At long last, marijuana policy is becoming sane
Washington: Proponents of cannabis criminalization desperately want to portray the legalization and regulation of marijuana products for adults as a public health failure (“Marijuana policy has gone to pot,” op-ed, Feb. 19). In fact, public support for legalization has never been higher. Further, none of the 21 states that have enacted adult-use legalization have ever repealed or even rolled back their laws. This is evidence that these policies are largely working as politicians and voters intended and that they are preferable to prohibition.
Moreover, Kevin A. Sabet’s allegation that legalization is causing an uptick in youth cannabis use or access is categorically false. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the percentage of high-schoolers who report having used cannabis over the past 30 days fell from 23% in 2011 to 16% in 2021. This downward trend overlaps with the period that nearly half of U.S. states have implemented legalization.
It is time to move away from the failed policy of prohibition and move forward in a different direction — one that legalizes, regulates and educates. Ultimately, the establishment of a pragmatic regulatory framework allowing for the legal, licensed commercial production and retail sale of marijuana to adults best reduces the risks associated with the plant’s use or abuse and acknowledges the reality that consumers’ demand for marijuana is here to stay. By contrast, advocating for continued criminalization denies this reality and compounds the public safety risks posed by the illicit, unregulated marketplace.