Gov. Abigail Spanberger will do anything for a buck: she’s even prepared to sacrifice the wellbeing of Virginia’s children to cannabis to add to the state’s coffers. She already betrayed several promises she made while campaigning, trying to position herself as a moderate. Now the fact that she’s ignoring the most recent data on the dangers of recreational cannabis, permitting its sale to our most vulnerable, is revolting.
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Every state that has approved recreational cannabis has experienced its perils:
Let’s begin with an inconvenient fact: Marijuana is not harmless.
Whether illicit or regulated, marijuana remains a drug that profits from addiction. It is estimated that more than 60 million Americans now use marijuana, and Yale researchers report that ‘30% of current users meet the criteria for addiction.’ Research has also documented psychotic symptoms during intoxication, including paranoia and hallucinations. Legalization does not make marijuana safer; it simply makes it more accessible.
Who will be the potential victims of this change in policy? The children. The evidence of the effect on children is overwhelming:
Adolescent brain development issues. Some research indicates that regular marijuana use during adolescence—while the brain is still developing—can lead to impaired learning, memory, and impulse control. There is evidence that shows significant differences in brain development when heavy cannabis use starts before age 18. For adults over the age of 18, potentially persistent memory loss and declines in IQ may be linked to chronic or heavy marijuana use, though the evidence isn’t conclusive.
Young people are not the only ones at risk:
Psychiatric disorders. Several studies indicate a link between marijuana use and an increased risk of mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety in individuals who are genetically predisposed. In fact, one study found that daily marijuana use, particularly at a young age, makes individuals with specific genes 7 times more likely to develop schizophrenia than people with the gene who do not use the drug. Additionally, marijuana has been shown to worsen symptoms associated with schizophrenia for those who already have the illness.
But the long-term effects of cannabis can be even more devastating, including respiratory difficulties, chronic coughing, and risk of pneumonia; an increased risk of testicular cancer; and cycles of nausea and vomiting.
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The Virginia legislature has chosen to ignore the evidence, in order to bring in tax revenue and benefit the start of small businesses where the cannabis will be sold. A fund will be developed from a portion of the business licensing fees to make it even easier to start a cannabis business.
When will this poisoning of the population begin? Cannabis will be on sale by July 1, 2027, assuming that the Virginia state budget passes. Spanberger has stated this was a “reasonable compromise.” The facts contradict that assessment; since dropping the strict penalties, the legal possession has gone from 1 oz. to 2 oz., and the number of retail licenses that have been approved have been increased from 200 to 350.
There is nothing that suggests that cannabis should be taken for medical reasons, never mind recreational use:
Evidence for the medicinal benefits of cannabis do not appear to exist, while serious psychiatric risks continue to be proven, especially in teens and young adults. Although questions of individual-level causality remain, the key message is not that cannabis universally causes psychiatric problems. Instead, it is that cannabis use risks are real and severe consequences are increasingly concentrated in young individuals exposed to frequent high-potency cannabis use.
Since this legislation is part of Virginia’s state budget, we can always hope that the July 1 state budget deadline vote fails, and that Virginia’s citizens will be protected from these irresponsible legislators, at least for a little longer.
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