Marijuana will be legal to be used recreationally in America in less than 10 years. I’m calling my shot right now. Now some of you might think this is impossible given the Trump administration and its consistent stance in keeping marijuana a Class 1 Narcotic. I would say to you that you are not seeing the forest from the trees…and that you are wrong. It will be legal. This blog article on the imminent legalization of marijuana will focus on reasons we might NOT want to legalize it.
First of all, why am I espousing the imminent legalization of marijuana? Because the tea leaves are floating that way. In a recent poll 60% of Americans want it legalized for recreational purposes. Currently close to 40 states have medical marijuana and around a dozen (including D.C.) have recreational use legalized. The people are wanting it.
Moreover, numerous Democratic presidential nominees are putting recreational legalization on their platform, like Texas’ Beto O’Rourke. Given the demographics of this nation, Trump might be the last Republican president. Once a liberal president is in the office, it is done. Like gay marriage and abortion, the Supreme Court will legalize it on a federal level, superseding any state laws prohibiting it.
Am I against the legalization of marijuana? Yes, I am. Will it be legal? Yes, the imminent legalization of marijuana makes my opinion matter little. Now we can write pages upon pages on the marijuana debate but there’s no point.
Most of you reading already have your opinions set on this topic. It is hard to change one’s mind. We tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people vis-à-vis political and personal ideology akin to an echo chamber. So what I write will matter little.
Because of this, we tend to look at studies that back our argument and dismiss those that don’t. Confirmation bias, so to speak. Like the idiotic flat Earth argument, people can be intractable in their stance and will throw “studies” into their opponents face for proof. The issue is that most people never question who is funding that website who is pushing a certain agenda and/or who funded the scientific study. “Quo Bono” means “Who benefits.” Always follow the money trail.
Either way, let’s cover some of the reasons I feel it would be bad to embrace the imminent legalization of marijuana.
Increased Psychosis
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to see purple monsters lurking in the shadows endeavoring to kill me. Independent studies show that habitual pot smoking does increase your chances of specific mental health problems. Specifically this would include anxiety and paranoia but also the more insidious conditions like schizophrenia and psychosis (not being able to separate reality from illusion).
If you talk to habitual pot smokers, they will till you of their “bad trips.” Legalizing pot will increase more people who are seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. This could lead to more homicides and motor vehicle accidents, among other things.
Motivation
In the discussion of the imminent legalization of marijuana we might not be thinking of the kids. Pot is not good for kids. Simply put. One reason is motivation. Marijuana may take off the edge off anxiety and mellow you out (not always…it depends on the strand), but I don’t think either side would disagree that it decreases motivation.
How many straight A students are habitual pot smokers? Very, very few. How many F students who are constantly skipping school are habitual pot smokers? Many. Now if you bring this up to students, they will always state “I know lots of A students who smoke pot.” Even if you concede the point, there are always exceptions to the norm.
Pot makes you lazy. It disincentives work on any level. Neither side can deny this. Now if we lived in a world where many more people were high, perhaps crime would go down since criminals would lack the motivation to commit crimes, but that argument is specious. If anything certain crimes, like sexual assault, would likely go up since pot lowers inhibition.
It is one thing for a 50-year-old to smoke pot once a month with some buddies. It is another thing for a 15-year-old. The latter’s brain is still forming. Plus they are still in pursuit of schooling and education to get a successful job. Smoking pot at a young age can derail your work ethic and cause you to perhaps have a less successful life. They can get hooked on pot and love the pot more than school.
Addiction
Can you get addicted to pot? The proponents for it will tell you “No.” But like with many hedonistic pursuits you can grow attached to it. Most of the studies I’ve seen on pot show that THC, the psychoactive ingredient in pot, is not habit-forming.
But that isn’t to say that one cannot grow a liking to the feeling that pot may give (assuming you are not becoming paranoid and anxious). And because of that you are more and more prone to do it again and again. We don’t want kids turning to pot because it will take them away from working assiduously on school, employment, and overall life goals.
CBD better?
The most bait-and-switch argument for the imminent legalization of marijuana. Many oils may be extracted from the cannabis plant (otherwise known as the hemp plant). One of the most powerful is cannabiodiol oil (CBD). Promising research is showing that CBD may be efficacious in treating opioid withdrawal, chronic pain, insomnia, cancer treatment and more.
Soon, CBD-laced products (like water, skin-care products) will be sold in department stores. Currently you can purchase CBD pills, droplets, and alike at vape stores. There is a humungous CBD boom coming in the 2020s.
The potency of CBD is one of the main arguments for the imminent legalization of marijuana. Many states which have approved medical marijuana quote these positive attributes to pot. Here is the thing. The alleged benefits of marijuana can be taken from the ingestion of CBD. You don’t need to smoke pot to get these benefits; just take CBD pills. THC in itself is not useful in the treatment of maladies.
The tastiest of the reasons of the imminent legalization of marijuana. A warning. Edible, foods like cookies and brownies, that are laced with THC and CBD are much more powerful than inhalation of pot. People who eat an entire edible can be tripping for days with both the good and bad elements of that. So be forewarned, especially if you are new to pot, take it slow on the edibles.
Takeaway
Are there potential benefits in the imminent legalization of marijuana? Ostensibly yes. The revenue generated by the legalization and regulation of marijuana will fill the coffers of states. But akin to the promises of lottery money, I’m skeptical this money will actually be used on infrastructure and public services instead of the pockets of unscrupulous government officials. Legalization could hurt the drug cartels, but they will likely switch their business to arms and human trafficking.
A great debate on the pros and cons of pot legalization can be seen on the Joe Rogen podcast. This 3 hour debate has Rogen and two experts from either side of the pot debate. It is fair, well-balanced, and entertaining. Check it out.
Overall, I feel that the risks outweigh the benefits. Legalizing pot would make it easier for tween and teenagers to access it. That isn’t good. Some would argue that these kids could get it now. True to a certain extent, but there are “good kids” who would otherwise not be exposed to it since they don’t know any drug dealers that would now be exposed.
Moreover you will get an increase rate of psychoses, paranoia, anxiety and severe mental health disorders. That isn’t good. More people debilitated…more people on psychiatric drugs to “treat” these issues. More people incapable of working. This isn’t a good thing either. (Learn about some of the horrible side effects of psychiatric drugs.)
None of this really matters. The imminent legalization of marijuana will nullify some of my concerns. Just remember the benefits of pot can be extracted from non-psychoactive CBD Oils so just use those. We aren’t even talking about the toxicants found in joints when inhaling it. But that’s a topic for a future article.