Rebuttal: Marijuana Should Not be Decriminalized

The legalization of marijuana in certain jurisdictions of the United States, such as California, Colorado, and Illinois, have surely had positive impacts, most notably concerning the economy and justice system; however, do these benefits outweigh the costs of legalization? As far as the medical field is concerned, there is substantial evidence to point towards the fact that legalizing marijuana in the previously mentioned jurisdictions has had more negative impacts than positive ones. Some will say that the formal criminalization of marijuana in 1930 under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1930 (1) had nothing to do with the scientific health risks of the drug, and while this may be true, in the year of 2020, there is substantial evidence to suggest why the country should not be embracing decriminalization, based off of recent medical research.

Prior to touching on the medical consequences of marijuana consumption, it is important to understand the two most notable compounds of the plant, being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabidiol (CBD). THC, a lipid, is the psychoactive component of marijuana and acts directly within the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord); THC is the component that produces the “high” feeling of euphoria and well-being (2). CBD is a chemical within the marijuana plant which accounts for up to 40 percent of the plant's extract (3). Praised by some in the holistic medicine community, these two compounds, though, have yielded insufficient high-quality evidence that it is effective for certain conditions that they claim marijuana can treat, such as anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain. Conversely, THC and CBD have yielded substantial evidence surrounding the dangers of consuming this drug, most notably the psychiatric and cardiovascular risks.

Psychiatric disturbances have been reported with the consumption of marijuana ever since the plant was first cultivated thousands of years ago. For example, in 2014, the National Institute on Drug Abuse released a study that reported substantial evidence linking marijuana to psychiatric problems (4). These psychiatric issues included cognitive impairment, psychosis, addiction, and anxiety. Arguably, the most notable out of all of those symptoms is psychosis. Psychosis is a severe psychiatric disturbance for which thought and emotions are so impaired that one loses contact with external reality; examples of psychosis include auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and agitation. Research has also suggested that marijuana has been associated with the emergence of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders including schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, and psychotic depression (5). Marijuana has such a considerable connection with psychosis that in 2014, the Indian Journal of Psychiatry reported that marijuana is involved in approximately 50 percent of psychosis, schizophrenia, and schizophreniform psychosis cases, thus suggesting that marijuana could very well induce a psychotic episode in a large number of people (6). Psychiatric issues and marijuana are related due to the psychoactive component of marijuana, THC, which stimulates neurons in the brain and can even induce changes in the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain responsible for planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behaviour (7).

If the psychiatric drawbacks to the consumption of marijuana aren’t dire enough, there has also been considerable evidence to suggest that marijuana consumption also changes the structure of the heart. A 2019 study from HealthDay, found that regular marijuana use might potentially cause changes in the heart's structure, specifically the left ventricle (8). The left ventricle, which tends to be larger in regular consumers of marijuana, is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood from the lungs out to the body. Those who consume marijuana regularly will also tend to have much weaker cardiovascular fibers, responsible for heart contraction, according to copious MRI reports (8). While people who regularly consume marijuana pump the same amount of blood as those who do not regularly consume the drug, marijuana is known for increasing heart rate and blood pressure, thus putting more demand and stress on the heart (9).

Focusing in on the bigger picture, that of marijuana legalization, a specific demographic is important in evaluating overall risks, and in this case, Colorado is a prime example. Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 under the Colorado Amendment 64, and since legalization, the state has seen numerous concerns (10). In Colorado, traffic violations for driving under the influence of marijuana (which is known for cognitive impairment) have increased three percent, with a 2016 study finding that 73 percent of drug tests during DUI arrests have tested positive for the cannabinoids THC and CBD (11). Fatal traffic accidents associated with marijuana have raised a grim 153 percent (11). Cases of marijuana intoxication have risen by 6 percent (11). Calls to poison control have increased by 2 percent (11). The medicinal and societal impacts of marijuana are frightening, especially when contrasted to many of its “benefits”.

One could very well argue that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol, and while this may be true, this does not mean we should decriminalize it just because alcohol is legal. The facts are present about the negative impacts of marijuana consumption, as they are for that of alcohol consumption and other substances, but there is a real problem throughout the nation with regards to substance abuse. There are millions of Americans struggling with substance abuse disorders, and it is a problem that experts fight with trying to reduce every single day. Do we want to legalize marijuana to only complicate our addiction services, our mental health providers, our poison control specialists, and our cardiologists? That is a decision that the federal government has decided not to take, and with current evidence, I believe that it is a well-informed decision.

Lastly, as far as criminal justice is concerned, there is a real problem with the incarceration of African American communities, specifically over the possession of marijuana, however, legalizing marijuana, while it may alleviate some of these issues, does not attack the systemic issue at its root. Some could even argue that legalizing marijuana would be the avoidant route. Instead of legalization to circumvent racial disparities in criminal justice, reform criminal justice at its whole. Marijuana should not be decriminalized.

Gavin Christophe is a guest writer for The Teen View

Edited by: Khushi Patel