Marijuana Legalization Questioned as Health Experts Warn of Negative Consequences

After years of backing the legalization of marijuana in the U.S., The New York Times has reversed its position in a striking editorial published Tuesday. In “It’s Time for America to Admit That It Has a Marijuana Problem,” the publication’s editorial board declared that the U.S. “has recently gone too far in accepting and even promoting its use.”

This marks a significant departure from the newspaper’s longstanding advocacy for marijuana legalization. In 2014, the Times called for the repeal of the federal ban on marijuana, arguing that “prohibition has proved to be a costly failure, with harsh consequences for millions of Americans” and that criminalization had fueled illegal drug markets while disproportionately affecting minority communities.

Now, the publication acknowledges that many of its predictions were wrong and that legalization has created more problems than anticipated, particularly regarding widespread use.

A 2024 survey from Carnegie Mellon University found that approximately 18 million Americans use marijuana daily or near-daily—a figure Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, described as “deeply disturbing.” For comparison, 14.7 million people are daily or near-daily alcohol consumers. Between 1992 and 2022, daily marijuana use became about 15 times more common, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Jonathan Caulkins, who led the Carnegie Mellon study, pointed to evolving consumption methods as a contributing factor. “Greater use of ‘new’ product forms—meaning vapes, dabs and edibles, versus joints and bongs—are fairly longstanding, and I would guess that more likely than not, they probably have continued,” he told Fox News Digital.

These different forms of cannabis carry varying risks. Edibles can lead to inadvertent overconsumption because of delayed effects, while smoking marijuana introduces carcinogens and tar into the lungs, which Caulkins notes is “riskier to inhale into the lungs—a fragile and sensitive organ—than the stomach, which is well-equipped to deal with contaminants.”

The health consequences of increased marijuana use have been significant. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, at least one in 10 frequent cannabis users develop an addiction. “Cannabis is definitely addictive—the brain is affected, leading directly to addiction,” Dr. Siegel explained. “It also interferes with performance and memory.”

Dr. Laura Gardner, director of the Psychotic Disorders Program at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, has observed firsthand the mental health impacts of increased cannabis use following legalization. “I have witnessed the devastating impact that heavy use of high-potency cannabis can have on a subset of vulnerable young adults who develop severe and persistent psychotic disorders,” she said.

Gardner noted that many of her young adult patients express shock when learning about these risks: “The typical response I get is outrage—’How did we not know about this? Why did no one warn us that this could happen?'” Studies have also linked cannabis use disorder to increased risks of bipolar disorder and depression, contributing to what Gardner calls a “mental health crisis.”

Another concerning medical issue is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, characterized by repeated bouts of severe nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain resulting from long-term, frequent marijuana use. Studies indicate this condition affects nearly 2.8 million Americans annually.

“The unfortunate truth is that the loosening of marijuana policies—especially the decision to legalize pot without adequately regulating it—has led to worse outcomes than many Americans expected,” the Times editorial stated. “It is time to acknowledge reality and change course.”

While not advocating for re-criminalization, the editorial board called for stricter regulations. “America should not go back to prohibition to fix these problems,” they wrote. “There is a lot of space between heavy-handed criminal prohibition and hands-off commercial legalization.”

The Times recommended imposing a federal tax, raising state taxes, and restricting the most harmful forms of marijuana. The editorial highlighted the dramatic increase in potency, noting that “today’s cannabis is far more potent than the pot that preceded legalization.”

According to Dr. Gardner, average THC concentration in U.S. cannabis rose from approximately 4% in 1995 to 12% in 2014. In current state-regulated markets, lower-potency THC averages around 20%, with ultra-high potency concentrates reaching levels as high as 90% to 95%.

The editorial also called for cracking down on unsubstantiated medical claims, stating that “many dispensaries claim, without evidence, that marijuana treats a host of medical conditions.” Dr. Siegel concurred that cannabis has “limited and unproven medical value.”

Riana Durrett, director of the Cannabis Policy Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, agreed that prohibition should not be reinstated but suggested a different approach. “Anybody who believes cannabis legalization has been detrimental needs to focus their attention on dedicating the tax revenue toward public health efforts and campaigns,” she said, adding that “using the tax dollars to educate the public on the realities of cannabis consumption can clear up misconceptions about health impacts.”