Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

 Recently, President Trump raised the question about legalizing marijuana for recreational use by having the federal government reclassify the drug to a different category which would remove government sanctions. As of today, 24 states have already decriminalized marijuana for recreational use. Forty states allow use of marijuana for medical purposes, usually requiring a doctor’s prescription. By contrast, in the European Union, while 28 countries allow medical use, only four countries (Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, and most recently Germany) allow recreational use. Before making a decision to further expand access to marijuana, we should consider the pros and cons, as should be done when making any rational decision.

The first question that needs to be answered is why do people want to take marijuana in the first place. A previous national report revealed that approximately 45% of people have tried marijuana at some time in their lives and 15% are regular users. Leaving medical reasons aside, the most often cited reasons for using marijuana are curiosity/experimentation, peer acceptance, reducing stress, enhancing pleasurable activities, lowering sexual inhibitions, and altering depressed/anxious mood. The so-called marijuana high is attributable to the THC levels in the marijuana plant itself. Unfortunately, the level of THC has been increasing dramatically over the years due to selective plant development. For example, the typical THC level in the 1970s was about 4%; whereas now it is 30 % with some samples as high as 90%, making marijuana much more potent and impactful on brain function. Also, the higher the THC levels the greater the likelihood of addiction and related mental health problems.

Research has shown that marijuana use can lead not only to dependency and addiction, but to respiratory and heart problems. More negative health effects are likely to be reported if more people begin using this drug. The greatest concern however, is marijuana’s recognized role as a gateway drug to other substances that are not only more potent and addictive but are likely to remain illegal such as cocaine, meth, etc. The use of deadly fentanyl in these drugs by the cartels is already the leading cause of death in this country of people aged 18 to 35, which is likely to worsen if marijuana use expands.

One could argue, of course, that people should have the right to do what they want with their own bodies including taking mind altering drugs. The question, however, is what is the impact on society when increasing numbers of people are taking these drugs. As China found out during the epidemic of opium use in the 1800s, the results can be devastating to the society as a whole. As the Director of Mental Health Services in the N.C. Department of Correction for many years, I became acutely aware of the connection between drug use and criminal activity. Many drug users resisted rehabilitation and just resigned themselves to being drug addicts incapable of change. We clearly see this today in the expanding homeless population, who willingly live in primitive conditions as long as they can obtain drugs and get high.

All humans encounter stress, anxiety, depressive moods, and other reactions as a normal part of living. The healthy person develops ways of coping with these issues and frustrations and ultimately leads a productive life. Choosing drugs as a way of coping with life’s challenges is not only destructive to the individual but to society as well. Does relying on marijuana make a person more industrious, better able to solve interpersonal problems, more self-confident, more morally responsible or a better spouse or parent? Obviously not. We, as a society should encourage and instruct people in healthy ways of dealing with life’s challenges.

The bottom line is this. Legalizing marijuana will increase access to this increasingly potent drug and create more helpless drug addicts. We have enough people who abuse alcohol as a coping mechanism without adding easy access to an even more potent substance with more addictive potential. By the way, China has been increasing expanding its role in the growing of marijuana in this country. They would surely love to see the use of marijuana expand among our people. A recent article in the Epoch Times related that younger people are beginning to return to religion as a source of meaning in their lives. Let’s hope that this trend will continue since religion has traditionally provided guidance and support for people as they deal with the stresses of life.

So, President Trump, please do not go in the direction of easing access to marijuana, but rather take President Reagan’s advice and “Just say no!”