The Growing Marijuana Crisis

            The rush to get on board the crowded train of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to oppose President Trump in 2020 is almost comical. To distinguish themselves from the crowd, the would-be nominees take on the most extreme positions: abolish ICE, defund Homeland Security, confiscate rich people’s assets, Medicare for all, ban fossil fuels, and so on. Climate change has been declared the number one universal crisis requiring drastic measures, or else we will all be dead in 10 years.

            Some have sensibly identified the opioid crisis as a serious threat. But there is one threat that not a single candidate mentions: the disturbing number of deaths than can be traced back to the increased use of cannabis, especially among our young people aged 18 to 25.

            Advocates for the legalization of recreational marijuana minimize the dangers of cannabis addiction. Yet, there is mounting evidence of the connection between cannabis addiction and psychosis, a leading cause of violence. Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, the first four states to legalize recreational use of marijuana, have experienced a combined increase of 37 percent in murders and 25 percent for aggravated assaults since legalization.

            True, more research must be done to connect cannabis addiction with violence, but statistics on this connection are already trickling in not only from states where marijuana is legal, but from states where it is not. Texas, for instance, has provided data on child abuse and neglect that point to a greater connection between cannabis and this type of psychosis-induced violence.

            There is no denying that today’s marijuana is far more potent than ever before. In fact, studies estimate that the 1.5% of Americans who have a cannabis addiction now account for 11% of all psychosis cases in emergency rooms. In states like Colorado, emergency rooms physicians have had to become experts in dealing with cannabis-induced psychosis.

            Simply put, we ought to be very concerned about the growing incidence of mental illness among young adults who are heavy users of cannabis. It far outweighs climate change not only in its seriousness, but also in its immediacy. Democrats who aspire to the presidency and who boast about their ability to reach young voters should take note.