And how many Americans know this information about legalizing Marijuana? Way too few. Here is Timothy Hsiao writing at The Federalist:
There may be good reasons to legalize marijuana. But if there are, the following arguments shouldn’t be considered to be among them.
The move to legalize marijuana is gaining steam in the United States. Although we are still far from full legalization, public opinion has been shifting. An October 2018 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 62 percent of Americans support marijuana legalization.
In the midst of the rush to legalize, defenders of pot legalization have made a variety of arguments. These arguments are often taken for granted and repeated as if they described settled facts. As it turns out, many fall apart under close examination.
Whatever you think about marijuana legalization, it’s important to avoid making bad arguments. There may be good reasons to legalize marijuana. But if there are, the following arguments shouldn’t be considered to be among them.
1. ‘Marijuana Is Harmless’
This is perhaps the worst argument in favor of legalization. It is a well-established fact that marijuana use carries significant negative health effects, particularly to mental health. For instance, a 2017 review of research by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that “there is substantial evidence of a statistical association between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia or other psychoses, with the highest risk among the most frequent users.”
Along those lines, the authors of one study boldly concluded that “evidence from epidemiologic studies provides strong enough evidence to warrant a public health message that cannabis use can increase the risk of psychotic disorders.” Other studies have found a strong link between marijuana use and mood disorders and suicidal ideation, addiction, altered brain activity, decreased executive function, damage to the brain (particularly white matter), and negative effects on learning, memory, and attention, among other things. Need I say more?
The science is very clear: marijuana is not harmless. It is a performance-degrading drug that can significantly damage one’s mental health.
Read more about the 7 Arguments For Legalizing Marijuana: The Federalist
Image credit: www.thefederalist.com.
