The spread of marijuana legalization, explained

11 Cards

EDITED BY German Lopez

2018-08-20 12:06:00 -0400

  1. Marijuana has been legalized in nine states and Washington, DC
  2. Marijuana legalization is a response to the failures of the war on drugs
  3. A majority of Americans now support legal marijuana
  4. 13 states have decriminalized — but not legalized — marijuana
  5. Marijuana is legal for medical purposes in 30 states
  6. Marijuana is illegal under federal law even in states that legalize it
  7. Marijuana is a relatively safe drug — with some risks
  8. The research suggests marijuana legalization could lead to more use
  9. The case for marijuana legalization
  10. The case against marijuana legalization
  11. Uruguay is the first country to fully legalize marijuana

  1. Card 1 of 11

    Marijuana has been legalized in nine states and Washington, DC

  2. Card 2 of 11

    Marijuana legalization is a response to the failures of the war on drugs

  3. Card 3 of 11

    A majority of Americans now support legal marijuana

  4. Card 4 of 11

    13 states have decriminalized — but not legalized — marijuana

  5. Card 5 of 11

    Marijuana is legal for medical purposes in 30 states

  6. Card 6 of 11

    Marijuana is illegal under federal law even in states that legalize it

  7. Card 7 of 11

    Marijuana is a relatively safe drug — with some risks

  8. Card 8 of 11

    The research suggests marijuana legalization could lead to more use

    In marijuana policy debates, whether legalization leads to more use is a crucial point of contention. Legalization advocates argue that allowing the drug but regulating it could reduce use and make its use safer, while critics say legalization will make pot more easily accessible and, therefore, more widely used and misused.

    It's too early to say whether full legalization will lead to more widespread use, but recent research has found that pot use increased in states that legalized medical marijuana.

    A comprehensive study from researchers at the RAND Corporation found that laws that allow medical marijuana dispensaries correlate with increases in overall pot use and dependence for adults 21 and older but only rises in dependence among youth. The findings suggest that allowing businesses to sell marijuana leads to more access and use, particularly for adults.

    A marijuana business manager prepares for the first day of recreational sales.

    Another study from Emory University researchers found that after some states legalized medical marijuana, they saw increases in overall marijuana use and, for adults 21 and over, a rise in binge drinking. The increase in binge drinking is particularly worrying because while marijuana carries few health and social risks, alcohol causes many serious public health and safety issues, such as liver damage, more fatal car crashes, and violent behaviors that can spur crime.

    This latest research disputes earlier studies that found no increases in teen pot use following the legalization of medical marijuana. Drug policy experts argue these earlier studies were far less robust; they failed to control for factors like whether a state allows dispensaries, cultivation, or only possession — rendering them incapable of gauging the full effect of different pot policies.

    Still, the studies by and large only show correlation, meaning it might not be medical marijuana legalization that's necessarily causing the increase in use. And it's possible — although not likely — that the effects of medical marijuana laws on use could be more pronounced than full legalization.

    If legalization does lead to more pot use, the question for society and public health officials is whether that downside outweighs the benefits of legalization. More people getting intoxicated — albeit through a relatively safe drug — isn't an outcome that most supporters of legalization see as desirable, but banning pot has costs of its own, including hundreds of thousands of racially skewed arrests and the creation of a black market that helps finance violent drug cartels around the world.

  9. Card 9 of 11

    The case for marijuana legalization

  10. Card 10 of 11

    The case against marijuana legalization

  11. Card 11 of 11

    Uruguay is the first country to fully legalize marijuana