ILLINOIS’ COMMERCIAL POT SALES CONTINUE TO DAMAGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

(SPRINGFIELD, IL) – Dr. Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a three-time White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in advance of the anniversary of commercial marijuana sales in Illinois: 

“Trends across the nation have universally shown that sales of today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs are resulting in more THC-related traffic crashes, more youth-use, more workplace accidents, a larger illicit market, and lower than expected tax revenue. For yet another year Illinois has been no different. Lawmakers at the state and federal level – many of whom count pot profiteers among their donors – refuse to acknowledge the damage being done and have been resistant to advance policies that can save Illinoisans from physical, psychological and economic clutches of this predatory industry. 

Since THC drug sales started in 2020, Illinois has seen: 

  • Little fiscal benefit, with total tax revenue from “legal” sales accounting for only 0.47% in state’s budget;
  • drastic increase in the number of poison control calls for children ages 5 and under, from 37 in 2019 to 244 in 2023; and
  • Increased instances of hospitalizations for children who accidentally consumed edibles spiked. For example, in Cook County three children were hospitalized in 2017 for THC exposure, but in 2021, 124 children in the county were hospitalized.

“The last year has demonstrated again that states cannot effectively regulate this industry. Big Marijuana will stop at nothing to hook a new generation of users on increasingly potent pot products. Significant reforms are needed, including requiring clear warning labels that spell out the harms associated with these dangerous psychoactive drugs. Those labels should make clear to the public that THC drugs are increasingly medically associated with depression, suicidality, IQ loss, psychosis and schizophrenia, especially for young people. Lawmakers should also advance strict potency caps, enact bans on advertising that can be seen by those under 21, and invest greater resources in prevention and treatment programs to help those who are bearing the consequences of the state’s failed experiment with marijuana legalization.”