FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2023
Media Contact: Bob Driscoll, BDriscoll@EmpireStrategy.com, 716-307-7406
POT INDUSTRY’S LIES EXPOSED IN NEW REPORT
NEW STUDY REVEALS LATEST DATA EXPOSING COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA’S IMPACT ON HEALTH, SAFETY, EQUITY, AND FISCAL STRENGTH FOR STATES
Commercial Marijuana Industry Causing Sharp Increases in THC-related Addiction and Medical Emergencies, Exploding Illicit Markets, a Drugged Driving Epidemic, and
Dangerous Health Outcomes for Young People
(WASHINGTON, DC) – As the nation reels from an overdose and addiction crisis, a new report released today shows that commercialized marijuana products are making the situation much worse. Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the nation’s leading organization dedicated to advancing a health-first approach to marijuana policy, unveiled its 2023 Impact Report alongside globally-recognized addiction medicine specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky in Washington today, detailing the negative health, public safety, social justice, and fiscal consequences of the commercial marijuana industry.
“Many people have bought the marijuana industry’s line that their products weren’t addictive or dangerous and could actually help communities of color. Now, the data is in to prove it was a lie,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of SAM and a former drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton. “We’ve pulled together medical, scientific, and government data from every state that has legalized to give people the clearest picture possible of this industry’s impact. What we’re seeing is shocking.”
“Like Big Tobacco before it, the marijuana industry has made wild claims to spin a dangerous product into something good. The report’s data clearly demonstrates that the commercialization of marijuana is having adverse effects on physical and mental health, public safety, young people, and communities of color,” continued Sabet.
“The mental-health consequences of using high-potency THC cannot be over-stated,” said Dr. Drew Pinsky, a Board-Certified Physician and Addiction Medicine Specialist. “For young people with developing brains, THC use can be addictive and permanently alter the brain. This report is in line with what I have been seeing clinically.”
The 2023 Impact Report shows, through analysis of a range of data, that the most common claims of the commercial THC industry have been deceptive. The chart below details some of the industry claims debunked by the report:
| INDUSTRY CLAIM | REALITY |
| Marijuana is Not Addictive | 1 in 3 annual users have a marijuana use disorder. Legalization is associated with a 25 percent increase in cannabis use disorder among 12–17-year-olds. 12th graders who admitted to vaping marijuana in the last year nearly doubled. More than 16 million people had a marijuana use disorder in 2021. |
| Legalization of Pot is Social Justice | Only 4 percent of THC product producers are people of color. The industry is saturating communities of color with pot shops, heavily concentrated in lower-income neighborhoods. A majority of localities in “legal” states have opted out of marijuana sales. |
| THC Use is Safe | THC use reduces IQ and significantly predicts psychosis, depression, suicidality, and motor impairment. 1 in 4 road deaths in Colorado involved marijuana. There were more than 800,000 marijuana-related hospitalizations in 2021. |
| Legalization will Eliminate the Illicit Market | The illicit market is exploding in every pot-legal state. Over 70 percent of marijuana sold in state-legal dispensaries in California was produced and grown illegally. Illicit marijuana seized by around Oregon increased 253x since 2018. |
“All of the data in this new report are gravely concerning, but it is the results of the industry’s multi-year, relentless campaign to target our kids that we should all be talking about,” said former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Chairman and co-founder of SAM. “The sharp post-pandemic rise in negative mental health outcomes, especially among young Americans, should mean we are doing everything we can to give every American access to better mental health care. Instead, we have allowed the marijuana industry to target those who are most vulnerable in this mental health crisis: young people. We’re seeing huge increases in accidental poisonings, skyrocketing rates of addiction, and more drugged driving crashes. We can thank the industry’s new concoctions, including THC-laced elixirs, candies, sodas for that. It’s time we put public health in front of profits.”
Every major medical association has opposed commercializing marijuana because of the significant health and mental health impacts of today’s high potency THC products, including edibles, waxes, vape oils and drinks. “The data highlighted in the SAM impact report is in line with concerning trends practitioners have witnessed for years” said Dr. Gary Kirkilas, a Phoenix, AZ pediatrician who provides care for the homeless. “With legalization, we’ve sent a false message to our young people that marijuana is safe. The data shows the opposite: marijuana use is dangerous, and it negatively impacts the developing brain. The tobacco industry has taken over the marijuana industry and they’re using the same old tactics to target the next generation, including modifying marijuana so it is more potent and more addictive.”
“The legalization of marijuana fails to advance social and racial equity,” said Teresa Haley, President of the NAACP-Illinois. “When the marijuana industry moved into my home state of Illinois, they promised opportunity and equity, but it was a lie. Drug use and addiction continue to plague Black and Brown communities and allowing the dealer around the corner to set up an LLC and sell ‘legally’ does not solve this problem. Legalization does not address the root cause of issues of systemic injustice and racism. Instead, legalization only exacerbates these problems by normalizing drug use and its negative consequences.”
A complete copy of SAM’s 2023 Impact Report can be found here.