Public Health and Safety

Impacts From Recreational Marijuana in America: May Take a Decade or More To Comprehend

In the June 2020 edition of World Psychiatry (Vol. 19, edition 2), authors W. Hall and M. Lynsky analyze public health data concerning the emerging health impacts stemming from recreational marijuana in the United States since 2012. They examine how marijuana’s legalization has had impacts to increased THC potency levels, decreased product pricing, increases in use rates and corresponding increases in hospitals admissions.  From the data in this report, Hall and Lynsky offer a warning, supported by research, that the true public health effects from the legalization of marijuana for recreational use may not be realized another 10 years or more.

Citation: (World Psychiatry 2020;19:179-186)