their findings. According to a team at Oxford, cannabis, paired along with another drug called minocycline, can activate brain-protecting properties. This is especially interesting, as it may be useful in helping to heal and protect the brain after concussions, or other brain injuries, such as trauma from a stroke.

A newer study even suggests a relationship between being skinny, lower incidence of diabetes and weed use.

A lot of people believe that marijuana is a good treatment for glaucoma, as it has been shown to reduce the pressure within the eye, which helps prevent the symptoms of the disease. However, it’s actually misleading to say it’s an effective medical treatment for glaucoma. The reason why is because the effects of marijuana only lower the pressure within the eye for a short period of about 4 hours or so. You’d have to be consuming weed around the clock to effectively ward off the progression of the disease, which is impractical for most people. In either case, those several hours of relief are certainly beneficial, but it’s not the best way to treat glaucoma at this point in time.

The Marijuana Revolution

The past several years have been great for marijuana activists. They’ve seen pot become legal in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Leftists with libertarian-left leanings have been in support of its legalization for quite some time, and they have allies on the right with libertarians that also support legalization.

The concerns over marijuana legalization are largely based off misconceptions and decades of anti-pot propaganda. Jeff Sessions is symbolic, in that he represents the era of this reefer madness nonsense. The truth is that marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol, tobacco, and opioid-based pharmaceuticals. It would do little harm to allow law-abiding adults to toke up after a long day of work. It would do even less harm to open up government-funding to allow further research into the many promising medical applications of the drug. The people would experience greater freedom, and the government would benefit from increased revenue as a result of the taxes on pot sales. It’s not without its flaws, but looking through the data, it is incredibly obvious that pot prohibition has been one of the worst government failures, if not the worst, in terms of drug law history. Countless lives have been ruined, potentially life-saving medical research has been stifled, and it is costing the government a fortune.

Legalize. It.